nichelle nichols

Zoe Saldana

Two Uhuras Boldly Go to the BET Awards

Aww. Here we have Zoe Saldana and previous Bella Donna pick Nichelle Nichols at the BET Awards.

Aww. Here we have Zoe Saldana and previous Bella Donna pick Nichelle Nichols at the BET Awards. They're the two actresses who've played Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. If you look closely, you'll see that aside from their choices of lip color, the women have similar makeup styles. But where Zoe chooses a bright lip color, Nichelle sports a barely-there shade — a good choice for older women, since darker colors can "bleed" into lip lines. What makes me happiest about this photo is the way it shows that beauty isn't restricted to the young. Though they have 45 years between them—Zoe's 31, while Nichelle is 76—both women are, to put it mildly, stunning. So the next time you start to worry about a wrinkle here or a gray hair there, take a look at this photo as a reminder that a genuine smile, expression lines and white hair can be breathtaking, too. Love them!

Bella Donna

Bella Donna: Nichelle Nichols

Depending on when you were born, you'll recognize Nichelle Nichols as Nana Dawson on Heroes or as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek.

Depending on when you were born, you'll recognize Nichelle Nichols as Nana Dawson on Heroes or as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek. Today, she's as stunning at age 75 as she was in her youth.

It's hard to overstate what Nichols' portrayal of Uhura meant in pop culture. The show began in 1966, just one year after the passage of the Voting Rights Act. During the first season of Star Trek, Nichols considered leaving the show because she felt her role lacked significance. A conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed her mind; a fan of the series, he insisted she was a role model for black women and children everywhere. She stayed on, of course, and was part of a groundbreaking interracial kiss with his royal Shatness. After the show's cancellation, she volunteered with NASA to recruit women and minorities; astronaut Mae Jemison has said that her interest in space exploration was inspired by Nichols and Uhura.

Nichols' look as Uhura was typical of the '60s; black liquid eyeliner and nude lip gloss can help you recreate her look. But pay attention to how she looks today, too. If anyone shows that having a few wrinkles doesn't detract from beauty, it's her.

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