Filed under: Professional Profiles, Celebrity News
Now I must concede that I have no idea what Willow Smith is saying in the verses of 'Whip My Hair.' Between all of the mixing, Auto-Tune and banging beats, she could be singing about worshiping the devil and sacrificing kittens for all I know. But in a world where Nicki Manaj is a grown woman attempting to imitate a child's toy, Willow Smith is just a child imitating her incredibly successful parents. Who's the one who needs the greatest intervention?
Where was the National Association for the Prevention of Too Grown Black Girls (NAPTGCG) when black women in Milwaukee were blaming an 11-year-old girl who was gang raped by up to 20 men and boys for "know[ing] what she was doing"? When grown women were tripping over the body of a 14-year-old alleged victim to worship at the alter of 40-something R. Kelly's crusty feet, where were all these concerned black folks wanting to maintain the innocence of black girls' childhoods? We can have a rather lengthy discussion about black girls being turned into sex objects and exploited and abused at a young age. I'd be happy to lead that discussion, which I lead with a passion at my blog 'What About Our Daughters?' But what is happening with Willow Smith is a completely separate matter. Is it concern or is it envy of her career that is driving all of this weeping over Willow?
Willow Smith is not too grown, she's too great.
While her wardrobe selections are not your standard OshKosh B'gosh fare, she doesn't appear to be dressed in a sexually suggestive manner. She's unapologetically happy. Willow Smith isn't walking around with the weight of the world on her shoulders and it shows. In a sense, some of y'all think she's too grown because she's too free and that's too sad.
When I was Willow's age, my greatest desire was to be able to mow the lawn. Actually my biggest desire was to get to push the lawn mower. I hadn't quite figured out that just because something was forbidden didn't make it some kind of privilege.Yes, back in the days when children were free to ride in cars unrestrained by seat belts and swung from playground equipment painted in lead-based paint, I finally was allowed to push a piece of machinery with spinning, razor-sharp blades. Other than a few fragments of debris landing in my eyes and run-ins with fire ant beds, I suffered no major injuries and managed to survive child hood with both of my feet.
If I survived the razor sharp blades of a lawn mower, Willow Smith can survive the razor sharp tongues of her critics.
So while I share the concern that Jay-Z and Roc Nation will turn this poor child into a prop or a character a la Miss Minaj, I don't begrudge her an opportunity to try something that she loves just because she might be wildly successful.
Related:
+Then and Now: Former Child Star Kim Fields Stays Working
+A Black Woman's Opinion on Morehouse's 'Mean Girls' Cop-Out
And there's the rub -- we wouldn't be having this conversation if Willow Smith was going to be a flop. She appears to have managed to escape the career curse of so many famous offspring by putting together something that might be a hit. So for now, I'm not weeping over Willow. Sure, she could end up like Montana Fishburne, but she could also end up like Raven-Symoné. Either outcome could occur even if her parents kept her cosseted away in the shadows -- so why not err on the side of letting this little black girl be great in her career and in her life?
P.S. I predict an epidemic of neck injuries cause by folks attempting to "whip" their hair. Safety first!
Gina McCauley is the CEO of the Blogging While Brown Conferenceand the blogsMichelle Obama Watch and What About Our Daughters. She is currently completing her first book, 'Michelle Obama Watch.'