“I ’m the most confident I’ve ever been right now.” When Priah Ferguson says that, you feel it. Not because it sounds rehearsed, but because it feels real. There’s a calm assurance in the way she speaks about herself these days. It’s not about being louder or trying harder. It’s about being settled. Grounded. Sure.
In our latest issue, Celestial Beings, Priah opens up about growth, maturity, and stepping into a version of herself that feels aligned. This is not a dramatic reinvention. It is a quiet evolution. The kind that happens when you start trusting your instincts and letting go of outside expectations.
For many, she will always be Erica Sinclair from Stranger Things. The sharp wit. The scene stealer. The character who delivered some of the show’s most memorable one-liners. But as the series came to an end, so did a defining chapter of her life. Growing up on a global stage shapes you. It teaches you discipline. It teaches you presence. It also forces you to figure out who you are beyond a role that millions of people recognize.
That transition is part of this new era.
There is a noticeable shift from child star to young woman claiming her space. No longer just the breakout character from a cultural phenomenon, she is stepping forward as Priah. An artist. A creative. A young woman with range and intention.
You see it in her style. She talks about her favorite Jaded London pants that are designed to look worn and lived in. She pairs them with a simple white fitted tee and lets the statement piece speak for itself. “The pants are enough,” she says. That mindset says everything. She is not overcomplicating who she is anymore.
Other days, she gravitates toward SKIMS lounge sets, choosing comfort without sacrificing confidence. Her look shifts with her mood. Sometimes it is a sharp winged liner. Sometimes it is clean, natural glam with lip gloss she cannot live without and a brown liner to define her lips. She embraces her beauty marks instead of covering them. It is less about transformation and more about enhancement.
Off camera, her discipline shows up in smaller, intentional ways. Chlorophyll water. Red light therapy. Skincare rituals that focus on long-term glow rather than quick fixes. She is thinking about how she feels, not just how she looks.
There is something refreshing about that.
As Stranger Things closed its final chapter, there is both nostalgia and anticipation in the air. It marks the end of an era that introduced her to the world. But it also clears space. Space for new roles. New risks. New layers of herself that audiences have yet to see.
What stands out most is her excitement for what is ahead. No pressure to have everything figured out. No need to rush the process. Just openness. “I’m honestly just excited to see what else is in my future.”
In Celestial Beings, we capture Priah in this exact moment. Confident. Reflective. Evolving.
This is her new era. And she is stepping into it fully.
Read the full cover story in our Celestial Beings issue.
CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: @iamshannonelize
Photographer: @dariusvoncel
Makeup Artist: @marquiswardbeauty
Hair Stylist: @meetaprilstory_
Fashion Stylist: @thechicevolution
Manicurist: @blaykejacques
Retouching: @retouchrita
