Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for her work in 12 Years a Slave, has collected another honor: People magazine’s “Most Beautiful.” Officials from People said the selection was a no-brainer, and staff writer Julie Jordan said Nyong’o is “a testament to true beauty, inside and out.”

Nyong’o called the honor a compliment, recalling how when she was a child, beauty often was associated with straight hair and light skin. “I was happy for all the girls who would see me on [the cover] and feel a little more seen,” she said in the magazine. (People)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.