Fifth Harmony Talks Beauty, Girl Power, and Their Awesome Fans in Our Exclusive Photoshoot
1/11Many people by now probably know Fifth Harmony for their chart-topping smash, “Worth It,” which has easily become a top contender for song of the summer. The hit is undeniably catchy, but it’s only a glimpse of the vocal abilities of these five deceptively dynamic young women. In “Miss Movin’ On,” a breakup anthem that served as one of their debuts onto the scene, they climb octaves and harmonize a cappella. On “BO$$,” they name-check Michelle Obama and Oprah, urging their female listeners to make their own money. It’s the modern-day version of the Destiny’s Child song, “Independent Women, Part One,” inserted with heroines we can stand behind. On another track, they pay homage to the one-and-only Mariah Carey, imitating her signature riffs respectfully. That’s some girl power.
What makes Fifth Harmony so appealing, though, is that there’s no real frontrunner. Coming from a genre where there’s typically one star who seems inevitably poised for a solo career (see: Beyoncé, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, or Ginger Spice), 5H is a team. It’s girls supporting girls, both on the track and onstage. Their messaging is (somewhat) surprisingly feminist. In the song “Reflection,” they purr all-too-familiar-to-pop-music verses like, “You’d be rich if looking good was your profession/Think I’m in love ‘cause you so sexy.” But then, they speed up the beat with a one-two punchline: “Boy, I ain’t talkin’ about you, I’m talking to my own reflection.” It’s a lyrical celebration of self…and, oh yeah, it’s catchy as hell.
That’s why we invited the girls for a come-as-you-are type of editorial, showing them photo references of ‘90s supermodels (another girl group we happen to love). In a rare, off-the-stage, relatively barefaced shoot, we got to snap the girls in a raw, stylish moment, complete with lots of denim and minimal decoration. Then, we asked them to talk all about their favorite topic: beauty. Click through the slideshow to read what they had to say, and don’t forge to check out their video confessions here.
Nails by Rachel Shim for ABTP.com
Dinah wears AG jeans, $198. agjeans.com
Normani wears AG jeans, $215. agjeans.com
2/11Ally
What’s your favorite feature?
“It’s weird talking about myself! I don’t want to sound or feel arrogant, you know? But I think it’s extremely important to be confident in yourself and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance. I really like my legs! My dad and mom have good legs, and I’m just thankful that I’m able to keep ‘em strong!”Do you like doing your hair and makeup?
“I can do my hair and makeup by myself, but lately I just have felt confident and ok with being barefaced and having my hair the way it is after I take a shower. I feel free and liberated after all these years of feeling insecure and not even looking at myself in the mirror sometimes because I didn’t like how I was without makeup. I like feeling free, and going out without being done. I started feeling more confident [recently] because of the people around me making me feel that way! I’m still insecure and I’ll probably always be that way, but feeling support and love is so nice…and seeing other people embrace their natural beauty is fun, too.”
3/11Ally
Who is a woman that you find beautiful?
“Definitely my mom. She’s gone through so much in her life and has severe scoliosis. Throughout my life, I’ve seen it progress into something so bad where she can barely get out of bed and it’s been hard to deal with, especially now. But the fact that she perseveres and does everything she can to take care of my family and still takes time to make herself feel good or put on an outfit that makes her feel nice…that’s so beautiful to me, because she’s in so much excruciating pain. I find her so triumphant and incredible. I love my mom.”How do you guys make each other feel beautiful?
“We are in the spotlight and there are people constantly commenting on how we look or on our personalities and that can be really difficult, especially [because] we’re all young. It’s so tough when you see one of your girls sad, or someone said something that bothers them. It just feels so bad. It’s so important for me to be there for them, because I’m the oldest and I feel [like] it’s my responsibility to be an example. It’s important for me to go to them and ask if they need anything. It’s amazing to talk it out.”
4/11Camila
What does beauty mean to you?
“Beauty is in the way you carry yourself as a person. It has nothing to do with the physical — the physical is something so temporary. Beauty is the love you convey with your eyes…or when you cheer up a friend when they feel down, when you read a book you’re really excited about, when you make art you’re really excited about. Beauty is about creating a life for yourself you’re passionate about and being good to other people.”How do you guys make each other feel beautiful?
“We spend a lot of time on tour together, so we make each other feel beautiful and lift each other up. Whenever one of us is having a bad day or feeling homesick or reading something on Twitter we don’t like, we cheer each other up and say, ‘Hey, you’re worth a lot more than what that person is saying online,’ or, ‘I know you’re away from your family and here’s a hug to make you feel more at home.’ It’s about being a good friend and listening.”
5/11Camila
Who is a woman that you find beautiful?
“One of my best friends, Taylor Swift, is a beautiful woman. Like I was telling you before, beauty is about how you carry yourself, and she carries herself with such elegance and poise and is so good to people and leaves such a good mark on everybody she meets and I think that’s gorgeous.”What should young women know about beauty?
“I think the BS [that] media feeds you about beauty is ridiculous and makes us work for a standard of perfection that’s unreal and isn’t what you should be focusing on at all. As cliche as it is, what’s on the inside is what counts. For the media, beauty is about improving yourself physically, whether it’s about plastic surgery or this new line of mascara or changing your face and putting on more bronzer…but what’s important is cultivating your mind and your heart, and that’s what makes you beautiful forever.”Would you say you’re particularly obsessed with your hair?
“I’m attached to my hair! I think I’ll cut it when I’m older because I might get bored of it and try something new, but when I do an internal transformation, I manifest it physically. Maybe the next step would be to cut it, but that’ll be when I don’t have to swing my hair for a living onstage.”
6/11Dinah
What’s your favorite feature?
“My favorite feature would have to be my eyes, my lips, or I’d say my thighs. I love [these things] because I had to embrace those features. I used to shy away [and] hide my face. Later on, I started getting comfortable with myself and thought to embrace those features. My thighs became my favorite because I was scared to show skin…finally, I was like, ‘Girl you got some great thighs!’ The things I used to shy away from have become my favorites.“Do you like doing your hair and makeup?
“I love doing my hair and makeup on our days off because it’s the perfect time for me to practice on myself, or figure out how to put on a little eyeshadow here or a little eyeliner and lipstick. I just love practicing! When I’m on set, I don’t have the chance to play around. I do have more fun doing my hair…I used to put my hair in a little ponytail like Mariah Carey. It’s fun to me! I enjoy it a lot.“
7/11Dinah
What does beauty mean to you?
“It took me a long time to realize the meaning of beauty. Growing up, I used to want to be the girl in the magazine, with a perfect face or body, and I’ve come to realize true beauty is what’s within. It’s the girl that’s happy with her own reflection.”
8/11Lauren
Do you like doing your hair and makeup?
“I personally don’t like doing my hair or makeup…I actually don’t even like getting it done! I [prefer] the no-makeup thing — I don’t like having a lot of stuff on my face [because] it makes me feel not clean. On days off, I just do no makeup and I don’t do my hair.”Who is a woman that you find beautiful?
“A person I think is beautiful is my mother. She’s beautiful not just physically, but also spiritually. I love how caring she is and how much she’s concerned about everyone but herself and she’s constantly putting my family first and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
9/11Lauren
What should your young fans know about beauty?
“It’s not just about the exterior. There’s a huge misconception from the media that it has to do with your hair or your face or what size you are, but beauty’s so much more than that. It comes from within and shines from within, because if you’re a beautiful person inside, people will automatically see that on the outside as well. It’s about loving yourself and being confident…and having something to share with the world.”
10/11Normani
When do you feel your most beautiful?
“I feel I’m most beautiful when I have less makeup on and I’m at home with people surrounding me that support me, and I know they will never judge me or try to change me.”Do you like doing your hair and makeup?
“I do enjoy [it]! I actually had a phase where all I would do is look at videos and tutorials and try to create different looks and make it my own. It’s fun and it gives you freedom to express yourself, being as though I’m not the most expressive through words because I’m a very shy person. But through your clothes and styling, you can get a sense of who you are.”What’s your favorite feature?
“I think [it] would be either my eyebrows or my lips. I love how full my lips are. When I was younger, the girls surrounding me didn’t necessarily have bigger lips, but now I appreciate [mine]. I’m secure as to who I am right now and I love what I have to offer.”
11/11Normani
Who is a woman that you find beautiful?
“I get really excited even talking about her! She’s my heart and my inspiration ever since I was a little girl. I love how confident she is, plus we also come from the same hometown, Houston, Texas. Her name is Beyoncé Knowles. I love her so, so, so much. I love how hard she works. I know she’s an amazing person — every person I’ve asked who’s worked with her has said great things about how humble she is and I find that to be incredibly inspiring and I hope to do exactly what she’s doing.”What’s something you’ve learned to love about yourself?
“[Something] that’s been a big obstacle [for me] is that I’m African-American, and in the group, I’m the one [who] stands out because I’m darker complected. I find it to be beautiful now and I have security with myself, and I’m in this position to inspire young black girls and boys to do whatever they want despite their skin color. I know you can do anything you put your mind to and the exterior doesn’t matter. You are beautiful.”
