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." No, we're not crying, you're crying! Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your
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