Willow Smith praises brother Jaden for challenging gender stereotypes with Louis Vuitton campaign
'Males and females are put into boxes of expectation when we are born'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Willow Smith has supported her brother Jaden Smith for breaking down conventional gender norms, in typical Willow Smith fashion.
The Louis Vuitton Spring 2016 womenswear campaign was unveiled this week and, in a surprise to many, revealed Jaden, 17, as its new face.
In a campaign shot by the esteemed fashion photographer Bruce Weber, Jaden wears a pleated skirt, fringed vest and leather jacket while posing alongside three female models.
The response to the latest shoot has been roundly positive, with many praising Jaden for breaking gender stereotypes and highlighting that a skirt, as a piece of clothing, is actually not assigned to just one gender.
Willow, 15, echoed this support on Instagram by sharing the image and, in typical Smith-sibling fashion, posting a rather philosophical caption alongside it.
“Males and females are put into boxes of expectation when we are born. As we grow we start to raise the damages that those expectations cause to our spiritual and emotional understanding of ourselves and life,” she wrote.
“The more we start to realise that we are all the same and infinitely different at the same time, the more we begin to shed those expectations and live free to continue to uplift the essence of Earth.”
Both Willow and her brother, the daughter and son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, are known for giving meandering, philosophical and at times bizarre answers in interviews. Past highlights include Jaden claiming he speaks ‘Jaden’ not English and Willow disputing the existence of time.
Jaden has long promoted the gender fluid movement and has been spotted many times wearing skirts and dresses, including at his high school prom.
He joins a host of other high-profile figures breaking down gender norms such as Miley Cyrus and Ruby Rose, who both voiced identify as gender fluid.
Rose discussed and praised Jaden's latest campaign in an interview with Associated Press, saying: "I mean he’s so amazing but the reason that’s so special is because that’s how he dresses. It’s not like they just went 'OK we’re going to grab a guy that’s popular, that people like, and we’re going to put him in a dress.’ It’s not done in a tasteless way. It’s just this is who he is."
Of course, famous men wearing stereotypical ‘women’s clothes’ is nothing new. David Bowie and Prince were flying the flag for gender fluidity decades ago.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments