Jaden and Willow Smith continue to stand out and challenge societal norms, refusing to join a long line of child star clones that the entertainment industry has churned out.
17-year-old Jaden shows no shame in speaking his mind and is not phased by the scandalised conservative cries about his progressive attitude. He has expressed his disinterest in gender norms many times in the past, often seen wearing *gasp* dresses, and once writing, "Went to TopShop to buy some girl clothes, I mean 'clothes'", following the Eddie Izzard philosophy that "They're not women's dresses. They're my dresses. I buy them."
I, for one, am very excited that Jaden is the new face of Louis Vuitton womenswear - looking confident and comfortable in a skirt. He is the perfect gender neutral hero we have been looking for, and society should be embracing and celebrating this attitude of people being able to wear whatever the hell they want, but of course, there has been social media outcry. To those who claim that we are losing what it means to be a man or a woman; that we are trying to feminize the boys of today; that it is just plain unnatural and weird; I say this: get over yourselves.
Willow Smith is not dissimilar to her brother in her lack of hesitation to speak her mind. She has often been criticised for her "out there" appearance, including - amongst other things - her hair. Her mother - Jada Pinkett-Smith - responded perfectly to this, however, stating: "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."
Despite being only 15 and in the spotlight, Willow is not afraid to be outspoken in terms of feminism and the right of women to own their bodies. After facing backlash over an Instagram picture in which she appeared to be topless, she tweeted, "The day that women can casually be topless and not be raped or degraded will be the day that women will be equal in society."
Society is moving on, and as much as it pains the old people to see us adolescents with a voice against "traditional values", we are using it loudly and proudly anyway. Willow will continue to do whatever she wants with her appearance, and she will continue to completely have the right to do so, and to let everyone know about it. Jaden will continue to rock his Louis Vuitton girl's skirt, I mean 'skirt', and if that makes you uncomfortable - that's your problem. This is our world too, and we are allowed to have a say in what we do in it. It's officially 2016: time to get with the Smith programme.