Willow Smith Says She And Brother Jaden Were “Shunned” By The Black Community https://t.co/lGsOvbYf3e pic.twitter.com/W8KlNN4pSF
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) October 16, 2020
Willow Smith spoke candidly on a recent episode of “Red Table Talk” saying that her and her brother’s unique sense of self-expression cost them their place in the Black community.
“With the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit,” Willow said Tuesday.
When it comes to expressing themselves, the brother and sister duo live life on their own terms, and as a result, Willow believes the Black community felt they were “too different” to be accepted. “We’re not gonna take pride in them because they’re too different. They’re too weird,” the 19-year-old said.
Her mother Jada followed her comment with her own admission that she was mom-shamed by the same community due to how she chose to parent her children, Good Morning America reported.
“There was a firestorm,” Jada recalled as she spoke on her personal experience, specifically when Willow shaved her head at the age of 11 in 2012. But it didn’t stop there–in fact, the mother of two says it got worse when her son Jaden stepped outside gender norms by wearing clothes made for women like dresses and high heels.
“When he was wearing a skirt, then he isn’t what people consider your ‘typical Black man,'” Jada added.
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October 16 2020, 20:25:33 UTC 6 months ago
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I saw Willow on Rihanna's Fenty show.
WOW. She is STUNNING.
October 16 2020, 20:29:19 UTC 6 months ago
October 16 2020, 20:31:32 UTC 6 months ago Edited: October 16 2020, 20:35:50 UTC
But to be perfectly clear - I am certainly acknowledge the reception they got and of course completely think it’s fucked up. My only point was pinning it to blackness versus something more specific.
October 16 2020, 20:37:52 UTC 6 months ago
Gender non-conforming expression is shunned by everyone, regardless of race, due to their prejudices. A lot of it's rooted in effemiphobia, which is tied to misogyny and I don't think any one racial group is statistically more prone to such prejudices than any other group. It's probably more or less the same across all ethnic groups
October 16 2020, 20:53:07 UTC 6 months ago
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October 16 2020, 20:46:44 UTC 6 months ago Edited: October 16 2020, 21:20:02 UTC
But they aren’t pinning anything to blackness, they are simply having a conversation about their experiences in a community they belong to. They should be allowed to do that, no need for whataboutisms. And I am almost certain they didn’t mean literally every black person, but if a few made them feel shunned as children, we all need to hold ourselves accountable.
October 16 2020, 20:56:18 UTC 6 months ago
time there's a post or comment that calls out the black community on its extreme homophobia, there's always a comment/response similar to this. Christianity has an undeniably heavy influence on the black community and queerness is largely deemed unacceptable.
And as a gay black man dating a white boy, I can detail just how different my experiences can be depending on when I'm having out with his family or mine and/or going to a straight black club vs a straight white club.
Especially when regarding younger generations, white people are incredibly more likely to be accepting of queerness as compared to black people.
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October 16 2020, 20:33:24 UTC 6 months ago Edited: October 16 2020, 20:34:42 UTC
It made me sad
Of course there were plenty of white people commenting on his clothes too so pretty much no race or ethnicity accepts gender non-conforming expression
October 16 2020, 20:40:16 UTC 6 months ago
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October 16 2020, 20:42:14 UTC 6 months ago Edited: October 16 2020, 20:44:55 UTC
I usually don't speak up about this. I never feel comfortable in this coversation. I was weird and Black before it was cool to be weird and Black. Plus I'm from the Deep South. I have honestly not had that much issue in the Black community. Maybe one or two people my whole life. My experience has been very accepting. I wasnt shunned. The Black community let me do my thing for the most part. I get uncomfortable in this conversation not bc of my experience but bc outsiders view it and think the Black community is more close minded or bigoted than other communities. It isnt true and non Black people RUN with that shit. And I'm really tired of white people being held up as the standard. White people(and other non Black communities) are just as judgemental, bigoted and close minded.
I want people to speak about their experience and issues about our people but outsiders seeing it makes me feel weird. And how some express their frustrations falls into white supremacy to me tbh.
October 16 2020, 21:29:34 UTC 6 months ago
October 16 2020, 21:32:33 UTC 6 months ago
And then brenden & co stole ontd from her and her friends
She's a really great dj now, goes by luxe posh
October 16 2020, 21:34:14 UTC 6 months ago
What?!?!?!
October 16 2020, 21:37:21 UTC 6 months ago
October 16 2020, 21:51:07 UTC 6 months ago
But didn't the original owners try to fight back for ownership of ONTD, then they just disappeared or something?
I feel like I remember a post here long ago, about one of the owners speaking out about it.
Then again, I could be completely wrong.
LOL
October 17 2020, 00:58:57 UTC 6 months ago
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I can say they society (and I mean this as including white people) as a whole does not let Black people be anything outside of the mainstream stereotype. We even have politicians who believe pandering to black people is talking about hot sauce in their bags and corny rap videos. It is ubiquitous, not just from our community. I'm most misunderstood from white folks who think that they can school me on punk music or modern abstract expressionist art.
October 16 2020, 20:43:24 UTC 6 months ago
October 17 2020, 16:59:21 UTC 6 months ago
i dont like this idea that the smiths were doing something ~ground-breaking that regular black people had no idea how to react to and never seen before
no. my aunt who lived in oakland in the 70s rolled her eyes and kept it moving when the smiths started talking “indigo children”
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Regarding that in music it's funny because at the forefront and origins of rock music are black people. You even ask who some of the famous classic rock stars like the beatles and rolling stones who their inspiration was and it's almost black blues/rockabilly musicians but history and culture has made it as if white people invented the genres.
You can find this in the latin community too lol.
October 16 2020, 21:09:22 UTC 6 months ago
Im like a ghost or a fucking myth lol until they see me irl. I was once brought to the Korean church by friends I met in college 6 or 7 years ago that I was invited to a BBQ brunch (y’all know I’m here for Korean BBQ Lmao) but didn’t mention it was a church so it was unexpected and it was my first time going to Korean church. I never mentioned this to my mother, she still don’t know to this day: since I was literally the only Black Asian there, the pastor and elders excitedly approached and legit asked (demanded actually) me to do the whole MJ dance more than twice. Very demanding. I minded my business and was hungry. I was speechless. It was sooo uncomfortable, I lost my appetite and I was visibly upset that nobody understood why. The pastor laughed it off telling me it’s okay go ahead don’t worry. They begged me to stay and reminded me they came from a very different time, they came to America for this. That was Jaws dropping moment. I had to ask somebody to drive me home. So I never told my family about this but y’all on here lmao and nobody gonna know anyways. So thanks.
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October 16 2020, 21:56:06 UTC 6 months ago
No one should have to go through that, I feel horrible that you were put through such a experience.
But, we love & support you!
<3
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October 16 2020, 21:58:25 UTC 6 months ago
*hugs*
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