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ACTING STAR: Lupita Nyong'o (PA)

12 YEARS A Slave star Lupita Nyong’o's recent appearance in a magazine shoot for Vanity Fair has sparked outrage after fans of the Oscar nominee claimed that her skin colour had been lightened.

Photos of the Kenyan actress circulated after she had been featured in the “Vanities” section of the February issue.

The actress, who impressed audiences in her breakthrough role in Steve McQueen's slavery epic, soon retweeted the pictures after Vanity Fair had released a sneak preview on Twitter.

Angry and confused fans of Nyong'o began replying to the tweet regarding her drastic change of skin colour.

One user said: “She’s a natural beauty...why did you have to lighten her up?”

Others began posting contrasting photos of her to highlight the difference to those who were unsure.

So far Vanity Fair has offered no response to the allegations, however many have said that this is not the first time that the magazine has lightened the photos of black celebrities, including India Arie and Beyonce.

It is clear that topics such as these are sensitive to the public, although the rising star still seems in good spirits as she tweeted a picture with Oprah Winfrey after receiving Best Supporting Actress at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.