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Were Jaden and Willow Smith shunned by Black community? Fans recall backlash when he wore ‘skirt and painted nails’

During the episode of 'Red Table Talk' Jada, Willow and her grandmother discussed mom-shaming with Jada saying that the first time she got 'hardcore' mom-shamed was when Willow shaved her head at 11

Being a celebrity can be a stressful experience for various reasons and more so, if you have star parents like Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Their children, Willow and Jaden Smith, both of whom have been in the spotlight from a very young age, are finally opening up about their experiences growing up under the constant careful watch of the media and fans.

Speaking on the topic on the latest episode of Facebook Watch show 'Red Table Talk', Willow talked about feeling like an outcast and said, "Specifically with the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit, like, 'We're not gonna take pride in them because they're too different,' she continued, "Even some of our family members, I would feel they thought, 'You're too different.'" The 19-year-old singer opened up to her 'Red Table Talk' cohosts: mother Jada and grandmother Adrienne Banfield Norris.

During the new episode, the three discussed mom-shaming with Jada saying that the first time she got "hardcore" mom-shamed was when Willow shaved her head at 11. Talking about her actions, Willow said that she shaved her head as an act of rebellion after the success of her 2010 song 'Whip My Hair'. Talking about the mom-shaming further, Jada said she faced backlash from the public as her son, Jaden, got older. Talking about one specific incident, Jada said that her family received a lot of negative attention when Jaden wore a skirt for Louis Vuitton's 2016 womenswear campaign. She said, "When he was wearing a skirt, then he isn't what people consider your 'typical Black man'".

Speaking more about the public response to Jaden's fashion choices, Jada said that people within the Black community "create stereotypes around ourselves. It's something that we as a community really have to learn how to let go of. I know that people felt like: 'It's dangerous. You cannot afford to raise your children this way because it's dangerous. You know what it's like to be a Black or brown person in this world. You are doing your kids a disservice'. I understood where that fear came from, but I also understood from having been on the streets and having had been not your 'conventional Black girl' in the streets of Baltimore, I knew that self-confidence is what helped me survive."

There have been strong reactions to the comments and revelations made by the Smith family on the latest episode of 'Red Table Talk'. Many are speaking out in support of Willow and Jaden, while there are also those who are condemning them still. One Twitter user, speaking on the topic, wrote, "Yep remember when y’all was calling them weird and calling Jaden gay & was coming for Jada and Will’s parenting? No lies told." Another user, supporting the Smith family, tweeted, "When Willow cut her hair & Jaden dressed outside the gender norms wearing skirts & painting his nails y’all called them weird & said Will & Jada should "beat them". It’s sad cause they don’t bother nobody."

Another tweeted in support of Willow and Jaden and said, "And she’s right. Jaden was doing all the fashion trends y’all praise white boys on TikTok for doing except y’all called him gay. Everyone regarded to them as weirdos and dragged their parents for how they raised them," while another, slamming those attacking the Smith family, added, "This is their truth and they’re allowed to feel that way to be honest. After Willow cut off her hair and Jaden started gender bending with his appearance, people didn’t have nice things to say at all. The North remembers." A different user, defending the young stars from those calling them anti-Black, tweeted, "Trying to paint Willow and Jaden as anti-black because y’all are too stubborn to admit you were grown as hell clowning them as children is a new level of low LAMO."

There were also those who slammed the Smith family as well, like this user who tweeted, "Remember when Jaden Smith wore a Batman costume to Kim & Kanye's wedding? Now Jaden & his family are out here talking about "da BLacK cOmmuNitY be SaYin' wE wieRd & sHiT," and further added "When the mom is having "entanglements" with her son's friend, then YES....you ARE different...There is some strange stuff going on in that house. Willow Smith says she and Jaden Smith felt 'shunned' by the Black community for being 'too different'". Another Twitter user wrote, "Didn’t Jaden Smith wear a Batman suit to Kanye wedding? I’d shun his ass too."

Jaden has challenged fashion norms numerous times over the years. He wore heeled shoes to the 2017 Met Gala, a Batman suit to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's 2014 wedding and the same outfit again at prom in 2015. And, in 2016, the 'SOHO' rapper launched a gender-neutral clothing line called MSFTSrep.