tonight wrapper lil kim with instagram pictures many have called unrecognizable. sparking a debate on beauty and race. why some women are accused of trying to be white using surgery and skin bleaching while other ladies are fool falling into formation and embracing their blackness. plus, behind the scenes as cirque du soleil prepares to make a slash on broadway. we meet the actress making her debut and some of the world's greatest acrobats. >> and dropping the mike. brace yourself, ladies.

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here tonight with a celebrity instagram post that is raising all sorts of questions about

beauty and race. lil' kim, one of the most successful and influential female rappers creating a raging debate. here's deborah roberts. >> ♪ >> reporter: she's the self-proclaimed queen b of rap. she made her mark with raw rimes. long before others it was lil' kim beneath the colorful wigs in videos like crush on you. ♪ >> reporter: and eye popping videos like how many licks. lil' kim's appearance is a big part of her persona. which may explain why she's turning heads again. in a series of pictures she recently posted on instagram, many say she's virtually unrecognizable as compared to pictures in the 90s.

along with her wavy blonde hair, many are saying her nose is thin, her skin lighter. the post is sparking an online fire storm with some speculating whether the image is due to camera filters. others saying she's lightening her skin tones. she's also earned the hash tag lil' kim so white. she's mum on the issue, and her representatives didn't reach out. the images are sparking a big discussion about society's view of ideal beauty and whether women of color are under pressure to conform. >> i would say the hollywood standard of beauty is lighter skin, blonde air, blue eyes. >> a minnesota photographer has heard it for years. >> when i first saw the pictures i was shocked, but i started thinking about it. as a little girl, i was a little

black kid who wanted lighter skin. this transformation of lil' kim is extreme, but it's not a phenomenon. >> reporter: in fact, lil' kim herself admitted to insecurities to her looks in a news week interview where she opens up about not feeling attractive stating i have low self-esteem, i always have. guys always cheated with me who were european looking. being a regular black woman wasn't enough. >> women of color are always aspiring to get us close to as white as possible. to fit within the beauty standards. >> reporter: critics say the beauty industry is capitalizing on the fact that some women of color are unhappy in their own skin. >> in high school was when i started dabbling in other things such as skin bleaching. >> reporter: this beauty blogger knows all about the over the

counter skin bleaching products. >> reporter: how far did you go? >> all throughout high school i had really bag acne. i started off trying to bleach the spots, and then i was like well, if i bleach the spots, what happens if i bleach my face, and so i started it, and when i went to school a couple times i got compliments from folks saying your skin looks brighter, and that was kind of motivation for me to continue doing it. >> reporter: patience experimented also. >> it was terrible. every time you put it on you recognize that you don't like something of yourself, which it was my skin color. >> reporter: dermatologists warn that many of the creams are only intended for small areas and that using them more broadly can thin the skin and become dangerous. >> a lot of the over the counter products can contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful and cause skin cancer and

internal cancers. >> reporter: this doctor says the appeal of skin bleaching products casts a wider net more than the u.s. >> in the indian society, things can be done at a young age to lighten the skin tone. >> reporter: in 2011 the world health reported that 77% of women used skin lightening. and 40% in china, ma lay ya, the fill leans and south korea. this complex leads tsome to vocalize their compassion for lil' kim. >> address the bigger issue. that's how white supremacy is pervasive in the media. >> reporter: her instagram post comes on the heels of the other queen b's album lemonade. lighter skin women continue to

dominate the red carpets and on magazine covers. some have come under fire for allegedly lightening dark skinned celebrities. something they have denied. most recently instyle magazine was accused of lightening kerry washington. they deny digitally lightening her skin, instead blaming it on the cover lighting. the quest to achieve beauty ideals often goes far beyond complexion. >> my tip is not as defined as i'd like it to be. two years ago we met this woman who was on the hunt for the perfect face. >> makeup isn't changing. maybe it's my nose. >> reporter: she's no stranger to the knife. >> i've been through this three times. >> reporter: she was on her fourth attempt on her nose. she was hopeful the surgery would finally give her a reflection she's happy with. >> the total cost of the procedure was about 14,000.

>> i see smog wrong with it. it's fine. i always thought she was pretty. >> reporter: her mom wasn't sure it was money well spent, worrying that with each nose job her daughter was erasing her ethnicity. >> i'm proud of my blackness. always been that way. i don't want to change a thing. >> reporter: but kendra insists her nose doesn't define her identity. >> reporter: this doctor specializes in what he calls ethnic surgery, marketing himself to minorities. he says patients of all races seem to one similar looks. >> i certainly have a fair amount of patients that bring he pictures of super celebrities that have a certain nose. >> reporter: kendra wants to model her nose on that of alicia keys. we check in after surgery. how are you feeling? >> a little sore. i'm recovering.

>> reporter: what are you going? you're a woman of color. do you not want to look like a woman of color? >> i do. i want to look like a woman of color. changing my nose won't make me look like a woman of color. days later the big reveal. oh, wow. i like it. the one i want. >> reporter: her old friend is there. >> i am not like michael jackson. >> i'm sure he didn't think so either. >> reporter: yet a year later she's only content with her nose. >> i'm very happy than i was. i'm not 100% satisfied but more like 85%. >> reporter: if she had the money, she'd have even more work done, she'd said. >> i thought about cheekbone and eyebrow lift. >> reporter: as for lil' kim, no matter what they say, whether the speculation is true or not, some hope this conversation on

beauty will keep going on. >> if you still don't get why lil' kim having lighter skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes is a big deal, then you are maybe part of the default. and i think that's an important thing to raise. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm deborah roberts in new york. >> up next, the global phenomenon, cirque du soleil takes on broadway. the actress now flying with the acrobats. and an announcement from channing tatum from will raise eyebrows and heart rates.

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cirque du soleil with the acrobatics has become a global phenomenon, but can they make it here on broadway? it's a multimillion dollar gamble, and we go behind the scenes. >> reporter: when you think of broadway, you don't think of aerial summer salts or glidiing through the air. they are hoping to change that at cirque du soleil with the upcoming broadway debut. it's a marriage of the classic story telling of musical theater. ♪ >> reporter: broadway has never seen anything like it. true to cirque du soleil form, there are countless stunts that make your jaw drop. like the strap artists who fly through the air without a harness in what is a display of strength and grace.

it's a $25 million gamble resting on the shoulders of this young woman. >> less than two weeks before we have an audience. a lot of work still has to get done. >> reporter: ruby plays a lounge singer. ♪ >> reporter: who gets caught up in an old hollywood love triangle. torn between two men. she has been performing for 24 years, but this is her broadway debut. and the stakes don't get any higher. cirque du soleil has tried twice already to tackle broadway to mixed results. do you feel the nerves? do you feel pressure? >> i think i'm in fight or flight mode a little bit. this is your debut. it's the first impression. >> reporter: her day begins almost like anyone else's. >> i drink a lot of coffee these days, especially today. i know it's going to be a long one. >> reporter: to fuel her ten hour workdays, the kentucky girl

goes for comfort food. >> let me show you what a southern broccoli casserole looks like. that's an entire stick of butter and ritz crackers. you can see specks of green. you're still getting your vegetables. >> reporter: how do you train for something like this? there's athleticism for you as well in all the dance? >> yeah. i say singing, dancing, acting, it's all working a muscle. if you do it enough and get comfortable enough in it, then you become one of the best. >> reporter: we're behind the scenes with ruby and the cast. split roughly down the middle between actors and acrobats. many oh limb bik level gymnasts. the world class a every day. >> reporter: most of them have specialties and represented their countries. on their final week leading up

to their first preview show -- here we are. >> reporter: everyone is working around the clock. backstage producers, costume designe designers. even hair and makeup. all hands own deck as they're near the final hours of preproduction. first up ruby checks in with her co-star. >> ruby. hi. >> hi. >> reporter: brett plays rob by plays her confidant. >> we've become pals. i think it's a southern thing. our accents come back in full force when we're together. i'm from texas. >> reporter: she needs to mentally prepare for her acrobatic stunlt. today she's testing out the harness that will hoist her 25 feet in the air. is it physically more demanding than most musicals? >> in a different way it is. >> reporter: you have to fair on all pistons when you go on page stage.

>> you don't realize how tiring it was until the end of the day when you're like, that was a lot. >> reporter: this guy plays joey, the composer, one of two men her character is torn over. ♪ >> such a shame i have been to be fought over. two lovely men with beautiful voices. the director represents fame and fortune. the composer represents the simple life. >> reporter: or maybe just love. next stop, wardrobe. >> hello, everybody. >> reporter: a huge team is still designing and creating more than 250 costumes. especially crafted to allow for the rigors of a cirque du soleil show. >> a lot of the costumes like this one has wires built in. >> reporter: to keep it from flipping over her head when she's up side down. unfortunately ruby doesn't speak any french which can make things

tricky when working with the canadian cirque du soleil crew. then a stop in hair and makeup. ruby alone will have more than ten different looks. >> ruby, you're going into costumes at this time. >> reporter: at least i look pretty. it's time for her to practice her flying. she gets into her harness and heads to the theater. >> it's an exhausting process. >> reporter: they attach cables to the harness through holes cut in the especially crafted skirt. a quick last minute safety check and slowly but surely she's up in the air. ♪ >> reporter: is it ever scary? >> it is scary when i get loaded

in. you start thinking what if the wire snaps? it's probably a million to one odds or something. but it still goes through your mind when you're dangling. >> reporter: have you gotten injured? >> yes, i had to get x-raies on my ribs. we were rehearsing a trick that's no longer in the show. ruby, it's all you. >> reporter: danger aside, i couldn't resist. >> that's it. >> reporter: oh. crushed it. >> i knew you could do it. >> reporter: what is it, do you think, that will make this show appealing to a broad audience? >> it's going to be so surprising to people. it's unlike anything audiences have seen. >> reporter: it's visual magic. >> yeah. >> reporter: four days later time for their first preview performance. >> we've definitely put in some major hours.

♪ >> once the curtain goes down at the end of the show, we're all going to feel such elation. >> reporter: for "nightline" in new york. >> it opens on may 25th. coming up next, channing tatum pulling out all the stops to get your attention. his new video of shirtless dudes doing housework and also puppies. how are you supposed to choose one? simple. you don't. at red lobster's create your own seafood trios, you get to pick 3 of 9 all-new creations for just $15.99. and with this many new flavors trust me, you'll be glad you can try three. like creamy baked lobster alfredo and grilled chimichurri shrimp and panko-crusted crab cakes bursting with crabmeat. because some choices are hard, but this one, this one's easy. so hurry in before it ends!

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and finally here tonight, a very important announcement from channing tatum. here it is, the latest gambit from people's magazine from former sexiest man alive. >> what if we created the world where women were given the same opportunities as men. >> channing tatum announces that magic mike is heading to las vegas, the wildly successful film franchise has attracted many female fans. the new show magic mike live is set to debut next march at the hard rock hotel.

we can only hope it will include the pony dance. >> a blatant pay for viral featuring muscles and puppies. >> god knows we have enough gentleman's clubs in this world. let's start the first gentle lady's club. >> channing tatum, perhaps america's most unlikely feminist. i'm already angling to cover opening night. thank you for watching. good night. for colon cancer? i don't have any symptoms. [female announcer] of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cancer killer in the united states. and it doesn't always cause symptoms, especially early on. but i'm only 53. i'm too young. [announcer] screening is recommended for men and women beginning at 50. but no one in my family had colon cancer.

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