[9] She has remarked on her experience of being, in her words, "the only black girl, ever, in any capacity" growing up, as well as her awareness of the harassment her mother faced after she was the first African-American woman to be crowned Miss America.

Hervey told the Telegraph, "Even when I was a child, I knew...When my mom would go on her tours, and she was in Alabama and there were snipers on rooftops trying to kill her, or people would send her envelopes with pubic hair inside.

[13] The film was an historical drama starring Hervey's mother Vanessa Williams as Henriette Delille, a free woman of color who was born into a prominent New Orleans family in 1813.

Vanessa William's daughter, singer Jillian Hervey, just released a new single, Jungle Lady, and we can't stop listening to the sultry song.

'"[21] In early 2016, Hervey became a spokeswoman for MAC Cosmetics as part of a campaign called "Future Forward"[22] focused on up-and-coming musicians,[23] including Dej Loaf and Tinashe, also women of color.

[24] Already noted for "her signature cat-eye flick coated in gold glitter,"[25] Situating Hervey's role at MAC alongside Taraji P. Henson's own MAC campaign and Kerry Washington's role at Neutrogena, The Observer describes their work as a significant departure from the way "historically, people of color have been absent from the campaigns and offerings of major beauty brands" in the U.S.[24] In June 2016, Hervey also became a representative for Pantene hair products,[26] drawing press coverage for the selection's departure from major hair care brands' historical focus on long, straight hair[27] and the encouragement, as US Weekly put it, to "fellow curly girls to celebrate their texture.

[35] In 2016, Vogue described one of Hervey's "signature outfits" as "a thigh-skimming, waist-whittling, flared minidress straight from G-Star's Spring 2016 collection with Kurt Geiger over-the-knee, platform velvet boots.