Serena Page walks into the ESSENCE office sporting a cream knit top paired with baggy denim jeans, exuding her true Virgo essence. Warming up at her own pace, she lightly dances to “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish playing in the office, enjoying the calm before the storm of another day’s rapid schedule. In the words of the infamous Lady Gaga meme, when talking about the hustle and bustle of her come up, the energy of Page’s agenda screams “bus, club, another club.” Still, she’s adjusting to the limelight she’s gained from winning Love Island USA season six. Before our interview starts, I do a quick check-in on her mental health because one can only imagine the strain of having to be on every two seconds for back-to-back interviews, social media and red carpet appearances. “It’s okay,” Page says. “I’m just being myself through it all.”
Coming off the heels of a massive season of Love Island, there are a lot of changes she’s enduring, from gaining millions of followers to being perceived each day on social media. Like many reality shows, most of these seasons were filmed a year prior, allowing participants to reflect and have some downtime. As she sips her coffee with a splash of almond milk, you realize her everyday girl demeanor isn’t an act. As we sit around the room, it doesn’t feel like we see the next It Girl stepping on the scene; it’s more like talking with an old friend. Through her unmistakable raspy voice and raw honesty, she commands the room, instantly reminding everyone why we first fell in love with her on screen.
Before her rise to overnight stardom, Page’s life was grounded in Missouri City, Texas, which sits just south of Houston. She reveals that she attended Elkins High School, the same alma mater of rapper Travis Scott. Growing up in suburbia, the 24-year-old credits her father with teaching her the standards to uphold in relationships, and her mother with instilling the belief that with determination, any dream can become a reality.
“My parents gave me the representation of how I should be treated,” she tells GU. “I had a great example of boundaries, respect, love, and being Black, authentically yourself and not trying to hide.” Nevertheless, like many 20-somethings, we can still encounter walking red flags, learn lessons firsthand, and even kiss a few frogs before finding the one who’s truly meant for us. “My dating life was not the best,” she admits. “I’m very forgiving, so I would kind of let men run over me a little bit, and that never got me anywhere. I feel like I intimidated men a little bit, so I always got cheated on, but I wouldn’t accept that now.”
Far too often, Black women are always placed on the back burner when pursuing love on television–and Page agrees. “You don’t see a lot of success with Black women in reality dating shows,” Page says. Hence why, it was so rewarding for viewers to finally see a young Southern Black girl with such genuine vibrancy get the love that she deserves.
Coming into the villa, she dropped all expectations to start fresh and even unconsciously self-analyzed how she’ll date. “I definitely was more grounded and guarded, and I didn’t realize how my past was going to affect me moving forward in [future] relationships,” she explained. “Especially with trusting men and believing what they say because [to me] that’s a lie before I believe it’s the truth, so I needed to get out of that to move in a healthy way.”
Though the self-proclaimed slow-burn queen ruffled a few Twitter fingers, she always stood on business, and we saw a reflection of her dating process in real life. “I would say it’s pretty similar to how it usually is for me,” she says. “It takes me a minute to get there with a man.” Despite the fans calling her wishy-washy as they watched her and Kordell Beckham’s love story blossom, she never conformed, which is what she advises any Black woman who plans to look for companionship on reality television. “Don’t try to change for anyone, especially men, just stay true to yourself,” she tells GU.
As our resident winner of the show, even through her ever-evolving relationship with Beckham, the real love story we saw bloomed in her sisterhood with fellow islanders JaNa Craig and Leah Kateb, together, now known as PPG. Not many times do we experience the true bond of sisterhood through the lens of reality television. From the way the girls comforted Page after the recoupling when Kordell brought back Daia [McGhee] to the girls having Craig’s back after being in the bottom three and saving her from being sent home, the friendship that flourished between the girls brought the importance of friendships to the forefront. “If I didn’t have PPG with me, I probably would have gone home,” she says. “There were times that it was a lot for me, and they were always there for me, and vice versa.”
Even if you’re not a die-hard fan of the show, it’s apparent that this cast has made a memorable impact, and we’re all just on the edge of our seats to see what they will do next. “Being on this season was everything; it was a lot of ups and downs, but I [gained] a family from it,” she emphasized. “Even with the supporters, the love is crazy, and I’m glad I’m able to see a lot of them in person and show my gratitude because I wouldn’t be here without them.”
As a fellow media girl, she’s no stranger to being behind the camera, focusing on brand partnerships and front-facing appearances, she’s found a new perspective on what being in front of the camera entails. “I love media, marketing, advertising, and being on that end of it, so of course, I can always see myself doing that,” she says. “Working on a production of Love Island. I couldn’t see it like I didn’t know about myself and reality TV anymore.”
Coming from such a grounded upbringing, all of the attention, glitz and glamor can be overwhelming, but that doesn’t stop her from advising future casting directors to find young women like Page to continue to provide that much-needed representation. “It’s reality TV like they want to be real,” she tells GU. “Having people who are there to be themselves and not there for clout, fame, and followers is what people want to see; they are watching it to resonate and feel like they can do it as well.”
The Serena we’re seeing today on set embodies what it looks like when you pour into yourself and don’t let anyone try to dim your light. As she finishes up her glam and changes into her first look, she steps out in a turquoise Fancì Club dress with a rose choker, and you instantly feel her confidence oozing onto the hotspots of Industry City.
Her poses are effortless and demure as she pops out in her second look at The Hi-Fi Provisions record store. Her psychedelic Coperni dress compliments her skin and fits the aesthetic of the vintage shop. As we watch her in her element, from her swift movement after each photo is taken to her taking pictures with fans, this era feels different, and we’re seeing more than just the winner of Love Island; we’re seeing the rise of an It Girl. Page describes the reunion as a “sight to see,” and in a way, feels like a chapter closing.
As the day winded, she still exemplified authenticity while filming viral TikToks in the office and soaking in the shoot. The real spectacle upon us is watching Serena Page become exactly who she’s meant to be. She describes this stage as her “business era,” so fans can definitely expect to see her blossom even more while remaining the girl we saw on screen. “I’m glad I was true to myself, whether it was good or bad,” she says. When we consider what Zillennials look for in their content, the ultimate buzzword is relatability, and in Page’s case, that was the superpower that landed her into our hearts. Though the season six era has ended, the next era of Serena Page has just begun.
The GU Feedback series is the premiere limelight moment for those making waves throughout the timeline. As Gen Z continues to shift culture digitally, Girls United is going behind the feed and diving into the minds behind these creatives.
Credits:
Talent: Serena Page (@serenaapagee)
Writer: Kenyatta Victoria (@kenyattavictoria)
Photographer: Elianel Clinton (@ohyeahitseli)
Content Editor & Producer: Danielle Wright (@dvniellewright)
Production Assistant: Mecca Pryor (@meccuhh)
Lead Creative: Isaiah Stewart (@isaiahmikhail)
Creative Assistant: Breanna Hall (@hashtag_bre)
Lead Stylist: Aimee Lane (@gucci.lane)
Lead Makeup Artist: Breanna Harmon (@real.lyfebarbie)
Lead Hair Stylist: Semande Balogun (@elizabeth.semande)
Location: Industry City (@industrycity)
Location: Hifi Provisions (@hifiprovisions)
About the Author: Kenyatta Victoria is the lead writer for Essence GU, working on all things pop culture, politics, entertainment and business. Throughout her time at GU, she’s garnered devoted readers and specializes in the Zillennial point of view.