Willow Smith Says She And Brother Jaden Were “Shunned” By The Black Community

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.

While sitting at her mother Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Facebook series “Red Table Talk”, alongside her grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Willow admitted she even felt outcasted by family members who didn’t connect with her or her brother because they didn’t fit the typical image.

The “Whip My Hair” singer’s comments followed her mother’s 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.

But it doesn’t look like Jada has any regrets on her parenting skills. She believes the Black community is doing itself a disservice by creating stereotypes that place limits on self-expression and suggests parents that should allow their kids to freely express themselves.