Vanessa Williams and Daughter Jillian Beautifully Cover ESSENCE

Age ain’t nothing but a number. Whomever first said that phrase certainly had it right.

jancoverboth8Take a look at  53-year old former beauty queen, singer and actress Vanessa Williams and her gorgeous daughter, Lion Babeโ€™s Jillian Hervey, covering the January issue of ESSENCE.  Without a doubt, beauty runs in the family. The two could pass as sisters.  Wouldn’t you agree?

In the cover story, Vanessa + Jillian, the stunning duo chat with Essence about being in the business, the sacredness of family and loving the skin youโ€™re in while staying true to who you are at any age.

Williams  shares with ESSENCE  the key to success on her 30-year career.

โ€œWhen they yell, โ€˜Cameras ready!โ€™ I am the first one there. The director and producer notice. I take whatever Iโ€™m doing seriouslyโ€ฆโ€

On dealing with pain:

 โ€œYou have to go through the fire. Avoiding the pain is why most people never resolve it. You have to dig deep, sit in it and ugly-cry. Pretending itโ€™s not there and keeping busy are a way of avoiding itโ€ฆโ€

Hervey shares embracing her hair at an early age and standing up for herself:

โ€œI never saw myself as always having that hair. Ever. That wasnโ€™t the plan. That was the label. They were like, โ€˜You need the hair, you need the hair, you need the hair!…โ€

 

When the duo signed to Interscope Records, the label loved her video look so much that it insisted she wear it everywhere, even to radio interviews. Hervey, a self-described people pleaser didnโ€™t have the heart to say no.

 โ€œMy hair was supposed to represent this freedom, and then it almost became a trap. You canโ€™t even see my face sometimes because the wig is so big.โ€

These days Hervey was found the strength to put her foot down and has the freedom to โ€˜transform,โ€™ she says. That might mean donning braids or wearing her hair free and naturalโ€ฆโ€

See more of interview on ESSENCE.

 

 

Essenceโ€™s January 2017 issue hits newsstands this Friday.

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