Reverend Run’s daughters Vanessa and Angela Simmons sat down with Honey Magazine for a photo shoot and discussed everything from dating on-camera and staying abstinent until marriage to redeveloping their Pastry apparel line and rocking hair weaves.
Honey Magazine: You guys tend to come off as a set — like Angela&Vanessa. Let’s just start by giving a rundown of the distinctness of your personalities. If you had to describe yourself in three words… what makes you you?
Vanessa: Loyal, ambitious and…I’m friendly. A lot of people have this perception of me that I look like I can be snotty and stuck-up. It’s something that has followed me since college. I think because of who my family is — and I’m very privileged, very blessed – so people are always like, “Well, she thinks she’s all that”.
Angela: You make me think of Barney, with your “friendly.”
V: Like Barneys the store or Barney?
A: Barney, the dinosaur.
Honey: OK, let’s talk Pastry. Getting your own company and being empowered as very young women.
V: When we first came out, I remember they said the meanest things: “Oh, what do they know about sneakers?” We kept working, getting better and learning more. Two years later, the list of things that Pastry is about to foray into is freakin’ mind-blowing. We’re reinventing it.
A: We’re re-launching. We had a little clothing out there and now we’re in the middle of remixing and changing it all up. And we have some really cool shoes coming out.
V: We’re just taking it to a place where we’ve always wanted it to be.
A: It’s like Pastry redeveloping itself. It’s like a new turnover.
V: Remix.
A: Remix, you wanna say remix – it’s not a song.
Honey: People are overwhelmingly crazy about your hair.
V: I just took out all my extensions and Media Takeout’s like, “Oh, we don’t believe it” but it’s all my hair.
A: At the end of the day, we got hair under these weaves.
V: A lot. (Laughs). Yeah, Dante [Blanchor] who also does Taraji, and Tre Major, who used to do Aaliyah. We have to give props to Kim Epps, too, who used to do our hair last season of Daddy’s Girls. READ MORE BELOW THE GALLERY!
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Honey: Let’s talk about the fact that you’ve lived life day-to-day on camera and trying to maintain a private relationship.
V: Well, we’ve been on-again, off-again and we’re young. So I don’t want anyone to ever judge my relationship or be like “Aha, they broke up” next week. Not that it’s going to happen, but that could happen and I don’t need other people’s scrutiny. I don’t need those words put into the universe, so I just keep all that stuff private. And it keeps our relationship sane… even though he [Mike Wayans, son of Damon Wayans] was on Daddy’s Girls this season.
Honey: Ok, let’s talk about the whole virginity thing.
A: Ok, the whole virginity thing came out because of the breakup I had previously. And on the show, of course, it came up that I was saving myself for marriage. Is it weird that people know that now? Yeah, kind of. Do I care that much? Not really, because it’s not like it’s a bad thing. No, it’s not for everybody. Everybody doesn’t have to wait, but this is what I have to do in order to get a relationship where it’s all good. I just think that when the sex factor is taken out of the relationship, you really get to know a person.
Honey: What’s next? Where do you see yourself in 2020?
V: My adult life is definitely going to consist of me being a hotelier and having a spa.
A: That was a joint venture!
V: Ok, but I have the business plan in my computer.
A: I have no words for you. How dare you take that as your own. (Laughs)
V: But I’m so passionate about it.
A: Did you see her just do that?
V: I’m sorry but she said in 10 years…
A: You said “I”. It should be “We”.
