“This subject is old but I have never answered it in its entirety. And even with this post it will remain incomplete. The question why I would LET Willow cut her hair. First the LET must be challenged. This is a world where women, girls are constantly reminded that they don’t belong to themselves; that their bodies are not their own, nor their power or self determination. I made a promise to endow my little girl with the power to always know that her body, spirit and her mind are HER domain. Willow cut her hair because her beauty, her value, her worth is not measured by the length of her hair. It’s also a statement that claims that even little girls have the RIGHT to own themselves and should not be a slave to even their mother’s deepest insecurities, hopes and desires. Even little girls should not be a slave to the preconceived ideas of what a culture believes a little girl should be.”
– Jada Pinkett Smith took to her Facebook page to address the played-out “controversy” over the way her 12-year-old daughter Willow cuts, dyes and styles her hair. Some, apparently, feel that Jada and husband Will Smith should exert more control over what their daughter does with her appearance, which, I suspect, stems from their discomfort that the burgeoning pop star’s look is not traditionally feminine. I absolutely love Jada’s response to this (which echoes the one her husband gave a few months ago), and especially admire the fact that she doesn’t just call out our culture’s expectations of what a little girl should be, but is also upfront that parents should not use their children to channel their own insecurities. Bravo! [Facebook via Clutch Magazine]
