This is an interesting piece of news! Jaden Smith, our new Galileo, has gotten himself a high-profile and prestigious advertising contract. Yes, Jaden Smith, 17, is a model for Louis Vuitton. There’s a minor catch though: Jaden Smith is the new face of Louis Vuitton womenswear. You know what? I kind of don’t hate it. My first thought had nothing to do with Jaden, actually – my first thought was “it was only a matter of time before the fashion industry just got teenage boys to model women’s clothes anyway.” Today’s women’s fashions are already made for that kind of figure – slim hipped, small-breasted, all legs and arms. So why not just admit the obvious and get a teenage boy to model those styles?
Nicolas Ghesquière posted the first advertising shots of Jaden on his Instagram. The campaign was shot by legendary photographer Bruce Weber. Jaden also issued a statement about his new campaign:
“I’m just expressing how I feel inside, which is really no particular way because everyday it changes how I feel about the world and myself, but I like wearing super drapey things so I can feel as though I’m a super hero, but don’t have to necessarily wear super hero costumes everyday.”
That statement is perfection. So much so that now CB and I can’t stop talking to each other in Jadenspeak. Drapey is the new superhero. If babies could talk, they would be the new Pharaohs. Galileo was the real architect. Womenswear is science math. The revolution will be led by cashmere. A tote bag is the mind’s eye of Renaissance.
… Honestly though, I would love it if Jaden was also hired to write the advertising copy for Louis Vuitton. Because it would totally be amazing Jadenspeak (like a baby version of Kanyespeak).
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Fame/Flynet.
For a moment I thought the first girl on the left was Ali Lohan.. anyways, I’m okay with Jaden being a womenswear model, actually it’s kind of cool.
I think that’s a guy, too.
I don’t hate it, either. This new generation is breaking all the gender rules; who says only women and girls can wear dresses? It’s kind of refreshing.
If it’s about breaking gender rules, then why call it women’s wear then?
@perplexed, yep I want that to happen too! It would be amazing! 🙂 But I think this could count as the first step?
Maybe it’s because I spent so many of my teen years (early to mid 00s) in Hot Topic, but guys in skirts have never been weird to me. Lots of goth guys wear skirts.
@Santia Sarah Brannon is a female.
She is a very beautiful girl. I love her coloring (pale skin, dark hair, and blue eyes).
If he wants to be a woman’s wear model he should get his dresses fitted correctly. It always looks like he just threw a sack over his head and called it a dress. I get that LV is trying to snag younger buyers, but really, this kid is about as fashionable as Kanye.
He states in this very interview he likes his clothing “drapey”. Pretty sure he’s happy with how his clothing fits him. And seeing as how he’s styled by the clothing makers, I’m pretty sure they’re happy with how it’s fitting too.
Less clothing rules, thanks. Less telling people what they *need* to do with their own bodies. Cheers.
This only works for me if there is also a woman chosen for the menswear line.
Otherwise, I hate it, and I see is at the fashion industry further trying to push women to look like teenage boys. And stupid, entitled, uneducated teenage boys at that.
+10000
This!
If there’s a woman representing their menswear line then I get it , but I just don’t care for Kanye 2.0. I mean seriously, of all the other male models/actors/musicians out there they chose him?!
Sorry but this is ridiculous. 1st,u wanna choose a boy then pick 1 that is a male model who has paid his dies and not some entitled Celebrity couple son.2nd, I want to buy my womens clothes, so yeah I’d like to see how they look in the ad on a woman.Not a boy who just dresses in girls clothes.This has nothing to do with transgender, it’s been Jaden wanting attention and L.V. over reaching. It’s just getting stupid now.
Exactly. I like the idea of breaking down gender constructs in fashion, but the only time you ever see this in reverse would be these creepy fetishistic shoots they occasionally do of women in men’s suits (usually half undressed and looking drugged up to the gills). I think he looks great in women’s clothing but can we have a clothing line that actual grown women who’ve eaten carbs in the last five years could wear instead?
Not at all a shade against Jaden, just the fashion industry generally.
Totally agree. I’m fine with Jaden and I think it is cool that he doesn’t give a damn. The fashion industry should make at least some stuff that can be worn by women though. Meaning grown-ups who eat.
Thank you! The only reason this whack-job kid landed this position is because of his name and that is all. Show me a woman as spokesperson and model for Louis Vuitton’s men’s line and maybe it will change my attitude, but as it stands now, this is nothing to do with progression and everything to do with name-dropping and hype.
P.S. Cant’ stand this kid and the fact that so many are buying into the gender-breaking BS. This is a just a caricature he’s made up for attention and relevance.
I doubt he’s that self aware.
This is an awesome PR move.
And in agreement with many others here. This has been done before. Doofus below.
I am with you. Both the Smith kids are beyond annoying. The only reason either of them gets modeling jobs is because of their name. There is nothing special about either of them, and I beg them never to speak publicly again.
@ JenniferJustice. ITO. It is not about fashion or art or gender acceptance. It is about name dropping and hype. I am unimpressed with LV. What market share are they aiming for? 17 year olds with an inherited big bank account?
yeah, that was my reaction, too.
to add, women have been wearing men’s suits for decades…and I don’t mean a woman’s suit tailored to look like a men’s suit, I mean an ACTUAL men’s suit. so, LV, use a woman (and not a woman that is physically built like a pre-pubescent male) for your men’s suit line and we’ll talk.
This. Women seem to be pushed more and more out of roles and careers that they have had without any change in the other end of things. I appreciate the fluidity of gender but it does feel like soon runways will be all men wearing dresses.
Agreed. Another example of a man taking a job from a woman.
Agreed!!!! In addition I think it makes him a big sell out too. My problem with both him and the celebs like Kanye. At least if you are going to speak the weird and claim you are profound, don’t sell it so commercially, and you don’t get more commercial than selling a top fashion line even if it is women and you are a boy.
Agree with you Snazzy. But if I’m really being honesty it’s just a publicity ploy and a giant fail. Jaden Smith is now aspirational for women??? Wtf.
This! So much this!
Snazzy: You win. You’re right and I totally agree but am sure someone will bash you at some point with their politically correct bullshit. I remember CK1 and the unisex period where everyone “cool” was wearing the same clothes. But this is different, he is wearing women’s clothes. Now if a women wears men’s clothing, will she get the same pay….lol…..it’s all too consuming. He can do what he chooses, but he looks ridic in my opinion, unless he really is into wearing women’s clothing. Welcome 2016
There is actually a handful of successful female models who mainly model menswear. I’m guessing this is more common than putting men in womenswear lines, so I’m not sure it holds up that LV needs to hire a women for their menswear line to even things out (I’ve only heard of Andrej Pejic, so please correct me if I’m wrong). The fact that they hired Jaden Smith is another discussion..
Exactly. If it really is about gender fluidity, then have him represent an asexual line. Put male and female models in the ads. Don’t push women out of their arena and don’t make them aspire to look like teenage boys which is incredibly unhealthy.
Fabulous point. Yes.
Amen!! Preach!! This is BS and is allowing designers to continue to design for women who are built like young boys. Where’s the women modelling Tom Ford menswear??? Then, I’ll be OK with this.
Casey Legler models for Ford as a menswear model. Erika Linder has been cast as a “male model” in one of their campaigns.
This particular argument is really not that relevant, so maybe you guys should come up with another spin if you want to be up in arms about this…
Totally agree so much that I signed on so I could comment on how much I agree. It makes me sad and angry that under the guise of ‘acceptance’ we are actually being asked to deny what makes a woman a woman so as to accommodate a man.
+1. Women have hips and breasts, Jaden Smith and his super skinny kind have neither.
AMEN! Not that I am the target audience, but I would go out of my way NOT to purchase anything this self-entitled, vain, rather ignorant child pimps out.
Agree, although he resembles me as much as most models do these days.
+1000000! Personally I think he looks like “Sideshow Bob” in the first photo …?
I find it offensive. Young girl look at fashion magazine to get ideas about how they want to look. We already have size zero models with fake breast and butts and lips. What message are we sending to our young women? This is what you should aspire to look like.SMH
Ugh is this a joke?
Great point about how women’s fashions are aimed at women with teen boy bodies. This is disturbing and I hope it quickly ends.
Thank you for beating me to the “ugh”. This kid is a vacuum under a bell jar of pretentiousness. His casting aside, that photo is hideous. Post-Marc Jacobs LV is clearly flailing for relevance. But anything to grab the trust fund set’s attention, I guess.
Can we please see Jayden in a JLO pair of jeans to show what women’s clothing for women actually built like women would look like on this annoying twig trollie topper?
I don’t see this as a big deal. He’s living his life. Who’s he hurting, wearing whatever he’s comfortable in?
Every woman who does not fit the androgynous, now downright male, slim, flat chested, no hips, no butt shape. That is who he hurts.
I wouldn’t give a damn if he were:
1. An anonymous kid off the street instead of the entitled uneducated spawn of multimillionaire famous HW parents and
2. Fashion houses hired women and men of all sizes and shapes to represent their brand. But they don’t. It was already a tiny field of genetically rare bodies that modelled these fashions, suggesting that every thing that gives a woman her shape is undesirable; (I know some women are naturally or through hard work slim. But models are more than that – they are taller than the average, longer legged than the average, slimmer hipped and flatter chested, all things that you are either born with or not.)
But now a 17 uneducated idiot is who we should aspire to be? Blah.
Fashion houses will make and tailor their designs to your body shape. Models are intended to be nothing more than walking hangers so the clothing is noticed and not the model. Androgynous models have been around for decades.
Yes, but you don’t have an idea of how they will look ON YOU by looking at it on a model. And who do you know that’s going directly to fashion houses to get personalized tailored clothing anyway?
This is stupid. He’s stupid. Will and Jada are terrible parents. The End.
I’m with CLAIRE.
Also, those clothes are hideous. I’d rather wear Target.
The clothes are awful. Upclose no better.
Will and Jada are good parents.Their kids are good kids who have never been in trouble ,never being involved with drugs,etc.I find it interesting that people never accuse Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson of being horrible parents despite them raising that disrespectful,hotel trashing,drug addicted son of theirs.
They are Scientologist.
They are not Scientologist,if Jada was a Scientologist she would be an outspoken about it and would never deny it .She thrives on being unorthodox and controversial when it comes to her marriage,child rearing,everything
Colette, Oh please. Will and Jada let these kids practically raise themselves. Have you read any interviews with them? They are morons.
As far as drugs go, just because they haven’t been caught it doesn’t mean they don’t do drugs. They are filthy rich kids with a lot of free time.
And Tom Hanks/Rita Wilsom have been blasted for that jerk of a son Chet Haze. You just have not been looking at the right sites.
Will and Jada are good parents? Funny, I didn’t think they were parents at all. Jayden and Willow are only in their teens and have been given every freedom to do what they want, so what trouble is there for them? Where some normal parent might have called the cops when their kid didn’t come home at curfew, jayden and willow have no curfew. Where some kids might get caught skipping school, willow and jayden don’t go to school so again, a non-issue. I’m willing to bet they both do drugs – at least smoke pot – not that I really care, but just because we don’t hear about anything, does not mean it doesn’t happen.
Every time there are people who should legitimately be called out for stupidity, there’s always one or two people comparing them to someone else who did something worse or equally stupid. What does one have to do with the other? Can’t we just call stupid where we see it? The fact that everyone knows Hanks’ kid’s name should tell you we are well-aware they raised an a$$hat.
@Collette: you have to actually parent to be good parents. they don’t. and yes, they are scientologists. they hang with scientologists. they fund scientologist schools. their children spout scientologist beliefs. c’mon now.
Colette- I wouldn’t be so sure that these kids never use recreational drugs. They have plenty of money, so they can get the good stuff. And they float in circles where drug use is common. I would hope they’re not into the dangerous stuff, but Jaden is doing a rather good imitation of a stoner if he’s really sober… Alcohol is readily available to them also. I’ll grant you that they haven’t been up in front of a judge, though.
@Collette the main difference between the Hanks and the Smiths is that we never heard about the Hanks children until they were adults. The Smiths are cultivating a celebrity story for their kids and have been since they are very young, not so true for Smith’s oldest son Trey but both Willow and Jaden. Now I am not a blame the parents for the kids type person, and I don’t blame either the Smiths or Hanks family for any wayward son or daughter, but when you spew your unorthodox parenting ideas in the media the way Jada really has and even Will you are going to get your share of criticism when your child does interviews and jobs that are unconventional to say the least. Aside from the fact that I believe the Hanks have gotten their fair share of criticism over the parenting of Chet Haze or whatever his name is now, just not here as Hanks isn’t as hot of a gossip topic as the Smiths are, the other thing is Jaden Smith is definitely more famous than Chet and that also makes a difference in the gossip and comments.
@collette – they opened a school based on Scientology ideas. If they aren’t part of it then why did they do this?
@swak ,the same reason my son who is Baptist attends a Greek Orthodox school because I liked the curriculum.There are no secret Scientologists.Part of the religion is talking about how great the religion is.If Will was a Scientologist he would bring it up in interviews and talk about how it improved his life.A person who vehemently denies being in COS wouldn’t even be welcome in that organization.All the Smiths have denied being apart of COS.Will’s son Trey and his mother have stated his siblings are not COS.
@collette: There is a difference. They FUNDED THIS SCHOOL. It’s not a matter of sending there children to a school wit a different religion than theirs. Their money is what made this school run. The minute they stopped funding it, the school closed and their children no longer attended school. So they can say it all they want but all things point to them being scientologists.
I’m with Claire, too. This is ridiculous and stupid.
This is so happening.
Maybe a remake of Funny Face with Jaden Smith?
I like Jaden. Though I admit, sometimes I’m not sure if he’s in on the joke.
…..Terry Richardson as the photographer ;-P
@Colette
Chet Haze is 25 years old. He is not a child. Plus Hanks’ other children appear to be rather well adjusted. Jayden and Willow are kids and have been prematurely inhabiting the adult world for many years. I don’t think there is any question about them being “good.” I think the issue is about whether they’ve ever been able to just be kids. It seems that there’s been a push to make them both megastars to carry on the family legacy since they’ve come out of diapers. Adult celebrities with seemingly ordinary childhoods often struggle with self-perception and worth as a result of living under a microscope. I can only imagine how difficult it would be if that’s only your only experience of living. I wish these kids the best.
@magda, Lol, oh dear, poor Jaden! Terry Richardson is more of a mustachioed villain. We’d need someone to rescue Jaden. Maybe Tilda Swinton as Annie Leibovitz.
Chet Haze has been on drugs since he was 14 ,so are Tom and Rita horrible parents? Post a link of Willow or Jaden or Trey using drugs,getting arrested,driving drunk,etc.I will wait…
If Will and Jada were pushing their kids they would have forced Willow to do Annie,instead they respected her decision to pass on the project and to take a break from acting.That’s what good parents do respect their kid’s choices.
Honestly, he looks great. But what does it say about Vuitton’s womenswear when it looks better on a young man?
Thank you!!!!!
Yep! No room for curves in the fashion industry now is there? One must look like a stick so people with their heads so far up their own behind can hang their clothes on a human skeleton.
I really think normal women with normal body shapes should help to push a different body image. Maybe if there wasn’t so much oggling at the designs and other celebrities didn’t help celebrate it we would get a better body image for everyone. Just wishful pollyanna thinking,.
What now even models are too curves these days to wear women’s clothes? Thanks but I will pass.
What now even models are too curvy these days to wear women’s clothes? Thanks but I will pass.
Yeah exactly. I find this really in bad taste.
2016 is going to be the year, I fully accept the Smith kids. WIllow won me over with her album and now Jaden is winning me over with this. The trappings of masculinity and black masculinity at that were/are things that I struggled/struggle with and I’ve been out of the closet for years. So to see a 17 year old just shrug it off in the face of what will be extreme public ridicule brings a slight tear of joy to my eye.
THIS AF!!^^ let em be carefree kooky black kids,, much like Amandla im Full in here to PROTECT their Right To Be However They Wanna Be, I’m fed up with having to beat and “Big Talk” and scare and Mind and Police the freedom out of young black bodies to BE, To experiment, to F*ck Up royally and come back from that!
Shrug what off? He’s being paid exceedingly well to play dress up, whilst female models are being encouraged to starve themselves so that they look less and less like women. Yeah, let’s celebrate that.
“Play dress up”. Ugh, because we can’t celebrate gender queer teens while admonishing the fashion industries standards. Nope, we just have to be complete a**holes. This is a kid that was wearing dresses in schools for a while.
I agree so much.
The end of the “masculine” role will also affect how women are (poorly) treated. So this makes me happy.
I couldn’t agree more in so many levels. This is not about a young boy’s body being promoted as what the female body should look like, this is about allowing girls and boys and guys and gals and everyone inbetween to wear whatever the hell the wish without being judged and confined by gender stereotyping. The more guys step away from the patriarchy norm of what represents masculinity, the better it is for us all.
So bring it on Jaden Smith and LV!
This guy from impractical jokers will soon be very proud for the prank tattoo of you he was forced to have on his thigh!
It is somewhat of an indictment of the fashion industry that they are now trying to foist the actual body type that they consider perfect, that of a pre adolescent girl, onto an already dysmorphic strata of the population who are influenced by these harmful tropes. The fact that they have chosen a gormless, uneducated snowflake, be it male or female, is really not surprising in an industry well known for ruthless exploitation of anyone who can be used to accomplish their questionable and socially valueless ends. It is a cynical new version of The Emperor’s New Clothes.
“gormless, uneducated snowflake” — Nicely put.
He looks fab.
I am kinda shocked that this is not a bigger deal to people. LV is using a teenage boy to model women’s clothes b/c he has no breasts, hips. This is such a terrible precedent. And I know that’s is how the fashion industry is BUT to me this is LV saying that we could not find a proper woman model (ie, they all have too much hips or breasts or they legs are not long enough) so we are using a guy. This is not progressive – I find it misogynist.
But given that they have 3 female models wearing clothes of the exact same design, this whole “we could not find a female with the right proportions, so we got a guy” fantasy is clearly not the case. You’re reading a misogynistic statement onto something that is clearly meant to be progressive.
Does the fashion industry have a long way to go when it comes to designing for all women? Hell yes.
Does the acceptance of a very high profile androgynous teenager hinder that? No, it doesn’t.
Correction; two female models. I think the one on the far left is also a boy.
Oops, my bad, it is a female.
No, they are all female models: Sarah Brannon, Rianne Van Rompaey, and Jean Campbell.
I don’t think it is progressive whatsoever. You know what would have been progressive? Having regular sized (plus sized in the fashion industry) models in the campaign.
Having Jaden as a model is perpetuating the belief that the ideal female physique is that of a lean male. It is not healthy.
It’s not misogyny. Look at the photo. If I’m being honest Jaden and those other girls have the same physique. Having Jaden in the ad is creating buzz for their over priced clothes.
Me too. And sorry, but I wonder who all is involved in this decision on Vuitton’s end. Call me a cynic, but most big business deals tell their clients and employees one thing, but they have ulterior motives. Regardless of how he presents himself to us, Jayden is obviously insecure and dare I say, fragile and vulnerable. I worry for him.
How does Jayden eschewing gender norms when it comes to dressing make him insecure? It takes a lot of guts to deal with the ridicule that you get when you don’t dress according to what’s acceptable for you gender.
I disagree ,I think he is very secure .
Because everything he does is all about drawing attention to himself which is what insecure people do – not secure people. Secure people do not need attention and don’t feel the need to vie for it. I think you mistake his being daring enough to do what he does as security, but it is not the same. Read any psych publication on the subject of excessive attention seeking and you will find those that show a pattern of attention-seeking, do so usually from childhood neglect.
“Excessive attention seeking is not a character flaw. It is a brain wiring response to early developmental trauma caused by neglect.”
In other words, when someone is symbollically crying out look at me, look at me, it’s not becuase they feel good about themselves. It’s because they want people to see them, acknowledge them, know they exist, etc.
Another writing says “Ask yourself why you need all the attention. There may be some insecurity or self-esteem issues going on for you. This does not mean that you are bad, broken, or evil; it means that there may be a little hole in your soul and you need to spend some time patching it. The good news is that you can help yourself to heal, but first you have to acknowledge the need.”
But Jayden will never acknowledge he needs anything because he’s surrounded by psychophants who praise every stupid thing he does instead of telling him he’s acting out like any other kid who wants people to notice him.
I fail to see how taking a lucrative job with a major fashion line is screaming insecure or attention seeking behavior. Maybe I am missing a pathological dislike for this kid, I see an interesting marketing choice in a competitive industry.
Yes I agree with you .. it’s foisting the body type of having no hips, breasts, curves etc .. I don’t like it at all. I see it causing more girl’s to feel inferior and ashamed of their bodies.
he’s right that wearing that batsuit of his every day would be a bad idea
Words fail me
This is just my gut reaction, but when I saw the photo, my first thought was that this is just (another) big f*ck you to women from the fashion industry. It’s like they’re saying: See this? This is womenswear. Clothes made in order to be worn by women. You know who they are best worn by? No, not women in general. No, not lanky, feminine models a la Victoria’s Secret. No, not by extremely thin runway models whose bodies often resemble that of a teenage boy. No, not even them, but an actual, smallish, slightly scrawny underage boy.
Women’s bodies are simply not good enough to wear women’s clothes.
P.S. I wonder if they would ever hire someone like Rain Dove (who I think is gorgeous) as the spokesperson for the men’s line.
It’s disgusting. I’m not applauding anything about this.
I actually think it had to do with saying they can be worn by anyone, despite the gender.
Crossdressers, genderbenders, and transgender males like to wear female clothes, I find it fascinating that women have been allowed to wear pants for almost a century, but males are considered “inferior” if they wear things or act in what’s considered a feminine way.
So yeah, I liked the idea. It’s nothing but merchandising, but I think it can still be positive.
“males are considered “inferior” if they wear things or act in what’s considered a feminine way”.
Asia over the centuries proves this wrong.
Meanwhile, if Jaden is still wearing dresses when he’s in his 40’s maybe then I’ll believe it’s more than a way to get attention/be different/a passing fancy. He’s a typical teen in that he tries on many identities; however, he is eminenently shallow and a spokesperson for nothing other than his teen narcissism..I can’t believe anyone takes him seriously. He’s a kid, and ignorant and rather ‘special’ at that.
When Jaden chooses his own clothes, he incorporates dresses and skirts in ways that fit his body and look comfortable. So he isn’t actually imitating females but is simply not staying in the gender clothing box. They should have gotten him in on the design end of it also… This is a lot better than wearing a batman suit to a wedding, so that’s progress.
thought the exact same thing: What message are they sending?
Stunt casting for free press, just like any son/daughter of famous person who is handed a career when they have no talent (Do you hear me Kelly Osbourne?)
Thank you. Is it just me who is getting reeeeelly tired of the new Hollywood aristocracy? Seriously. This is what we have created.
So as a woman with breasts, hips and other womanly bits I’m suppose to want to wear clothes that are modeled by a young boy? No , this is ridiculous. I’m all about breaking down gender bias/standards but this isn’t it. We already have a big issue in the fashion industry with how they treat women, the clothing they make for us and the expectations they try and force upon us. Not to mention you would never see the industry try to sell men clothing by having women (seriously and not sexualized) modeling them. While he looks great in the clothes, this just goes to show how far removed the industry is from reality.
Wait till Kanye starts posing for Balmain’s womenswear too. Seriously, it’s just a slap in the face to put someone who is just basically recognized as the son of a major movie star to represent Louis Vuitton womenswear. Yeah he made like two movies but has nothing else going on for him except for his Kanye-like/Scientologist rants on Twitter. If they wanted someone famous there’s a long list of actors, musicians, models out there who they could use. All women! Shocker! Hell, they wanted nepotism there’s Johnny’s daughter or Kate Moss’ little sister. So now, women have to look like teenage boys with no curves, no breasts, no nothing. Thanks for taking a thousand steps backwards Louis Vuitton.
No they’ll have ad campaigns of a one year old Saint West in baby girl designer Balmain clothing. You know, since Kim and Kanye are so fashion forward.
There are several female models who model menswear in a non-sexualized way. Casey Legler, Erik Linder, Rain Dove, Elliot Sanders…
I have two issues with this – 1) a skinny adolescent boy taking a job from a woman when women continue to fight for equal pay, access and respect (when he could be the face of an androgynous line or something), and
2) the fact they chose an already famous kid who already has a platform.
‘Plus sized’ models are advocating for dropping the ‘plus size’ label to be included in the industry and more equally represented. Using a young boy continues the narrative that other posters have mentioned already – lack of curves is the ideal for women’s high fashion. I have no problem with androgyny or males embracing culturally embraced feminine styles, and would love to see it represented in media more respectfully. Just not at the expense of women advocating for more balanced representation in the fashion world.
I could get behind this if the male model was someone who led an intriguing life and had something to say about culture, the world, struggle, success, equality, access, etc that came from experience other than the privilege of being raised by two famous movie stars. I hate that the fashion and movie world is shrinking. As a kid I loved reading about the models from war-torn or more impoverished countries who made it big and brought flavour to the catwalk. Those stories are eclipsed by off-spring of a small self-appreciate community.
But he does take a good picture. I just wish it wasn’t at the expense of others.
I don’t know, maybe I’m grumpy that its Jaden and I’ll grow into liking it.
You hit all the points.
We have a fashion industry that was more comfortable putting a teenage boy in a dress before a plus size woman routinely on their runways. This leaves a bad taste.
You don’t have to say something nice just to be PC. You’re on point. Don’t grow to like it.
Yes, can we call this out for the bullshit that it is? It’s great to be edgy and push boundaries, but women, as a whole, don’t look like this and it perpetuates body shaming and setting unrealistic examples. Are they trolling us?
@Eternal Side-Eye – thanks. And exactly about choosing the boy over women
@SJO – Thanks – I will not grow to like it ; )
@Cat’s Meow – I would be interested to know why as well. Would they risk trolling? I doubt they care if it backfires, because ‘art’, you know?
I wish I read your comment before I made my own, I think you put it a little more eloquently than I did. I 100% agree with you. I don’t think we should be giving away jobs *especially that are meant to represent women to men/boys. Women are still struggling for equality, now we are narrowing the field for them even more?
thanks Kathy, I think you did just fine : )
I don’t care if men/boys want to wear women’s clothes, just as I don’t care if women/girls want to wear men’s clothes. I am just tired of children of celebrities getting everything handed to them just because they have a large amount of followers on instagram/twitter. Also, I don’t understand what LV is trying to say here? Are they implying women need a body like that to look good in their clothes?
Well since the three female models have pretty much the same body type as him ,yes that’s what LV is saying.
I would have absolutely nothing against it as long as i would also see more body type diversity in the picture with the 3 girls. But the way it is right now, I agree with all the posters above. It might want to represent a progressive choice but in fact it only reinforces the view that women should have the body of a teenage boy.
I propose an exercise, if you look at the picture and cover the heads of the 4 people in it, is there any way to tell the difference between male and female? I don’t see it and that is sad and absolutely disgusting.
Well Jayden, at only 17 is way cooler than Kanye so please don’t compare them lol. Also, Jayden jumped on the “insane train” much earlier than Kanye so we’ll see if this is just a “gimmick” or if he’s really like this as the years go by. Must be nice having rich and famous parents so you don’t have to actually struggle for a career, it just gets handed to you. Does LV think young boys are going to run out and buy these clothes now? I don’t even think women will be rushing to buy this line.
I can picture jared Leto running toward a Vuitton shop right now for that outfit Jayden is wearing, but he’s really the only one I can think of off-hand.
True ! I can see him wearing that exact outfit.
Stupid kid, stupid trend.
I just HAVE to agree with this.
The first model in the group looks like Ali Lohan.
I’m genderqueer, so I’m quite happy with the idea of men modelling women’s wear and vice versa. Wear what makes you happy!
As for those complaining about designer-wear being made for figures like Jayden’s – vote with your dollars ladies. Vote with your dollars, and be damn vocal about it too. Write to companies and tell them you’re not buying from them, and when you find a manufacturer that makes clothes you do like, spread the word. If enough people speak up, and stop buying, we might see some changes happen.
Touche, sir or madam. Touche.
Recently in Paris, because of their high anorexia problem, they have just enacted a law stating that the models cannot be below a certain weight.
So, how does the fashion industry get around that? Easy, they replace women with young, zero body fat, zero hipped, zero breasted boys and the problem is solved. The fun part is that young women who want to appear/be progressive applaud this manipulation as fabulously forward thinking gender neutral brilliance. And the fact that they used this entitled, talentless boy is simply the the cherry on the top.
I will never support this because I support women.
That is also an issue. Obviously it’s not healthy for men to be underweight either but it’s doable because of their lack of natural body fat. In this case those girls will have to work twice as hard to compete with someone like Jaden and a few of them will horribly suffer for trying.
I completely agree that it’s not healthy for men to be underweight. Jaden doesn’t look as if he lost any weight for this, he’s just a normal, lean, healthy young man.
Oh wow! That makes so much sense. I had read about the ban but my mind didn’t make the connection. It’s like one step forward, two steps back with an added slap to the face just for the extra insult.
Blech to the fassion industry then. Now women will not only be shaving their feet to accommodate their shoes, but hip bones will require shaving to accommodate clothes that now fit skinny boys.
Again, Blech!
That’s awesome news! Love seeing society ( if in part) evolve.
Evolve into what? A celebrity obsessed culture obsessed with an anorexic body type. Viva la revoluciĂłn
Evolve into an even more misogynist society where men are taking women’s jobs and roles? Right. How progressive.
I want to but I don’t love this.
I believe in equality or at least significant steps that attempt to balance an issue. In this case we have a huge skew. Women are still expected to starve themselves, be under weight, don’t dare make the mistake of being plus size and all the other rules but would never be given the opportunity to model for men’s wear exclusively. On the other hand you’ve got this young boy with a specific body type who now can do what these female models have been struggling to do having this handed to him.
I don’t mind Jaden doing this, he’s up for this sort of thing but I do mind that it seems women are capable of becoming second-class citizens in one of the few areas they dominated. It’s all vanity anyway but this just doesn’t make me feel positive about the situation.
When I see a fashion industry that doesn’t act like putting a plus size model on the runway is an act of disgust/only for one show then I’ll be supportive of the same industry cooing over how Jaden looks great in their ill-fitting women’s wear.
That is so important.
And I’m all for black men in particular being portrayed as the more complex individuals they are, but not at the expense of women. There are other ways to do that.
Jaden is not doing this at the expense of women though because it’s not an either/or situation. He did not set women back because had he not done this campaign, they would have gotten another starving model. Look at the 3 they have. Let’s be real, Venus Williams or Rhonda Rousey would not have been the model if they did not pick Jaden. We can have both. We can admonish the industry for their insane standards when it comes to women while being excited about their willingness to show other portrayals of black men. Jaden being an androgynous black man and proudly showing it, is separate from that fight.
@ CK
The problem is that women are starving themselves to get the look of a young, lean male. Men naturally have less body fat so this is not so dangerous for them. All this does is help add to the body issues already inflicted on women and it is a way to get around new regulations on body weight for women in the industry.
My point about black men was simply that I support them being portrayed in a deeper more complex way.
Can you imagine being the marketing person in charge of this campaign? I would love to know what marketing research LV conducted that would lead to this kind of decision.
Instagram/twitter? It’s the new research tool haha.
Last night i watched a program called ‘Rich kids of Instagram’. They were so over the top stupid, flaunting daddy’s money as if was theirs. No real friends or family, no sense of achievement. Everything only based on ‘Likes’ and ‘connections’.
That’s why we have Jaden Smith or Kylie Jenner. Ostentation. Have everything for the sake of nothing. Empty lives behind a phone. Nothing real.
Now I get it.
And never before i felt so blessed about not being raised by non rich parents and never have anything that i didn’t truly deserve through hard work and dedication. They can keep their millions because they have no idea of what to do with it.
This is so dumb on so many levels.
Too dumb for words.
If clothes for women now can be worn by anyone including teenage boys, why are they calling the clothes women line ? Just call them clothes and people will pick and choose. ..
I honestly think that is where the future is heading…totally unisex…and I’m ok with that. Wear what you want !
Umm, but it’s not just called women’s clothing because women wear them. It’s called women’s/men’s clothing because the cut and fit is for that form. That’s what the problem in having a teenage male wearing women’s clothing is concerning. I have noticed over the past 5 years that the cut of women’s clothes have been evolving to fit straighter bodies and leaner figures that does not account for hips/thighs/rounded belly, and with smaller proportions. Women distribute fat differently than men, which is why the cut is different and sizing is different. So what type of world would we be in if this was completely thrown out? Sacks, straight forms with no fit and cinching? It reminds me of those bleak futuristic sci/fi film.
3 words:
NEPOTISM; NEPOTISM; NEPOTISM.
Good Good Good
Half of the people in Hollywood get jobs because of nepotism
I’m completely over these “edgy” celebrity offspring. The Smith kids are the most annoying of the bunch, but I can’t afford LV anyway, so whatever…
Don’t know much about him except he doesn’t believe in or go to school and dated Kylie Jenner. That’s one mark against him already. It seems he marches to the beat of his own drummer. Whether he’s making a statement about his sexuality or merely making some green as a spokesperson is his business. Nothing, absolutely nothing anymore shocks or surprises me. I hate that.
Oh please, he doesn’t have the same body than the other models, he’s clearly way thinner and shorter, just look at the legs of the model he’s standing next to!
If anything, he makes all the other girls look more like normal females.
why do they call this stuff womenswear? The models are stick thin teenie girls and boys.
How is this advertising for women?
This looks like an emo/ hipster teenie collection. Just call it what it is: ‘teenwear’ not ‘womenswear’
As if the fashion industry weren’t regressive enough toward women, promoting unhealthy standards of skinniness that are unachievable for most women, now one brand is telling women that an untalented, moronic teenaged boy who only got the job because his parents are famous, is their choice as a model for women’s clothes. Ridiculous.
I don’t think he is untalented. But he is messed up for sure.
Why is Jaden Smith’s instagram handle @christiaingrey ? He’s 17 and not even old enough to watch that move or read that book. What gives?
Apparently little dude thinks he’s a monsta in bed. This cracks me up.
LV need all the attention they can get for womenswear, simply because their womenswear is vile and looks cheap.
I would like to know what kind of sales Louis Vuitton gets from this ad campaign. If the comments equal people going out and buying the clothing then they have a hit on their hands. But if there is no bump in sales, then I don’t see Jaden modelling women’s clothing again.
How much of the general population can afford these clothes? How many of the general population has ever even walked into an LV store?
Totally cool with the idea, it’s just that the kid is so annoying.
I keep coming back to the same conclusion: Why do men dominate the women’s fashion industry? Because they always have save for Coco? How do men come to think they know what we want? What looks best on us/normal usses? What feels good to us? I would think it’s normal common sense to assume the leads on this would be taken by women, but no, we’re at the mercy of gay men who don’t know what we like or want, and have no idea what it’s like to be a woman. And the icing on the cake is that many if not most of these elitist gay fashion designers don’t even like us. They are the Andy Cohen’s of women’s clothes. They seek to body shame us, exploit us, demean and obliterate our natural shape, and dare to declair they know what’s best for us fashion-wise and for all this abuse and manipulation, they get rich off it. pfffffttt. Keep Jayden in those clothes that don’t fit any woman I know and we’ll find people to design who actually know what they’re doing – women!!!!!
Really well said!
There is something wrong when men are still in charge of women’s fashion. They have never designed clothing for women who have hit puberty. Even the thinnest woman tends to have different hips and torso lengths than a man. I have no issue if Jaden wants to wear a skirt or other more traditionally viewed female apparel. What we do need is clothing that properly fits women of all types. A man can buy a really good suit and it will be tailored and last for years. Women’s suits, even the more expensive ones, are not made to last as long and women don’t have the tailoring option as commonly available as it is for men.
Pockets. We need pockets. Real pockets deep enough to actually put things in. My cell phone has actually fallen out of the poor excuse for a pocket on some clothing. At least it had a pocket, so many women’s clothes don’t. Pockets!!!
Love it! As a feminist, I feel that little boys need to see that there is nothing wrong with wearing a skirt or dress. I welcome any shift away from hypermasculinity that has boys afraid of expressing themselves for fear of societal rejection.
Also, women do model menswear and have been for years.
For those who are saying there should be women modelling menswear also. Thats already been happening for years. They are not celebrities though so you don’t read about them in gossip pages. You have to follow Fashion sites.
Just a question, because I do not know and want to: Do the women model the menswear and men would or do they have no shirt on under a jacket and display their cleavage all over the place?
Finally, thank you! I don’t follow fasion sites at all, and I’ve still seen articles on this several times. Such a terrible argument (that you could fact-check with a 30 second Google search)…
Not a big fan of him, he’s a little pretentious, but I actually think he’s great for this campaign. He has a very delicate but adrogynous face and lanky body. That’s how most models now a days look anyway. Also, despite the skirts, the clothes do look a little unisex. And although I don’t want to make assumptions about his gender identity, he may not really identify as a man. I actually thought he identified as agender (but when I tried to look it up, I couldn’t find a source, so I may be thinking of someone else.) And even if he is cisgender, we’ve had women in menswear for forever, why not men in womenswear?
Edited to add that he has GREAT cheekbones
LV tries so hard to be cool, but whenever I see their logo all I can think of is noveau riche trash. Tasteless.
I won’t buy LV so they can pay Jayden to wear clothes LV wants me to buy. Mature women aren’t charmed by a little boy wearing clothes supposedly intended for us to buy. Maybe LV want to pull in the 20 year olds who can shop that brand, but the moms won’t buy it.
If they were really trying to be as progressive and edgy and gender neutral as this shiz is coming off… there’d be no “womenswear” or “menswear.”
So stupid.
So sad, when will the child bearing women’s body be fashionable?
I just don’t want to see his entitled arrogant face anywhere at all.
Here’s a great idea… Why not have men model women’s clothes. They are fantastic on heels and they model better than women when it comes to faahion. I am sure they can handle the wholr diet thing in this industry.
Oh Jaden, oh that thought. Since he looks great with LV women’s wear, he could give a few pointers to AV in how to model.
…and get paid less as well.
Alicia is a bad model, but a good actress. Jayden is much more natural at this.
It is strange that usually it is the opposite – women make it as models but turn to acting and they are bad at it.
I remember seeing Cindy Crawford lamenting that the age of supermodels is gone and now designers use actors/actresses instead. I am not quite sure what brought about this shift as clearly the skill set required is different.
Made you look. And isn’t that the point of marketing anyway?
I don’t know, I don’t really like this not because I have any problem with gender fluidity. To me if it’s not hurting anyone there’s no reason to get all up in arms. My only thought (that I must admit I feel guilty thinking this way) is that I feel like this is reminicent of blackface. Like we have plenty of wonderful women in the world and now we have fashion companies hiring boys/men as the new face of a womenswear line? We had Caitlin Jenner as women of the year? I know this sounds horribly insensitive and like I said I feel guilty even thinking it, it just seems to me that we are narrowing the field for women when we are choosing men to represent them (and I understand Caitlin is transgendered, really this is for lack of better words). Women have been oppressed too, why aren’t we choosing them for female roles? I’m sorry if I offend anyone, it’s hard to put in to words exactly what I mean.
I don’t think that’s offensive at all. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Caitlyn Jenner is a woman, has always been a woman despite the years she spent hiding otherwise out of fear, and is therefore perfectly acceptable as a choice for Women of the Year (based on the pure specification of gender). Let’s not imply that transgender women are somehow inferior to biological women because that’s a blindspot where feminism has lost potenetial allies for many years.
Actually I think I specifically said in my comment that I realized she was transgendered and it was a lack of better words. I wasn’t implying that transgender women are inferior. However I think particularly in Caitlin’s case, she has used the perks of being a male for a very long time, and even as recently as September as she registered for a very prestigious country club as a man to get around certain “rules” the club imposes (which imho are awful) amongst maybe other reasons. You can’t play both sides of the field, I’m sorry. You can’t use your femaleness when you want and your maleness when it’s convenient. Any other transgendered woman I am all for possibly receiving the Woman of the Year award- but not someone who speaks out of both sides of her mouth and not just because they are transgendered.
Okay, I get what you’re saying now. I’ve seen a lot of people implying that her essential femaleness is undermined by her late life choice to switch and I find that very…unkind. I agree about her failure to acknowledge how far white male privilege got her up until this point is problematic, and I should clarify my stance that I didn’t agree with her choice for similar reasons.
No Jenner is a male. He is only a woman if you have a very bastardized idea of what it means to be a woman.
Let me put it simply women are adult females, Jenner is not female therefore not a woman.
Jenner is a privileged male with a ton of plastic surgery, and without all that plastic surgery he wouldn’t even come close to passing as a woman.
Women should be defined by biology, not by identity.
Being a woman goes a whole lot deeper than a famous plastic surgeried rich guy in a dress.
Nothing that rightfully belongs to females should ever be given to males, I don’t care what they identify as, it’s just a slap in the face to women. How anyone can call this progress is beyond me.
What gives males like Jenner the right to redefine what it means to be a woman? It just shows how arrogant and self centered they can be.
I know this post will not sit well with alot of people, but oh well.
Kaiser, your commentary is priceless. Thank you for a good laugh and some insight as well!
I don’t care. I can’t afford it anyway. Now if he was women’s wear for J. Crew that might be relevant to my budget…
YES!!! Let’s take another job away from a female woman and give it to a teenage boy! Brilliant. NOT
Whatever. He’s still funny-looking and he’s still a rich, know-nothing kid. Maybe time and some growing up will be an improvement but with parents like his I won’t hold my breath.
As for having boys pose in women’s wear? Why not? Men took over professional cooking which is the only way that pastime makes ANY money. They might as well start taking away the high-paying modeling jobs from women as well.
Frankly – could not care LESS.
Am I the only one who thinks it’s pretty ridiculous and insulting to women to imply that girls will naturally aspire to *literally* look like a boy/man if males are occationally allowed to model women’s clothes? It’s also pretty ridiculous and insulting to real models to have Jaden model anything, but come on… Sometimes women model menswear, sometimes men model womenswear, and the world goes on.
I find it hard to accept because I don’t like his way of thinking at all. I think he’s full of himself and this just gave him a platform to continue to be full of himself. Why can’t they choose someone that I can respect for a change.
Here I thought of myself as a liberalfor soo long and now I am realizing at 38 with a three year old son that I just may be more conservative thanI thought. This whole not a boy or a girl shit is making my head spin and Iam just not comfortable with it but oh well.
They’ve chosen to associate their clothing line with ridiculousness? Louis Vuitton is now a joke. Only the “trendy-desperate” would want to be seen in these clothes, I’m thinking.
I guess what I really want to know….what/who is the consumer LV is going for here and will Jaden actually sell clothes (or whatever) to the target……I am clearly not that target customer
I think LV is just jumping on the “let’s hire the child of a celebrity” bandwagon, just like Balmain and other big designers have done. They aren’t doing it because they really believe these kids are going to increase sales. We all know most teens can’t afford these clothes let alone have an LV or Balmain store in their city ! LV just wants to keep their brand looking “cool” so the 1% of people who are rich enough to buy this crap will continue to buy it.
There was a boy in womens clothing???? I must have blacked out when I saw those hideous shoes
I mean, I’m all for people dressing how they want…but this kind of feels like, “Let’s take away one more opportunity for women in order to appear culturally savvy.”
I’m old. Does “@christiangrey” mean that’s Jayden’s Instagram name?
I hate that it’s Jaden. If it was someone transgender or transitioning I’d respect & support it for being genuine. Why are people encouraging him? He’s just mucking around.
I just think it’s strange to blame cultural appropriation and for equal representation and then praise a guy promoting womenswear. As far as I know (I might be mistaken) he is neither gender fluid or transgender which doesn’t really justify. Ages ago in theatres women were played by men and I do feel this is coming back to that somehow.
I thought the same thing. Both about men playing women’s roles in theatre back in the day and the fact there is nothing whatsoever out there to assume or assert that Jayden is trans-anything. He says he just wants to wear what is comfortable – like it’s nothing to do with sexual orientation or his identity. I kind of see that as a slap in the face to those who want this so badly to be about gender-fluidity. I just see a kid doing something a bit controversial he knows will make waves and garner attention. I don’t see this as breaking down any walls regarding sexuality and acceptance.
Do it in heels all day long in an underwire bra while having cramps, and still look good, and then we’ll talk.
I don’t really have a problem with it. If sales go down they’ll scrap the idea. He looks fine, and at the end of the day consumers can decide whether it adds or subtracts from LV’s appeal.
Not sure what people’s issue with these kids is, they’re not everywhere – contrary to all exhaustive whining about them – and they’re not going to be famous forever. In terms of their supposed crimes against humanity, at best they’re eccentric, at worst weird. They haven’t destroyed anything, exhibited cruelty or become addicted something, or broken any laws (tell me if I’m wrong). Time will tell, I guess but the hostility towards them seems OTT considering: they’re just kids, and they’re easy af to ignore if they’re not you’re speed. I hope they find good non-destructive careers that work well for them.
Also, plenty of models have privileged careers, and plenty of celebrities – including those with seminal fame – walk into modelling contracts. This would only be a problem for me if all the fashion lines started doing it: but they won’t. Frankly, plenty of female models don’t have chests or hips, it’s never stopped ‘real people’ wearing the clothes.
lol, All that said, I can’t help but find LV’s stuff boring lately (I keep wishing Alicia Vikander would stop wearing them). Top marks if Jaden proves inspiring. I’m assuming that the point was to be divisive, though.
I agree.
I can’t believe it. I can’t read these comments… It’s so offensive. Body shaming. Flat chested, boy body, etc…
Small boobs and slim hipped = boy’s body? No. They are women and they are HUMAN.
Of course they’re women. Some people can’t help the way they look. However most women who look like these models…Don’t look that way naturally. It comes from starving yourself. These comments are full of hate because these models don’t even represent 99% of the female population in the real world. I only know of one girl in high school who looked like one of those models, even then she was a tall, skinny, wannabe model with an eating disorder. She got to the US and they told her she was too fat. She was half of kendall jenners size! Even models can’t live up to these expectations. It’s revolting.
& now there’s jaden who’s even skinnier than the models. It’s disgusting how they tell women that their natural state isn’t good enough. I’m not even talking about plus size average women. Merely a size 2-8 is too fat. That’s still skinny! They deserve more backlash. I’m sick of this disgusting industry.
Kaiser- ‘The Revolution will be Led by Cashmere.’ When is your book due out?
Gum would be perfection.