Lupita Nyong'o Wore A Mould Of Her Naked Body On The Red Carpet| Glamour UK

While nearly-naked dresses have practically become a right of passage for millennial and gen Z celebs, Lupita Nyong'o took the trend in a new direction at the recent Tony Awards. The actress opted to overlay her body with a delicate silver breastplate cast from a mould of her naked chest, rather than a cascade of sheer fabric.

It's revealing, yep. And it's undeniably provocative, but not necessarily in the traditional sense, since Lupita (and other celebs like her) have made it clear that looking “sexy” is not the point. Instead, Lupita accompanied the Instagram post of her in her hotel before the awards with a caption explaining her intention in choosing the design, and it's designer.

Calling the outfit a “shameless out-of-body experience,” Lupita added that she felt “honored, humbled, strengthened and energized [sic] to don this breastplate created by @mishajapanwala, which she cast and molded of my body.”

She highlighted the importance of being “shameless” writing “Misha Japanwala is a Pakistani artist and fashion designer, whose work is rooted in the rejection and deconstruction of external shame attached to one’s body. In her artistic process, she creates a realistic and true record of a person’s body as an act of resistance and celebration, and an insistence on being allowed to exist freely in our bodies.”

Lupita used the caption to quote Misha herself who explained "The word ‘beghairat’ (translation: shameless) has become an anchor in my practice; thousands of people have used it to describe me and the work I create, in an effort to insult and shame me into silence. In reclaiming the word and understanding that the rejection of others’ narrow definitions of shame is one of the most powerful tools for liberation, I’ve come to deeply appreciate and respect what living a life of shamelessness truly means. My craft pertains to documenting our existence in the most truthful way I possibly can — I change nothing about the body and how it looks. I think that act of surrendering and allowing our bodies to simply be, is such a beautiful and powerful thing.”

So provocative while it may be, it's clear Lupita's aim is to provoke an honest relationship with (and celebration of) her body that's free from shame, and honestly, we're very much fan-girling her approach.

“Misha, thank you for this special opportunity to BE EXACTLY HERE, IN THIS BODY NOW,” Lupita said before hyping Misha's work, Beghairati Ki Nishaani: Traces of Shamelessness, which is on view now at Hannah Traore Gallery in New York City until July 30th.

Of course, this is not the first time a celeb has pushed back against body-shaming women for what they wear. Earlier this year, Florence Pugh's liberated approach to dressing in a sheer-chested frothy pink Valentino gown unwittingly created the “Free The Nipple” movement. Addressing the drama in an interview, Florence insisted, “I’ve never been scared of what’s underneath the fabric. If I’m happy in it, then I’m gonna wear it. Of course, I don’t want to offend people, but I think my point is: How can my nipples offend you that much?”

The vibe is, don't let others limit how you want to look, and how you feel about yourself and your body, which is a lesson we're taking home.

And, while we're on the subject of expressionism, we had to shout-out the beautifully intricate henna headpiece Lupita chose to finish off her look, painted by henna artist, Sabeen. From head to toe, Lupita Nyong'o is out here to show us how it's done.

For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLjApqauqp2WtKLGyKecZ5ufY8Kse8Crq6KbnJp8rcHPoquaZZ6uvK%2BzjKhkp5mbmrFurtGemKysoKGutbE%3D