In this interview Ursula Stephen talks about the people, places, and things that inspire her most; the imperfection she considers her most stunning accessory, and why she thinks some “natural hair” girls need to seriously lighten up. And while she’s working hard to open her salon this year, she maintains that whether you’re weaved, braided, afro’d, or straightened – all women need to take some time to let their hair down and play.
-Robyn Carolyn Price
You’ve been doing a lot of traveling since we last spoke to one another. What cities are inspiring you the most right now?
I’ve always gotten inspiration from Japan and London. When you go to Japan it’s like another world. It’s weird because they can have the same exact clothes or shoes as we have, but they put it together in a completely different way.It just makes you think outside of the box. Every time I come back from Japan, I’m ready to do some hair, and get really fly for work! They just give you that energy. All the girls are really cute, have an individual style, and are so done up! It’s not like New York where you’ll see girls walking around looking shabby.
London is a lot like New York, but their style is amazing. I think that they are just more free about their fashion. They don’t think about it so much. That is a similarity that both London and Japan have.Everything is style. Everything is fashion. Everything goes.
What are your thoughts on Italian fashion?
I really love it. They are more high end. They’re not too risky, but everything they wear is really chic. It really makes you feel like you’re dreaming. You see all of these fashion magazines, and when you get to Italy, it’s like everything from the magazine is right there in your face. You see people wearing things that you never thought you’d see in person. Every woman is fly, fresh, high end, and top of the line. All of the expensive stuff is like an everyday thing. It’s not like a big deal to them. It’s fun to see it, because it literally feels like you’re dreaming. You see them walking down the cobblestone streets, and they are so fabulous. It’s all about looking good, smoking a cigarette, having a cocktail, and going out with your girls. It’s real social and sexy. I love it.
You grew up in Brooklyn, New York. How did your environment influence your style?
I think that being in Brooklyn forces you to be different. It forced me to be different because so many people like the same things here. Once a trend starts, everybody is doing it. I like to go with a trend, but I like to add my own twist and make it personal. It pushes me to be creative.
The last time we spoke you mentioned that while growing up there, you experienced a period you dealt with issues concerning your hair and your identity. Will you elaborate?
Sure. When I looked into the mirror, I thought I looked just fine. But the reality is that growing up, I was never the typical “pretty girl.” When you’re growing up in school, everybody wants the light skin girl with the long hair. And I was never that girl.And although I never wanted to change my appearance, I’m sure there had to be some sense of insecurity because I was aware that I wasn’t seen like many of the other girls. I had jheri curls, my hair would never grow, and people would laugh. You know, but I never really had a problem with it and I would laugh at myself. I had lots of friends, was popular, and it was never a big deal to me. And even though I wasn’t that pretty girl, I knew that I had something else. I was too young to know what that was, but now that I’m older, I feel like it was confidence. It’s weird because I would hang out with “pretty girls” and not have a problem with it, but many of them would have a problem with me. And I would wonder why they would have an issue with me because all the guys liked them? But I guess they knew something that I didn’t know at the time. It was my confidence that I think offended them. It’s almost like they wondered who was I to be so cool with everyone and just doing my thing. I think that I was always comfortable with being myself, and that’s difficult for some people to understand.
At what point in your life do you really feel like you started owing your beauty?
I don’t even feel like I’m all the way there yet. I just move through life. Actually, even now when I look at pictures of myself, I sometimes think, “Oh my god, I’m not cute.” (laughs) But it’s really so contradictory because I feel extremely confident and feel beautiful because I know who I am. But I don’t think in terms of, “I’m so gorgeous, I’m so pretty.” But I definitely think I’ve come a long way. I feel like it’s a matter of getting to know yourself and working with what you have and not looking at what somebody else has. Being the better version of you every day that you can. That’s what I like about being a hairstylist and being in the beauty world. Because you can enhance. Anything can be made to look beautiful.
You recently asked your Twitter followers to share with you what they considered to be their “perfect imperfection.” You shared that yours was the gap between your teeth. Did you always appreciate this feature, or was it something you grew to love?
I embraced it because I couldn’t see it any other way. I feel like it bothered other people more than it bothered me. I never even thought of it as an imperfection Both my mom and dad have a space also. I just felt like it was a feature that defined me. People would always ask if I wanted to cover the space, and I’d say “no.” Absolutely not. And as I got older, I noticed that people started to become attracted to it. People would say that they found it sexy, and that it reflected my personality. I always liked it, but later in life people helped to reinforced it for me.
Do you have a personal mantra?
Work hard, play hard!
There are actually tons of photos that document you doing just that -- images with you working alongside Rihanna on set, to yachting and jetskiing with her in some of the world’s most beautiful locations. It’s surreal to think that so many black women are missing out on similar activities because of the age-old fear of getting their hair wet.What are you thoughts on the overwhelming number of black women who, even as the weather starts to change, will avoid the water so not to mess up their hair?
Black girls need to get over themselves, and enjoy their life. Don’t let a hairstyle get in the way of your life. We have so many options with our hair. There are weaves, braids, extensions, etc. We can enjoy life. Just choose the right hairstyle for your lifestyle. And what black girls don’t realize is that we are better off than so many other people because we have so many options with our hair. Like we can wear braids to protect our hair, and not everyone can do that. So do it. When summertime comes, switch up your hairstyle and stop being afraid to try things. Stop with the, “I’m not into weaves.” Weaves are not a permanent decision. So look into your options and try it. Let’s start living ladies.
Women of color wearing their hair in natural styles is gaining so much popularity, and that is amazing! But when you made the suggestion of wearing weaves, I feel like there will be a significant number of “natural hair” women who may not be okay with that statement. Do you feel like some of those women are becoming a little too extreme with the “do’s and don’ts” of natural hair? It reminds me of when Solange Knowles expressed on twitter her “disdain for the natural hair police,” and that regardless of their critique, she would wear her hair exactly how she pleased.
Yes, I do feel like some of the natural girls that are so specific about what they will and will not do with their hair, have the tendency to sometimes look down on the girls that are relaxed. I think that it’s starting to get bigger and some people are starting to become more judgmental. But it shouldn’t be taken that seriously. It’s a look. It’s a choice. And that’s all it is. It’s not like just because you’re a natural girl you can’t want to wear lipstick or makeup. They are taking it way too seriously.
Do you and Rihanna ever disagree on what look she should try next with her hair? And what have you learned from working with her after all of these years?
Oh yes. Absolutely. For example with the Grammy’s recently, I was absolutely against her doing a middle part. But she wanted to do it. I was like, “please no.” It was a battle, but she proved that it could look good. And so we definitely battle about looks. But it’s always a good fight. It just makes us better.
And I’ve learned so much from working with Rihanna. Her work ethic! Seeing how hard she works, makes me work even harder. There are so many things, so it’s hard to choose one. But I definitely take a page from her book, because she is a young girl and she’s very smart and determined. And a lot of times when I’m doing certain things in business or in my career, I think about certain things that she would do. I think she makes pretty good decisions in business, and I take note of the way she acts with her staff and the people around her. She makes everybody feel great. You feel the love from her.
What’s next for you? Anything new coming up?
I’m opening a salon this year. And I don’t feel like I’m opening the salon to be narcissistic. It’s not that I think everybody should come to me. I feel like it’s my opportunity to give back in more ways than one. I want my salon to be a learning experience for everybody who comes. There are people who look up to me. And I plan on training them and pushing them out into the freelance world like me. And I want to really train them, and run it kind of like Tyra’s “America’s Next Top Model.” Similar to how she brings girls in and shows them how to act on a shoot, puts them on a photo shoot, makes them work hard, and then at the end of it they get to build a portfolio. And we’ll use their pictures in the salon window to promote them. That’s one of the aspects I want to incorporate into my salon. I just want to give back. I want to build a salon that I could only dream of working in.
What’s the best part of your job?
Making women feel beautiful about themselves and looking great. When somebody loves their hair, that’s a good feeling. But also the people that I meet and the placed that I get to go. One day I’m sitting at a table with Gweneth Paltrow and he next moment I’m having dinner at Roberto Cavalli’s house. There are so many things. Being in Rome and seeing all the chapels. There are so many opportunities I would have never gotten. And my second Vogue cover was a big deal. That was great.
-Robyn Carolyn Price
for vogue.it
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