Willow Smith says that she and brother Jaden felt “shunned” by the black community as they grew up bucking norms in their creative lives.
“With the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit,” Willow, 19, said Tuesday on mom Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talks” show on Facebook Watch.
Willow described the reaction to the pair’s unconventional presentation as “We’re not gonna take pride in them because they’re too different. They’re too weird.”
Willow, who appeared on the show along with her grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, added that she felt the pressure from some of her family members as well.
Jaden, 22, and Willow both began adopting more a androgynous approach to their appearances in the early 2010s, with Willow shaving her head and Jaden wearing dresses and high heels during public appearances.
“There was a firestorm” when 11-year-old Willow cut her hair, Jada confirmed during Tuesday’s episode.
Willow previously revealed to Pinkett Smith and Banfield-Norris that she was bisexual and could see herself in a polyamorous relationship in her future.
