For the cover of Essence’s January 2017 issue, the mag tapped the iconic Vanessa Williams to pose with her daughter, Lion Babe singer Jillian Hervey. And as the headline says, the pictures are total hair goals. 

Hervey may only be only 27, but her mane is already legendary. She’s been a face of Pantene since the summer,  and her band is literally named after her look. As for Williams, she looks perfect, like she always does, with the added dimension of fishtail braids. We can’t wait to see her new TV show, Daytime Divas, where she plays a mean talk show host. Sounds very Wilhelmina Slater.

And judging from the preview of the story, this one’s gonna be good. Williams gets real. “You have to go through the fire,” she says. “Avoiding the pain is why most people never resolve it. You have to dig deep, sit in it and ugly-cry. Pretending it’s not there and keeping busy are a way of avoiding it.”

And Hervey discusses her long journey towards self-acceptance.  “My hair was supposed to represent this freedom,” she said. “And then it almost became a trap.” According to Essence, she now celebrates her curls. We can’t wait to read the full story.