The world was always going to know who Willow Smith was because of her famous parents, Will
Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
But rather than ride on the coattails of her parents' fame, she wanted to create her own
path.
Here are some of the ways Willow has transformed from a Hollywood child to a talented and insightful
young woman.
Growing up with famous parents was not something Willow wanted, nor was it something she found
easy.
She shared her thoughts on the topic in an interview with Girl Gaze, saying,
"Growing up and trying to figure out your life...while people feel like they have some
sort of entitlement to know what's going on, is absolutely, excruciatingly terrible, and
the only way to get over it, is to go into it."
She also feels as though this toxic environment can take its toll on mental health, saying,
"I feel like most kids like me end up going down a spiral of depression, and the world
is sitting there looking at them through their phones; laughing and making jokes and making
memes at the crippling effect that this lifestyle has on the psyche."
Willow explained that when you're born into celebrity, you only have two choices: embrace
that world completely and try to, quote, "help from the inside," or totally vanish from the
spotlight.
She added,
"There's really no in-between."
Maybe that's why, when asked where she sees herself in ten years, Willow told Interview
magazine in 2016,
"I see myself in the mountains somewhere in a tent...I want to retreat back to living
off the land and just being in nature, experiencing life in the most pure, natural way possible."
Don't confuse Willow for a millennial, because she's from Generation Z and proud of it.
This is the generation of kids who were born post-1995, and, according to HuffPost, they
make up 25.9 percent of the United States population.
If you've ever wondered what it was like to be part of this generation, Willow has the
answers, and, according to her, it has its downsides.
In her interview with Girl Gaze, she agreed with the general consensus that she and the
other post-millennials are part of the most anxious generation.
Some may think this anxiety is linked to a technological obsession, but Willow noted
it's not quite as simple as that.
She agreed that having access to any information at any time has repercussions, saying,
"We look on our phones and we see people dying right next to us and we're sitting there about
to go get a latte, it breaks you down."
But then she added,
"It's not just the phones.
The phones are just a tool.
The phones just heighten what was already happening."
In an interview with People, Willow revealed that shaving her head back in 2012 was, in
her words, "the perfect way to rebel."
She had realized that being a pop star wasn't the life she wanted and, well, you can't whip
your hair back and forth if you don't have hair, right?
Sadly, cutting her hair didn't provide the relief she was seeking.
Willow then started down a path of self-harm, looking for, quote,
"A physical release of all the intangible pain that's happening in your heart and in
your mind."
"I was experiencing so much emotional pain, but my physical circumstances weren't reflecting
that."
But, as she began reading up on science and spirituality, Willow had an epiphany of sorts.
She explained,
"I was like, 'This is pointless, my body is a temple,' and I completely stopped.
It seemed literally psychotic after a certain point because I had learned to see myself
as worthy."
This news came as a shock to Willow's mother and grandmother, she told the publication.
In fact, for a long time, only one friend knew about it.
She explained,
"I never talk about it because it was such a short, weird point in my life."
When Willow turned up for a 2016 interview with Teen Vogue, she did so wearing a cropped
t-shirt with the statement,
"Never underestimate the power of a woman."
And according to her, truer words have never been written.
Willow is incredibly passionate about women supporting each other.
She explained that her shoot for the publication was special because it was the first time
that she had been shot by a female photographer.
Upon meeting each other, the publication notes how Willow reacted with excitement and exclaimed,
"This is so cool.
I've never been shot by a woman before, not for anything this major!
There is such a need for more female photographers, physicists, astronauts, doctors."
Teen Vogue revealed that Willow's favorite topic of conversation is how the tide is turning
in many spaces where young women and people of color are underrepresented.
The idea that girls should like pink and boys should like blue is outdated, and Willow chose
to remind everyone of this in an interview with Refinery29, saying,
"I'm a black female in the 21st century.
My favorite color isn't pink; it's black."
That's not the only thing that she feels sets her apart from the norm, and many find her
progressive approach on this topic to be refreshing.
She said,
"I'm not obsessed with getting married or having kids.
Gender norms put people in boxes and don't allow them to really get to their full potential
as a human being.
Slowly but surely, dudes are starting to wear nail polish and become more in tune with their
feelings.
Change is happening, and it's very exciting."
She credited her open-minded and out-of-the-box perspective to her mom, Jada, explaining,
"When she was younger, she was all about reforming the paradigms."
Whether she asked for it or not, Willow's parents' fame gave her a platform, and she
could either ignore it or embrace it.
She chose to do the latter, and she's been using her voice and image as a powerful tool
to inspire young women.
When Willow was 15, she was invited by French fashion house Chanel to be one of their ambassadors.
It's a role that Willow took seriously because, even back then, she understood that, in her
words,
"It's not every day that a 15-year-old black girl with dreads gets elected to be the Chanel
ambassador."
She told The Telegraph she realizes the importance of being a role model for those who are not
represented by the media, saying,
"I know a lot of girls that look like me feel that they're not beautiful and feel like they
don't have a place in the media or a place in the world.
I want them to know that's not true, and if you're confident and you love yourself then
everything you see, your perception, will start to change and you'll see things differently."
There's nothing average about Willow Smith, she has a unique approach to the world.
She knows this and embraces it, and she made sure the world knows it as well in an interview
with The Fader, saying,
"I've just been doing so much growing up, I'm really just becoming a woman.
Damn.
I'm really a woman.
Seeing how my thought processes have changed over the years and how my observations get
keener.
Everything is getting more clear but also I'm starting to see the spectrum of life in
such a new way.
It's so grey and uncomfortable and joyous.
It's the first time I'm seeing life and experiencing relating to human beings in a completely different
way."
Willow told the publication that as she grew into her later teen years, she started to
understand the difference between authenticity and image management on social media.
She noted that there's often a discrepancy between the words we say and our actions.
Although still a teen, she had already spent a lot of time philosophizing about deep subjects
like love and identity.
Willow thinks a lot about love and relationships.
Her approach to love is interesting, she believes in giving your partner complete and utter
freedom.
She explained to The Fader that letting your insecurities take over can ruin any relationship,
whether it's friendship or romantic love.
She explained how insecurities can make you act in a way that isn't out of love, but rather
out of fear, saying,
"As much as we want to hold on to these people, love and relationships you have to enjoy and
release."
Smith went on to explain how holding on too tightly can harm relationships, adding,
"Let things go where they need to go.
Don't hold on because when you hold on you kill love...As soon as you say, 'This is mine,'
or 'This is my boyfriend' or 'This is my girlfriend,' you've massacred your real relationships."
"She's wise beyond her years."
Although Willow had a tumultuous relationship with fame early on, she didn't stop making
and recording music.
In 2015, she released her first album, Ardipithecus.
The singer explained the meaning behind her album's title when speaking to The Fader,
saying,
"Ardipithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth.
I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because, while I was making these songs
I was in such a transitional state."
Two years later, Willow dropped another album, this time entitled The 1st, which she described
to W magazine as:
"The emotional regurgitation from the depths of a burgeoning woman."
Then, in 2019, she released the self-titled album Willow.
In a review of the album, NME described it as:
"A mellow and melodic blend of psychedelic folk and dreamy R&B built around gentle guitar
strums and a few jagged riffs."
The publication also said the album is, quote, "proof that Willow's talented enough to stand
apart from her dynastic family."
Just as Willow herself has changed since releasing her debut single, her subsequent songs are
vastly different from the pop hit "Whip My Hair."
"I don't wanna put out like a thing that I want, like, the world to see me as because
it's like, everyone's gonna see me as what they wanna see me, and, like, everyone is
just a projection in a mirror."
In 2018, Willow became a co-host on Red Table Talk, a Facebook-based talk show that has
since become Number 1 on the social media platform and boasts over 300 million views
according to Deadline.
Willow shares the table, which is actually red, with fellow co-hosts, mom Jada and "Gammy"
Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
It was Willow's mother who, after doing some, quote, "interior work," came up with the idea
for the talk show.
Jada told NPR,
"And I just realized that in part of my growth, the women and the people who had the courage
to be very transparent with me with certain aspects of their journey really, really helped
my journey tremendously.
I was like: Why don't we talk about this more often?
Why is it such a secret of what people go through?"
And so, she created a deeply personal, multigenerational safe space in which no topic is off-limits.
According to Jada, the talk show has even provided her an opportunity to learn more
about her daughter, particularly as it pertains to her past struggles.
By the time Willow turned 19 years old, she had secured her role as a cohost on a wildly
popular talk show, released three albums, plus multiple singles and EPs, and announced
a co-headlining tour with her brother Jaden Smith.
Those are all things to celebrate, for sure, but her parents are proud of their daughter
for different reasons.
In an Instagram post on her daughter's 19th birthday, Jada revealed,
"What a powerhouse you are in all your precious gentleness and blooming heart.
I'm so proud of the woman you are becoming and it is my joy in learning how to love you
and honor you more and more every day."
In his own heartfelt social media post, Willow's dad wrote to his daughter,
"You taught me what it REALLY means to Love somebody.
You taught me to let go of my dreams (demands) of what you could (should) be...and to trust
(surrender) to your personal visions for your life.
It has been an awe-inspiring pleasure watching you blossom."
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