By Sewe Ishola

Nigerian author and feminist,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  has been announced as the new face of the  popular pharmacy chain in the UK and Ireland, Boots No7 beauty brand.

In a report by Vogue magazine, Chimamanda’s first campaign for the range will be released on Friday, and it will show the writer,  speaking about how she used to fear being taken less seriously because of her love of make-up, but later came to embrace it as a tool, an enhancement and as part of her own identity.

In Vogue’s November 2016 Real Issue, in “The New Face Of Beauty: You”, she said of the campaign: “I think much of beauty advertising relies on a false premise – that women need to be treated in an infantile way, given a ‘fantasy’ to aspire to… Real women are already inspired by other real women, so perhaps beauty advertising needs to get on board.”

“I love make-up and its wonderful possibilities for temporary transformation. And I also love my face after I wash it all off,” she said. “There is something exquisitely enjoyable about seeing yourself with a self-made new look. And for me that look is deeply personal. It isn’t about what is in fashion or what the rules are supposed to be. It’s about what I like. What makes me want to smile when I look in the mirror. What makes me feel slightly better on a dull day. What makes me comfortable.”

Chimamanda has three critically acclaimed novels under her belt and a few days ago she contributed a “thank-you note” to US First Lady Michelle Obama for The New York Times Magazine cover feature. This is a woman with influence.

Well done for Boots for choosing a face for No7 that’s so much more than just a face – she’s an inspiration, an icon, and a reminder that being intellectual and loving makeup are not mutually exclusive.