‘RHONY’s Ubah Hassan Talks Talbots, Modeling and Dress for Success Charity Campaign
For the 10th anniversary of Talbots’ partnership with Dress for Success, longtime Talbots model and “Real Housewives of New York City” cast member Ubah Hassan readily stepped in to support this year’s philanthropic campaign.
The Somalia-born Hassan was raised in Canada and started modeling in New York. To date, Talbots shoppers and staffers have raised upwards of $10 million for the nonprofit that champions unemployed and underemployed women.
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Hassan has modeled for Talbots since 2015, but she had a stint with them a few years before that too. After being hired for a 2012 shoot, Hassan said it was later determined that she was too skinny and young-looking. But the Talbots team encouraged her to get back in touch in a few years once she looked more mature. She thought they were just trying to be nice, and said she told her agent not to charge the company for the two days she’d worked. But Talbots insisted on paying her.
“Fast forward to 2015. I got a call for a casting and I have not stopped working with them. I am so incredibly lucky to work with this brand. It is a very women’s empowerment-focused company. Many of the people have worked there for 20 or 30 years,” Hassan said. “I really like this environment, because it shows that the company really values the people, who work there.”
That applies to the creative side too, including models, art directors, stylists and others. “It tends to create this very beautiful and meditative way of working. Seeing the same people all the time, you get to know about their husbands, kids, lives and holidays,” Hassan said.
Talbots also celebrates birthdays, surprising models with birthday cake and drinks, she said. Bravo also marks holidays by sending flowers, Tiffany trinkets and “Andy [Cohen] sent us a beautiful cashmere sweater that said, ‘I’m a Housewife’ or something like that.” As for whether Hassan will return for another season on RHONYC, she said, “We don’t know. They haven’t told us anything yet.”
Sometimes the funny moments don’t make it onto the show, she said. “You have to tell the story and it’s only 45 minutes [in each episode].…The girls are really hilarious and funny,” she said.
All of the cast complain about food and they love to eat, said Hassan, who used to own a café in Canada. Coming from the modeling industry, she said, “It was very refreshing to see women, who are vocal, love to eat and are very powerful.”
Not knowing what the final edit will be is the scariest part, according to Hassan. “For instance, you and I are talking right now, but they could just mute you and people would only hear me talking. The audience might then wonder why you aren’t talking to me, when I am being so nice to you.”
So are the RHONYC cast members as cut-throat as it is made out to be? Hassan said, “Nah, I didn’t feel that way at all. When we were done filming, I missed the crew. I would say, ‘My god, can you just come over and we can breakfast together? They would come over in the morning to have croissants. I live alone so I was very happy they came to my house.”
Despite their on-air fights, Hassan said Erin Lichy is her favorite castmate and they spend time together. “There is some soul connection between Erin and I. I love her laugh. She laughs a lot about my stupid jokes and how my English is not very good. And I love, when I make someone laugh. She also absolutely loves me,” Hassan said.
Jenna Lyons is another favorite, she said.
Having come to the U.S. with $150 and making her own way in the world, Hassan said she admires self-starters and those who overcome challenges. The model, who is Muslim, said that some people do not approve of her job, or being unmarried and living in New York. However, her mother’s opinion is the only one she cares about, and she is always supportive, Hassan said. “As human beings, our tongues are very powerful. My mother told me, ‘Your words can heal or kill so be really careful.’”
Fielding unsolicited opinions from others is another matter. Addressing how she gets backlash sometimes on social media, Hassan said, “Anyone can write a message to you. They use really mean words.…But as long as I am doing the right thing, I don’t really listen to people’s opinions.”
On the other hand, meeting fans at BravoCon was “the most fun thing” that she has ever done, she said. “Some women came up to me crying to say their relationships with their moms completely changed, after they saw the episode of me and my mom,” Hassan said. “It was three days of pure laughter, joking, taking pictures, eating and meeting people.”
After traveling to London earlier this month for a L’Oréal shoot, she returned to New York in time to catch a few New York Fashion Week shows and to dole out some dating advice on Valentine’s Day at a event at Soho House. Hassan advises that if text messages need to be screenshot for further analysis from friends: “He’s not the one.”
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