Thanks to Bossip for the heads up on this story – as hopefully many of you remember, Beyonce has a younger sister named Solange. Solange does a lot to try to get noticed, to try and pull focus away from her sister, who is probably one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Solange is a singer too! And she’s got style – sort of. She’s not House of Dereon, Solange is more “Grace Jones David Bowie Lady Gaga”. And she’s got a new album, and she’s gotta do some press. Thus, this new interview with Refinery 29 about her style influences, her music, and her family (complete piece here). The quote everyone will be talking about is this:
Refinery 29: You mentioned being inspired by Janet Jackson’s “Pleasure Principle” video. Janet was a famous younger sister who really carved out her own identity and sound. Do you ever feel you have to work harder to differentiate yourself from your older sis?
Solange: “If anything, I feel like if I didn’t have a sister who was a huge star, no one would think twice about how I look, because they would have no one to compare it to. I would just be another gal who wears loads of vintage or counts Grace Jones as inspiration. But because I’m Beyoncé’s sister, I’m an easy target to say, ‘There’s no way those two had the same parents, and have one be naturally this way…this has to be a ploy for her to appear cool!’ It makes me want to pull out pictures of five-year-old me next to nine-year-old her wearing a tutu over polka dot stockings and an old scarf over my head. It would be so much easier for me to put on a little black dress, straighten my hair, and sing about dancing in the club, but it’s not my job to prove anything. I’m here to make music, to inspire myself. I’m not selling my likeability, I’m sharing my journeys. If you don’t like it, believe it’s real, or understand it…then keep my name out of your mouth.”
[From Refinery 29]
Bossip thinks Solange might be disrespecting Bey with the bit about “It would be so much easier for me to put on a little black dress, straighten my hair, and sing about dancing in the club, but it’s not my job to prove anything.” I don’t know – sure, Solange could be talking about Bey, for sure. But she’s probably lumping her sister in with many other pop stars (Rihanna, for one). Here’s a little more from the interview:
Who are your style heroes?
“My mom in the ’70s and ’80s! She was a bad bitch. Sex and the City totally jacked her steez on the camels. I have a pic of her on a camel ride in Egypt in the ’80s serving the hell out of that desert! Also, Diana Ross, The Fela Kuti Queens, Björk, ’70s-era Chaka Khan, Chloë Sevigny, ’90s Erykah Badu.”What inspired the bold new ‘do? You mentioned you can no longer hide with that hair, has it changed the way you see yourself?
“When I was recording, I was staying in a house with five guys and two showers. I knew there would be a shower wait everyday and with my natural cropped hair, it’s mandatory that I wash it otherwise it gets stuck to my head like glue! I wanted to get something that I could literally roll out of bed without looking nuts. I watched so many Chaka Khan YouTube videos and became sort of obsessed with her during the process. I went to my stylist and said ‘Give me the fro.’ I walk differently now, sing differently; This hair has spirit and soul.”You’ve got such unique style, would you ever consider being involved in the family fashion business, House of Deréon?
“Why thank you very much! It’s funny you ask because I initially was involved as the spokesperson, but the clothes just didn’t reflect my personal style and I decided to hand that over. That’s the great thing about my family. We work together so closely that if something’s not working out, we can be honest about it and there won’t be any grudges or issues. I wrote a couple of songs on my sister’s last album and if there’s a line she doesn’t like, she changes it and we keep on moving. I will say though, they did just do a bedding line that I am extremely in love with and I was like, ‘Can I model that… in my house?'”
[From Refinery 29]
Ha! I told you she wasn’t into that House of Dereon bullsh-t. And Beyonce needs to get out of it too, because that junk is FUG. Like, trashy Vegas-wear, and even in expensive advertising, the clothing looks cheap. But I like how Solange is all “I decided to hand it over.” Like if their mom had the choice between putting Solange in the ads or Bey in the ads, mom would ever choose Solange. But sure, it was her “choice”!
Photos courtesy of Refinery 29.
Love the way she speaks, sounds like shes down to earth and focused. And I must have her bathtub shoes. Must.
Two sisters, two different styles..more power to them both. Solange is more interesting to me, but I don’t see the Bowie/Jones/Gaga connection. At. All. I don’t think she has that sort of avant garde-ish edge.
She gives me a more Kate Pierson/Captain Kangaroo/Christie doll vibe. Quirky, unique, fun, fresh…
I love her hair. I wish more black women would go with this style. It is so gorgeous. Straight hair is boring.
I like it! She could so easily try to be a lil copycat of her sis, yet she does her own thing, & that commendable.
@lambchops
this style is not popular because maybe when people see that fools will attack a 4/5 year old as not having her hair combed.. And bit@hes write articles about children not looking “groomed” when they have their hair natural..Saying their mother does not care about them.
no need to name names..
I love her hair. Sexy.. but I guess it is fine when you are twenty something and not 4 or 5
If that is her natural hair she should definitely keep it, because it is GORGEOUS.
‘FRO POWER!!!
Just and FYI, her natural hair is in the top pic, she grew it out some and put in a fro extensions/wig.
When women are transitioning from relaxed to natural this is a common practice
@ lisa–
this is soooo true. Once, when on vacation with some girlfriends of mine in FL, we saw a little girl around 3-4 with naturally textured hair (her mother was white, her father, black) running towards the theme park we were visiting. I will never forget to this day what my blonde friend said:’THat little girl’s hair is ugly!”
Oh, it was painful. She might as well have punched me and every other black female (and perhaps the woman who was the little girl’s mother) in the stomach… but it is how some people think!
To this, I replied “it’s not ugly, it’s just different.. that’s all.” I still don’t think she understood how hurtful her remark was or how she took for granted how her look is considered the standard for beauty in the western world, namely the US.
I think it’s just lack of exposure… I think if my friend was actually exposed to a more ethnically diverse population, she wouldn’t have reacted to it so negatively. At least I would hope.
I’m glad Solange went natural.. but you know, it would be a BIGGER statement and reach more people, however, if Beyonce was the one who chose to cut the weaves and go natural.
@ Lisa: totally true what you said. But forget about the hair. Those shoes are Killing me. Where can i buy those?
She’s like the Khloe of the Knowles family…lol, must really suck to be her!
they are very much alike.
But I love solange’s hair.
Solange fro is a weave
I adore her new hair! I wish that more women would wear their hair this way. It is so flattering and beautiful. when I look at her I think, what beautiful hair instead of thinking what a cute wig.
That fro is still a wig, since I doubt solange natural hair grows that fast
Annaloo: i also had a fried who said that. she also added: “name one animal that has the same kind of hair”. To this day i could not answer her. I only made a joke about it. we’re “special”.
@ Toe – That’s terrible! I can’t believe someone actually said that to you!
@ toe– I know– how does one react? It’s your friend, but how do you deal w/o going nuclear (even though you feel like it)? IT’s so condescending and a bit dehumanizing…
I’d love to ask the other posters of all backgrounds… what would be the most diplomatic way of dealing with this?
The hair suits her well. I just cannot stand anyone in her family.
The shoes are Louboutins- so call a boutique and they can probably help you.
Natural hair is always more beautiful, whether you’re 4 or 20. Solange looks gorgeous. I only started to notice her when she cut off all her hair. That was also a beautiful look.
But, this sentence: “’70s-era Chaka Khan, Chloë Sevigny, ’90s Erykah Badu”
Chloe Sevigny?? How does she fit in there?
I am loving that hair on Solange, it suits her.
It must be tough being Be-yawn-ce’s sister.
i think this is the 1st thing i’ve ever heard (read) of her saying & she seems very well spoken. i don’t think she was disrespecting her sister at all. i have 2 sisters-they wouldn’t take me saying that negative at all.
I like her hair too, it’s cute on her.
Her style – I’ve heard people talk of “Solanging” an outfit – put together a great look and then ruin it with one horrible piece! But I like her style better than Beyonce’s, which tends to be a bit Vegas-y sometimes.
People are always harping on my boyfriend to cut his ‘fro – they even tell me to get him to cut it! I love the curls.
@Annaloo and Toe: That sucks, and if a friend of mine said some shit like that to me, I would have no choice but to point out what a shithead she (or he) was being. Friends should be able to do that, you know? I cram my foot into my mouth often, and I’m not above being called out on it. But I expect that from My People. I want them to tell me when I’m being an asshole, just like I would want them to tell me “yes, you DO look fat in those pants”, or “you have a trespassing booger” because I’d want to, you know, rectify those situations. It’s the same when I say something stupid. Call me out so I don’t do that shit again and let me apologize. If those friends of y’alls get pissed off because you tell them what they said hurt your feelings, you haven’t lost much. I’m just saying.
I like her so much after this interview. She doesn’t want to be a cookie cutter girl. She doing her own thing and it takes guts to go against the grain.
If the Knowles machine raises the profile of the type of music that Solange and similar artists (such as Janelle Monae) make then I’ve got no qualms with that!
omg-i LOVE the wild crazy hair on children!
people are nuts about this hair topic…i’m telling you.
but that black/white combo hair-blond but fro like…is SO freakin’ cool.
some friends of ours, said people have asked if they color their kids hair-who was only a toddler at the time. what?
i cannot believe how stupid people are, actually.
and another friend, her child never wanted his hair cut-he only allowed it when he was about 7…prior to that, he insisted on dreads, and he’s white. he had all this info for him mom about dreads, and why he should have them-it was a bit past-life surreal type thing-but he was so adamant, that she thought ‘okay, fine, we’ll leave it for now’….
and people have actually said ‘blek, disgusting’ out loud in ear shot of her and her child.
i cannot believe how viscerally unnerved people will be, if one does not fit into the proper ‘mold’ of how to look. So judgy and assuming, too. Face it, we are all in one mold or another-the norm is just as much of a mold as the non-norm.
Long live the wild and crazy hair!!!!
Don’t like her singing (or her sister’s, for that matter), but she looks really pretty with this hair (although, the bald look from the header pic doesn’t do much for her).
I agree with Cletus about what to do if your friend says something so rude and idiotic.
If I were the one that said something offensive like that to my friend, I’d want him/her to immediately let me know that it was offensive, because I’d never intentionally insult a friend(Although in this situation, your friend insulted a whole race of people, not just you. Wow.).
However, I’d want my friend to correct me gently, because it would be upsetting enough to know I’d said something so awful, without being yelled at for it.
I have to agree that I think natural fro hair is cool. I’d love a fro. It’s funny because I have that boring straight hair that people with fro hair sometimes want, and I want theirs. The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side, right?
Screw those RUDE people that say it doesn’t look taken care of. People need to mind their own damn business and let other people be who they are. Sometimes I just want to lock myself inside so I don’t have to come into contact with people who suck. They’re everywhere.
Beyonce’s sister bugs me though. Notice I called her Beyonce’s sister. I bet she’d be PISSED. Lol!
@lisa That is really really sad. I can’t believe people are so ridiculous. I grew up in the afro age and I was always so jealous of the look. It just looks good, IMO.
infinitely more interesting than her sister. Beyonce is cheeeeesy.
I like the “fro” and have always envied black women being able to wear their hair like that.
Bey Bey is not only cheesy she’s so overrated, overexposed fake and boring; a flashy celebrity with vapid music. But, yes Iggles give me more Janelle Monae than stupid club dance pop crap. Janelle needs to stay clear away from Bey Bey and her lame pop music machine or she will be ruined.
Solange > Beyonce. House of Dereon sucks ass and Beyonce is getting more skanky and generic each day along with rhianna. For some reason Solanges natural look made me think of Lauryn Hill. *sigh* nostalgia time
Oh no she diiiidn’t! Chain that baby back in the basement!
Another supporter for Cletus’ solution. I know that we can’t know all of the secrets and insecurities held by each culture throughout time, but (I don’t know how old this girl was at the time, but old enough to know better if she’s out without a caretaker), you would think any woman would have the good sense to not launch a missle like that at a little kid. Maybe if the only thing you have to do to remain firmly withing the accepted beauty ideal is decide between platinum blonde and ice blonde, it can make you insensitive to to plight–or even just aesthetic tastes of others. I can only hope that this girl was suffering from some kind of episode of tongue palsy which prevented her from speaking this way.
That said, I’m so frigging damned sick of this pathological obsession with the chunks of protein sitting on the head. If you step back and objectively look at the aching significance we place upon it…I’m sorry, fellow ladies, but we just look like vainglorious idiots with severly misguided priorities after a while. I’m not in love with my hair a lot of the time, but I’m sure as hell not crying in the rain over it (although, I’m black, so that’s something else entirely). Sometimes a cream rinse is just a cream rinse. We’ve got to get more hobbies.
The ‘fro looks awesome on Solange. Hey, Beyonce couldn’t pull it off! So Solange has one up on her… 😉
As a black woman with natural hair I know that there are people who just don’t get it unfortunately some are in the black community they expect her to fit in and smile. I say whatever makes her happy weave no weave perm no perm she looks great.
I hope fro’s come back in a major way, because there’s something really hot about them on guys and gals.
It’s interesting/nice to hear from solangey, because up to this point I really didn’t know anything about her. I’m sure MK will have a field day getting to hear from his BFF basement baby. haha
@lisa, I have dread locks for almost 30 years and I know I may have missed good opportunities for employment because of how I chose to wear my hair. I was discussing this just this morning with a friend. Not complaining but like you said everyone is just not that accepting of hair if it’s not styled how folks expect it to be styled 🙂 She is fortunate that how she chooses to wear her hair doesn’t effect her life style economically 🙂 and so is Zahara 🙂
@ cletus – “you have a trespassing booger” is the greatest thing i’ve heard in a long time. i’m working on building up a collection of silly non-cuss “cuss words” (fat headed mouth breather is one of them), and i think i might add trespassing booger to the mix. thank you!
i haven’t heard too much of solange’s music but i like that she has enough talent to stand alone and doesn’t feel the need to use her notoriety as beyonce’s sister to get her a record deal/gigs *cough ashlee simpson cough*. and she’s well spoken to boot! take that vapid pop/movie stars with nothing to say!
When I was a kid I was SO jealous of my friends with afros and naturals. My fave was the little girls with like a thousand bright plastic barrettes in their hair. I begged my mom to do my hair like that and could never understand when she said my super fine white girl hair just wouldn’t allow for those styles. Thought she was just purposely being a mean mom! 🙂 Anyway point being that I think (hope) attitudes are changing with each generation.
It must suck for her at times. Being Beyonce’s sister cannot be an easy gig.
a dis, but a tiny one. seems like she doesnt disrespect bey as a person, but prob thinks bey has cheesy style and that hers is way cooler.
Wonder what she thinks about her dad…
That hair does AMAZING things to her features. She looks regal, yet down to earth. It’s a good style for her.
I nanny for a beautiful little girl who has the most gorgeous, textured hair. Her mother recently informed me that she had to have a long talk with her daughter when the little girl wanted to style her hair “like Nanny’s!”
Baby girl and I spent a lot of time lately talking about how beautiful it is to be different. (And how you have to wait until you’re 18 to put blue in your hair!)
The irony, of course, was when I was her age, my best friends all had beautiful, textured hair that was meticulously styled – and I’d cry at home because I hated my thin, dull brown hair. I guess the grass is always greener. . .
ETA – I don’t know a lot about Solange (other than MK’s “basement baby” updates ;), but I really like this interview. I’ll definitely keep my eye out for her in the future.
Youtube Solange peeps. No disrespect to Beyonce who is a terrific performer but Solange is the real talent in the Knowles family imo. Her personal style aside, this girl can sing and her music is definitely not the mainstream, studio-manufactured, meaningless ‘pop’ sound that’s so prevalent these days.
To answer the question, yes, BB dissed Beyonce there.
ps: Love that bathroom!
I don’t think she “dissed” her sister. She was making a valid point and could have been referring to just about anybody in the entertainment industry. Solange loves her sister very much.
I’m starting to like Solange more and more. She is definitely intelligent and someone I look up to. I like how she’s “fearless” with her real hair too. I think she’s inspiring alot more women of color to accept their natural hair instead of using chemical relaxers which are not healthy.
I’m not a big fan of Beyonce and her music but I’m not gonna trash her either. Both sisters have respective talents and are pretty influentual.
And at least they both seem to have their sh*t together and are not addicted to drugs or partying all night unlike some other nameless starlets.
I love that style on her. Why do weaves have to be the the norm for black celebrities?
I “went natural” with my hair about 2 years ago and I was shocked at the reaction by other African Americans and especially my parents. My parents hated it and begged me to straighten it. I’m still going strong even though it’s hard sometimes when you don’t have support and don’t fit the norm. Things are changing though
I grew up as one of few African Americans in my area and sometimes certain girls would make comments all the time about my hair and skin. It got annoying, but I took it as ignorance so sometimes I would try to explain. I am partial to big curly hair, but I like all hair types. I just love when people rock their natural beauty. I think everyone looks their best with the look God gave them as the blank canvas. I wish people in general would be more accepting of more types “features” that don’t traditionally fit our so called “standards of beauty”
I Love my big curly hair now. Plus, putting such harsh chemicals in my hair to straighten it all those years couldn’t have been good for me.
Solange is cool. dig her insight.
guys please help me urgent what shoes is she wearing in the bath tub,i checked loubotin but could not find them,i want shoes like that in suede,what are they
@Aspie – I agree! They may be sisters, but they have their own way of doing things and I respect both.
I cannot believe some people think her hair is fake. I did the big chop myself and when you take care of your natural hair, it grows fuller and stronger and healthier than adding the chemicals and excessive heat. 1/2 inch every month, is typical hair growth when you’re not doing everything you can to stunt it’s growth.
Love Solange’s shoes and hair. Love.