Jaden Smith doesn’t get gender norms: ‘I don’t see man clothes & woman clothes’

jaden gq

I have to admit, I find this close-up of Jaden Smith’s face to be very striking. Jaden covers the new issue of British GQ Style, and never before have I really looked at this kid’s face and noticed how pretty he is. Beautiful skin, lovely lips, gorgeous almond eyes. I can see why he turned to modeling and I can see why he’s booking gigs too. Back in January, Louis Vuitton announced that Jaden, at the tender age of 17, was becoming the new face of LV womenswear. The announcement caused some consternation. Like, if Jaden has no problem wearing women’s clothes, then fine, I don’t care either. My problem was always with LV and what this said about the fashion industry: that their ideal body type for womenswear has always been that of a teenage boy. Like, grown-ass women should aspire to have Jaden’s current body type. And that still bugs. But in this GQ Style piece, Jaden talks about how he’s not into gender norms and how he wants to create a utopia on earth.

There is no menswear or womenswear: “I feel like people are kind of confused about gender norms. I feel like people don’t really get it. I’m not saying that I get it, I’m just saying that I’ve never seen any distinction. I don’t see man clothes and woman clothes, I just see scared people and comfortable people.”

He feels a twin-like connection with Willow: “I’d say it’s like full-on sibling brain connection. I’d say that she’s definitely the female version of me, one hundred per cent, in every single way. And I’d say I’m the male version of her.”

On his goal of building a utopia on Earth: “I’m really working towards just fixing the whole planet Earth. I really just want to create a utopia on this planet. I really want to make it so that people don’t have to die to pay bills and just work to survive. So that they can work to actually live and do the things that they love to do.”

On hanging out with the Kardashians: “I think I’m just a really big influence on anybody that I’m around, and I feel like that’s why it’s good for me to hang out with all types of different people.”

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m perfectly willing to go along with him on the gender norms thing. If men want to wear women’s clothes, go ahead. I wear men’s clothes sometimes and who cares? I’m also willing to go along with him on the brain connection with Willow. I actually think that’s sort of sweet, that he feels like he’s the male version of her and vice versa. As for the other two statements… I rolled my eyes. Only a rich kid who has had everything handed to him would dream of a utopia where there are no bills to pay. And the idea that Jaden has influenced the Kardashians and that’s why he hangs out with them? It’s cute that he thinks that.

jaden2

Photos courtesy of GQ Style.

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117 Responses to “Jaden Smith doesn’t get gender norms: ‘I don’t see man clothes & woman clothes’”

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  1. lilacflowers says:

    High school would have been a great idea.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yep.

    • Kate says:

      Yes a structured school environment with exposure to people who live on earth would have been very beneficial.

    • lilacflowers says:

      The parents really did this child a disservice.

      • John Wayne Lives says:

        Yeah he can stfu with all of his Zenu crap and his opinion on women’s clothing cause what I really want in my life is a teenage boys opinion on women’s clothing

    • Dtab says:

      Amen to that….this kid has no perception of reality at all. I have always liked Will Smith, but he must be lacking somewhere to think this is the best way to raise kids

      • sigghh says:

        Just trying to think of it openly. …how good of a job did our parents do if we sit around on the AM and discuss the mental inner workings of a minor? I guess. ….it’s all just a matter of perspective.

        Scientology scares me a bit bc of the cultlike vibe but I DO think society tells people there is like ONE way to live. For example, “Kids should good to school”. We never really think about all the different ways to educate, ways to structure a school, or ways to grow the young mind. School these days (imo) is just conditioning for your adult life in the working world. Somewhere to report 8 hours a day.

        Nothing wrong with being totally different, but it does bring judgment from others. Every article about jaden on most sites are filled with mocking.

        …it’s interesting to see people’s complete lack of encouragement for different levels of thought ….how their own conditioning breaks the other person down to preserve the selfs ideas (i.e so those sending their kids to spend all day with strangers “at school” can feel “right”)

        and the ever present distaste for black men who speak about possessing any level of greatness or influence. …*cough* kanye …Richard Sherman…jaden *cough*

      • Santia says:

        @Sigghh – I came on here wanting to fight you, but ended up realizing that you’re so right on so many levels. Society has that “group think” down on lock, where anyone who is “different” needs to be beaten into submission. (I don’t think it necessarily has to do with color.)

        The truth is that Jaden Smith doesn’t need to do “normal” like we do normal, because well, his life and his circumstances are completely different from ours. We have to go to school and get a formal education, etc., because that’s the only way we’ll get jobs in order to eek out a living. He doesn’t have to do that. And the fact that he can think for himself and come to his own conclusions should be applauded, not denigrated.

      • lilacflowers says:

        I am having a really difficult time envisioning Richard Sherman, an intelligent man, and Jaden Smith on the same planet, let alone in the same paragraph. There are many different types of schools and parents should find the best one for their child but the child should get an education and part of an education is exposure to different types of people and exposure to things like facts about science and art and literature and math. Jaden Smith has no grounding, no basic knowledge. The Smiths had the ability to offer this child so much. They failed him.

      • Naya says:

        @ Sigghhh and Santia

        I couldnt agree more. Its hard for people to accept this but school wasnt built for “enlightenment”, it was built to enable us to slot in and function somewhere within society. Jaden doesnt need to slot in and function, he was born into very different circumstances. I think its fine that he beats his own path. He has a clear interest in philosophy and spirituality and I have no problem with him rejecting the Platos and Jean Paul Satres. Its not like he has the power to decide anybody elses life other than his own. And besides, nothing those old white men said is immutable; its not like chemistry where element x plus element y must equal water.

      • Crumpet says:

        sigghh: I like how you think. Not saying I agree with everything you said, but kudos for the ‘out of the box’ articulate post.

      • senna says:

        @sigghh – I think you are dead-on. Also, I think Jaden, Zedenya, Amandla Steenberg and many other young celebrities with definite opinions are so much more relatable, thoughtful, and optimistic than old-guard celebrities. Jaden’s not perfect, but he’s 17. How many of us, even the ones who went to highly structured “good schools” were not a tad idealistic/self-centered/out-of-touch with reality at that age? I sure was. I’m more positive about the person Jaden will become than I am concerned about the teen he is.

      • Wood Dragon says:

        His parents could at least have provided Jaden and Willow with private tutors to insure that they got some education, right? Something other than this …whatever this is that produced this undisciplined, unfocused philosophizing hot house orchid that these two have turned out. They better hope they never have to leave their precious bubble. The real world is merciless.

    • lucy2 says:

      So much truth in just a few words.

      • Sabrine says:

        They aren’t going to fit into the slot the haters intend for them, which is to act like normal teenagers (you know the ones smoking dope and falling over drunk). They seem to be doing quite well for themselves even though they’re not sitting in a classroom, earning money on their own. They like to hang with friends and dress up in funky clothes. They’re just kids but are already talking about helping the planet.

      • lucy2 says:

        I’m fine with thinking differently and alternative methods, but I’m never going to get on board with the rejection of education.
        This kid has millions of people paying attention to him, and he’s encouraged everyone to drop of out school. That may be fine for him and the wealth he has to fall back on, but for the rest of the world? Not so much.

    • Mrs. Wellen Melon says:

      Making a utopia, one modeling booking at a time!

      The Derek Zoolander School for Kids That Can’t Read Good and Want to Do Other Things is enrolling.

      • vauvert says:

        Well, he says he is working towards building this no-bill Utopia. Wonder if I could send him this month’s bills to help contributing towards his goal??

        Also, he thinks he influences the people around him in a positive fashion? Has he seen the latest Kardashian faces? Nothing good there, if I were you Jaden, I wouldn’t take kredit for those.

        Finally, how seriously deluded do you need to be to imagine you have any sort of influence on the world when you are nothing but a rich, uneducated punk-ass kid???

        I hear the arguments about outside the box thinking and not everyone operating well within the same model. We explored various education system when our son was young because I agree to a certain extent, some kids do well on a different path. We eventually selected the Montessori system and it worked great for us, and I encourage every parent to think about in what environment their child will both thrive and be appropriately challenged. (you shouldn’t look for the easiest path for a kid, IMO. There should always be an element of challenge or difficulty otherwise how will they learnt resilience and overcoming adversity? We can’t all take them to Paris FW and hand them modelling gigs.)

        What I see as the problem here (just like I see with Kanye) is a huge level of delusion and Messiah complex. At least with ‘Ye one can argue that he has been a successful performer; this kid has done nothing except be born out of the right womb. Not sure how that qualifies him as a judge of anything, particularly education. In order to have an opinion on something, you must experience it or have some first hand knowledge somehow. Then, if you reject it as unsuitable for your personality (and your rich folks can afford to take you to a special snowflake school), great. But as far as we can tell, he googled some words and names and now throws them around at random.

        Maybe it is just sheer stupidity combined with youth and incredible privilege. Some of you are excusing his rantings saying at his age lots of people say dumb things. Y’all must know different teens than I do – the ones around me are focused on school, sports, volunteering, getting certificates in CPR, coaching, baby sitting, saving money for a special thing they want, summer camp, learning how to do things around the house (cutting grass, cleaning, doing chores to help out)…. some are also getting into experimenting with drinks and weed, or starting to develop relationships with the opposite (or same) gender, in short they are busy with Life. Real life. And yes, they read, real books with words. And if they have musings on the universe, they tend to do a bit of research before pontificating.

      • Lizzie McGuire says:

        HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
        I really can’t with Jaden Smith, he gives me a headache every time.

      • Zwella ingrid says:

        Another home run for @vauvert! Your post was very well written and I agree with your opinion.

      • Dlo says:

        @vauvert. As always you have eloquently stated my thoughts.☺

      • Jwoolman says:

        Vauvert- oddly enough, despite the arrogance, Jaden was likely the best influence poor Kylie ever had. He said something actually insightful in response to her “new face”, seemed sad that they took a pretty girl and changed her. Can’t remember the exact way he said it, but obviously he liked the way she looked naturally and was not happy that she felt compelled to have work done on herself. She needed more people like that in her life.

      • Nike says:

        Agreed. Very insightful, @Vauvert.

  2. Astrid says:

    Such a special snowflake!

  3. Div says:

    Ugh. I’m so annoyed by the nepotism…and it is even weirder in the case of Jayden since he literally did two poorly received films and then received a bounty of gigs. At least his sister Willow has a lovely voice.

    • Jayna says:

      I thought he did a great job in that movie he did with his father, the Pursuit of Happiness, especially as it was his first acting gig and a substantial part.

      • D says:

        He was absolutely terrible in “After Earth” though.

      • tegteg says:

        Bad in that martial arts movie, too. Karate kid remake or whatever.

      • Jwoolman says:

        Jaden was very very young in Pursuit and was with his dad. At that age, it’s not really acting. Some directors are able to get great performances out of kids, but the role has to be closely matched to the kid. Having his dad right there all the time was a huge advantage in that process.

        I saw him as a child in an episode of Suite Life – he was adequate, but again the role was matched to him. But Jaden doesn’t really have the skills to be an actor as a teen or adult. He can only play close versions of himself. This is why so many child actors just don’t make the transition to adult roles. The expectations are so different, and they tend to lose that lack of self-consciousness they might have had as children which also helped. We don’t really know how well Willow sings, either – her parents can afford the best engineers, they could make anybody sound good. Jaden thinks very highly of himself, but seems to lack a sense of how much other people have made him “look good” because of his parents and also given him opportunities others can’t have. In open auditions where nobody really knew who he was or who his parents were, he would not have been picked. His parents bought roles for him the way other parents buy toys. There are many kids out there who are already much more skilled than he is and the competition is growing the older he gets.

  4. Jayna says:

    Oh, no. He’s definitely into Scientology, the whole he’s going to fix planet earth. It reminds me of Tom saying they are the only ones who get it and can fix things and how he just wants to help people, like he is some supreme being knowledgewise with all the answers. I get that vibe from Jaden in this interview.

    I got a headache from reading his pretentious interview. Me, me, me. I’m a bit influence on everybody so surround myself with a lot of different people.

    Gag me. What have they done to their kids to make them think they are so superior in knowledge?

    Will, Jada, wake up.

    • Capepopsie says:

      I agree completely!!
      Well said.
      I also got a headache from Reading
      And eye-rolling. . .

    • Naya says:

      The whole crushing of gender norms is completely anti-scientology though. Both he and Willow have also expressed comfort with the homosexuality of others too. The Smiths just pick the stuff they agree with. Its not dissimilar to me as an atheist picking some Christian philosophy here and Muslim philosophy there, because I perceive them to be of value.

      • Goldie says:

        @naya Tom Cruise’s older daughter is supposedly a devout scientologist and she shaved her head a couple years ago and has lots of tattoos. As horrible and controlling as Scientology is, I actually don’t think they enforce strict gender roles. I’ve read that both women and men can become sci ministers, and the women are addressed as “sir”, just as men are.

      • kai says:

        I don’t think Scientology enforces strict anything with their gazillionaire clients.

  5. LadyMTL says:

    He’s got a very striking face but that cover is awful. The pose looks so dumb, and the “open mouth” thing (which I generally hate, be it a man or a woman doing it on ANY cover) isn’t helping.

    As for what he’s saying…yeah. I get his point about the clothes, but he still comes across as a little too out of touch with reality as far as the rest of it goes.

    • sing it says:

      as much as i hate the ubiquitous open-mouthed pose, i prefer it over the incessant raised eyebrow thing jaden had going on for the last several years. do you guys remember that? every time a camera was pointed in his direction, it was: http://www.buism.com/hairloss_files/image013.jpg
      ugh. it’s a wonder his forehead didn’t stay that way permanently!

    • swak says:

      At least the pose where there are wrinkles in the forehead is gone!

    • Timbuktu says:

      I came here to say the same: I wish we’d stop calling covers with mouths open and eyes looking empty and bored “stunning”. He’s a cute boy, but the photo is terrible.
      If models are so bored doing photoshoots, they can always liven things up by flipping burgers somewhere, and leave photoshoots for people who are willing to act like they have a thought.

    • chaine says:

      definitely a “derp” face. says, “I’m beauuuuuutiful, but oh, so dumb.”

  6. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    Well, I like things that are masculine and/or feminine. I don’t think all men need to be masculine or all women feminine, and either sex can be either trait, and people shouldn’t have to conform to rules about it, but I don’t like all of this desire to eliminate differences between men and women and gender neutral toys and all this fuss if there are differences between the sexes. I think of myself as “feminine” in most ways and I always have. When I was a child, I LIKED dolls and I didn’t like trucks. My parents didn’t care which I played with. I had brothers and once I played with my brother’s dump truck in the sand box and I remember thinking boys are so simple. This is dumb. Anyway, I’m rambling, and I guess this is phase that’s needed to throw off the bonds of gender rules but it’s overkill, imo, and I’ll be happy when it calms down. And please somebody tell this kid that bragging about your intelligence and influence over people is really very Trump-like and unappealing.

    • Little Darling says:

      The new diss of the modern era…”you’re being bit Trump-like”

      Can we say this guy is a Trump? Oh man, get a load of that guy, what a Trump!

    • INeedANap says:

      I like the gender neutral trends, largely because most of what we do in our lives is not coded in gender. Think about your routine today — breakfast, work, exercise, TV, bill-paying, wasting time on Facebook — and most of it is not a “feminine” thing or a “masculine” thing.

      • Santia says:

        Me, too. And a lot of the gendered stuff really has nothing to do with gender at all! I saw a muscular (“masculine”) guy in full makeup on the subway the other day. It was jarring at first, but then I was like “so what?” If he likes the way he looks in full makeup, let him have at it.

  7. Darkladi says:

    I was deep as sh*t when I was his age, too. He just makes me giggle. Kids, y’all.

    • Lex says:

      I agree, but the difference is that you eventually grew up and realized how dumb your statements were. This kid is always going to think he’s a special snowflake, because he has no education.

      I love that he’s trying to build Utopia by…becoming a model?

  8. Zen1016 says:

    Damn. Was he high when he did this interview? Or does he really try hard to stand out, to make it seem like he’s on another level, to make it seem like he’s all the way up there with Xenu?

  9. D says:

    Two things that make me instantly dislike someone 1- a scientology connection 2- a Kardashian connection. But he is a teenager, young and dumb…and we’ve all been young and dumb haha , so I guess he’s excused. 🙂

  10. Veronica Knowles says:

    Annoying.

  11. lucy2 says:

    A Renaissance man (person) is someone who is knowledgeable, educated, or proficient in a wide range of fields. Swing and a miss there, GQ.

  12. lower-case deb says:

    so does that mean, he’s working his modelling work so he can get money to fund his humanitarian pursuit?

    and about his influencing people… i don’t quite know if it’s HIM who influences people or some industry Power That Be using him like a puppet to influence people… case in point LV and the adolescent boy body type.

  13. Esther says:

    so there are no male or female clothes but he and willow are male and female…

  14. Kitten says:

    So he likes wearing women’s clothes and he wants to make the world a better place. I mean…he doesn’t sound that bad to me? A bit arrogant and idealistic, sure, but to me he just doesn’t seem like the terrible kid that everyone here says he is.
    *shrugs*

    • lilacflowers says:

      I don’t think he is a terrible kid; he’s not pulling knives on people or running drugs, is he? But I think there’s a definite disconnect from the real world and he has no skills or talent with which to support himself in adulthood.

      • AlmondJoy says:

        There’s a disconnect for sure. And the fault would lie with the parents, not him.

      • Kitten says:

        Ok but he’s only 17, you know?
        I would get the criticisms if he was 35, jobless and living off of his parents but he’s still just a child and we’re already condemning him to a future of uselessness? I mean, can we step back and give the kid a chance to grow and mature a bit before we decide he has absolutely nothing to contribute to the world?

        And he doesn’t seem to have any less talent/skills than the average teenager. To me, he seems creative and spiritual, which indicates some level of understanding and curiosity beyond just the superficial. Personally, I see a lot of potential, but I realize I’m alone in my thinking. Sigh.

      • Lilacflowers says:

        Oh, I agree, of course, he has potential and he is still very young but the older one gets the harder change becomes and his parents have failed to give him the basic tools, which makes it all the more difficult.

        His parents allowed him to go without an education and that’s on them.

        And for all saying, well, he doesn’t need the same tools or skills the rest of us do, he has lost out on the shared experiences of his generation. There are many different types of schools; his parents could have found one that suited him. And other children of the very wealthy do get educations

      • Kitten says:

        @Lilacflowers-Yes I suppose you’re right. I wonder why they didn’t send him to a performing arts school or something. Seems like that could have been the right fit for him.

      • lucy2 says:

        I agree he’s too young for anyone to know for sure what he has to offer long term, but the problem is most people get the chance to grown and learn privately. He was pushed into celebrity and is given a global platform way too early. He also seems to enjoy the attention, and his parents don’t seem to care that he’s out there so much.

      • outhousecat says:

        Neither Jaden nor Willow needs skills or talent. They have daddy’s money and a huge trust fund. They’re set, so they can be as stupid as they want to be.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      I don’t get the condemnation of hIm much at all. My friends and I still belly laugh about how deep and philosophical we thought we were at 17. I would rather a teenager believe highly of themselves than to be drowning in low self esteem.

      • Timbuktu says:

        I think I mostly don’t understand his parents. Aren’t THEY rolling their eyes at how “deep” their teenager is? I think it must be possible to help his career all while explaining to him that he needs a bit more life experience before talking about changing the world.
        I can’t decide if his parents are so dim themselves or if they are so in love with their children that they don’t realize that there are millions of teenagers who are just as “deep” out there.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        Timbuktu I think it’s the Scientology part that thinks children are just mini adults not actual children. They tend to give them too much freedom and the bigger the celeb the more special their children are treated. Some of the kids seem ok but others…who knows.
        I personally wouldn’t raise my own this way fwiw.

    • I Choose Me says:

      You’re not alone Kitten. *fist-bump of solidarity*

    • mee says:

      agree. i don’t get what is so awful. he’s a kid and yes a bit full of himself but he’s young and may mature yet. plus i like how he’s bending stereotypes/gender norms.

  15. AlmondJoy says:

    He’s a funny kid. He’s odd and he has some harebrained ideas but I do love the closeness that he and his sister have. Willow posted a video on ig the other day of Jaden hugging and kissing her as a baby. Too cute.

    • Jwoolman says:

      I think that’s great, too. But I suspect it’s also a sign of isolation. Of course, maybe they really are just unusually alike and that resonated past the age barrier. I don’t see them as that much alike myself from what I’ve seen in public, though. Jaden has a stoner vibe to me, but Willow doesn’t.

  16. MrsBPitt says:

    Would he please explain exactly WHAT he has done or is doing to create this Utopia? Because, I have some big ass bills that I would like to disappear, fast!

  17. Stephanie says:

    He is previliged but everything he says is positive. He doesn’t hurt anyone, doesn’t promote drug use and wants to do the right thing!!!
    If your posting negitives about this kid then you should probably take a look at yourself and ask yourself if hating on people is better then what he said….

    • AlmondJoy says:

      Stephanie, I have to agree.

    • MrsBPitt says:

      If Justin Beiber said this, the comments would all be negative and horrendous! Jaden is a previledged, rich, young man, that has never known one day of struggle. It’s great that he wants to help people, but let’s see some action, not just words…

      • Kitten says:

        Well yeah because Bieber has a history of AWFUL behavior-DUIs, vandalizing his neighbors houses, resisting arrest, assault and dangerous driving charges, racial epithets, peeing in buckets, assaulting a limousine driver…and the list goes on and on.

        By comparison what has Jaden done that is so awful that it warrants Bieber-level hatred? He was born wealthy to celebrity parents and he doesn’t go to school, right? Those are the two most terrible things people consistently accuse him of, and neither of those things are really his fault. Since you brought up the comparison, Bieber is FAR more destructive to those around him, he is FAR more spoiled and entitled than Jaden, and he is FAR more arrogant.

        Sorry but I’d rather have my rich kid celebs “arrogantly” talk about making the world a better place than “arrogantly” getting into a car drunk and putting the lives of the general public at risk.

      • AlmondJoy says:

        But Justin Beiber hasn’t said anything like this… And the comments about Jaden are always negative…

        I totally get the issue people have with Jaden and Willow. I too wish their family put more emphasis on education. I still feel that the issue should be with the PARENTS and not the children.

      • AlmondJoy says:

        Kitten, I wish I saw your comment before I added mine. You’re so much better with words than I am!

      • Kitten says:

        No way, Almond! You’re one of the most consistently articulate commenters on this board.

        And what you said is spot-on. People have a tendency to blame these kids for their parents’ failures and it’s simply not fair.

      • FingerBinger says:

        Justin Beiber is a bad example. If Kylie Jenner said these things the comments would be different.

      • AlmondJoy says:

        Thanks Kitten! I try. Sometimes I wonder if my words make sense lol

        Yes I don’t think a teen should be blamed, disliked or trashed because of the way their PARENTS chose to raise them.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      I don’t get it either. He’s harming no one.

    • Timbuktu says:

      Well, one could argue that actually, Jaden believing that he’s all that and deserving of all these super exclusive gigs IS hurting us as a society. Nepotism, rich getting richer, 1%-ers getting all the cool gigs is not healthy, and Jaden got everything handed to him on a platter while there are kids out there who are working their butts off and will never get the same opportunity. The fact that neither him, nor his sister, nor their parents seem to realize that, even though, from what I understand, Will and Jada didn’t come from money, seems disturbing to me, too.
      He may not be an immediate danger to anyone, but I can’t help but see him and his sister as a disturbing symptom of a very large problem.

  18. Eleonor says:

    I’ll give him a sort of a pass: I used to say a lot of crap as a teen, and this kid did not have a proper education.
    For his modeling: I hate LV for what is doing to womenswear, but Jaden and his sister…I like them, they have the ability to wear nearly everything.

  19. Jenni says:

    I think he is sexually confused spoiled little brat. The same thing with his sister. Just look at their parents. Stress-less parenting and too much freedom is not always a good idea.

    • FingerBinger says:

      He’s not sexually confused. His ideas are about clothes not about his sexual orientation. He is a brat that I agree with.

    • AlmondJoy says:

      Jenni: since you’re back would you like to clarify that comment you made in the Zendaya thread? Tons of people responded to you.

  20. serena says:

    He’s really cute and I can see him as a fine model actually. Of course he’s delusional about a lot of things, but I agree with what he says about gender norms.

  21. paolanqar says:

    Such a waste. He could afford the best schools but the parents decided that he didn’t need an education. So they have just put into the world a person that has no clue and obviously never will.

  22. smara says:

    A bra, Jaden. A bra. Here’s a gender norm for you.

    Are you going to wear a bra?

    (hint: Try needing to wear a DDD yet going without one. That’s a fun afternoon of harassment. Not).

    psst! I won’t be wearing an athletic cup either. Or do you see the need to protect the ‘crown jewels’ during a rugby tackle a mere gender construct 😉

    • Jwoolman says:

      Yes, there are some items of clothing that fit body parts only one gender is likely to have. But most of it – no. I wonder what a difference clothing fluidity would have made to someone like Cait Jenner. Would she have felt like a woman trapped in a man’s body if she really could wear whatever she wanted with her original equipment, no need for padded bras or tucking in the boy parts? Dresses like she enjoys but customized for a male body? Makeup and jewelry? Those seem to be the aspects of female gender that she focuses on, and they are all cultural and not innate. Boys and girls are locked into certain clothing and activity conventions very very early – it’s all around them. Adults even talk to them differently depending on whether they think they are dealing with a boy or a girl (even the same kid!), so it’s not surprising that kids pick up on the mismatch between their own preferences and the gender expectations very early.

  23. Lucy says:

    I don’t think neither he or his sister are bad kids at all. They are in serious need of a reality check, though. It’s a shame, truly, because both of them must be smarter than they seem. I do like what he says about clothes and gender.

  24. Ella says:

    Jada & Will did their kids no favours by letting them basically raise themselves without any parental guidance or boundaries. This is the end product, narccistic, delusional kids who think the world revolves around them. Then parents wonder why no one likes their kids or wants to be around them…Shameful really…

  25. NeoCleo says:

    I’m really tired of designer using either borderline children or in this case an androgynous male to design clothing. I have boobs and a waistline. Give me clothing for MY body not some kid.

    • Zwella ingrid says:

      “My problem was always with LV and what this said about the fashion industry: that their ideal body type for womenswear has always been that of a teenage boy. Like, grown-ass women should aspire to have Jaden’s current body type. And that still bugs.”

      This and your comments are good points. My son said to me recently that this idea is actually anti-feminist because it’s basis is a man can be a better woman than a woman can. Think about it.

  26. perplexed says:

    He sounds more normal here than he has in the past…

  27. Sarah01 says:

    He’s a beautiful young man. And he’s got good ideals, arrogant which teenager isn’t. I hope he’s able to create a utopia, at least for himself. I feel the next 15 years will truly bring out the worst of humanity on a global scale. I’m not optimistic for the future. but if you’ve got young people wanting to bring change for the betterment of people i support that!
    I don’t understand he has had no education? Even home schooled or self taught?
    Education is imperative no matter where you get it from.

  28. Lex says:

    I am very eager to personally break down my own internal barriers about gender.

    In my mind, if I have a daughter I absolutely will dress her in frilly dresses and bows and pink but would never do so for my son. I know this is due to deep seeded mentality towards gender and is very hard to shake.

    I wish there was less separation and more equality between the sexes but at the same time probably wouldn’t want to date a man who enjoyed wearing dresses. It’s a big internal conflict for me! I know that men and women aren’t identical – that is not my issue. I do find it unfair (mainly to men) that there are so many social restrictions around what one can do and wear and be (obviously people can be anything they want but society will still mock and deride). I feel sad that men are trapped by our patriarchal society and feel so bound to masculinity (which is why I am an adamant feminist – equality to me means neither femininity nor masculinity would be valued higher – every person would be free to express as much or as little of both).

    I wish society had less impact on my brain, but sadly it doesn’t as yet. I’ll keep trying though!

    I didn’t really read what Jaden said but I think it had something to do with the above.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      You know Lex it’s hard to break free from social conditioning. There’s so much of it. All we can do is try. I do make an effort to not limit my children by gender. They all play the same sports and activities but they are young and they will excel and choose what they enjoy when they are older. I confess to liking shopping for little girls more than boys and wouldn’t put a boy a dress. That would have to be his own decision when he was older and understood gender more.

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        Part of that is because the clothes for little boys suck for the most part. All black, brown or blue, lots of camo, boring, boring, boring. At least for girls there are pants and dresses, skirts and leggings, lots of colors, lots of options (most are tighter and shorter than what’s available for boys, however). I have boy/girl twins, so I notice this kind of thing all the time!

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        And it is hard, but I let me kids choose a lot, even if inside I worried he’d be teased. When my son wanted to wear frilly barrettes, I let him. People definitely gave me strange looks (especially when I lived in Dallas), but whatever, he was happy. To be fair, it also pained me when my daughter refused to wear pants and told me only witches wore black pants (um, I wear those every day, kid, what are you saying?)

  29. word says:

    I’d rather he be the type of person who doesn’t care about gender norms than be some asshole anti-gay, anti-everything type of person. Secondly, he has the looks to model, very unique and I hope he gets a lot of gigs. Lastly, he’s not a bad kid. He may seem a bit “wierd” to some but I’m telling you a lot of teens are horrible, drinking, using drugs, getting arrested. He seems to stay out of trouble and that’s the most important thing. To me, it seems like he’ll grow up to be a nice person who cares about people and doesn’t judge. I think he gave Kylie a lot of cred when Kylie was trying to be “something”. She hung out with him a lot at first remember? That’s around the time people started talking about her. He’s admitted he is different from the Kardashians and that’s a GOOD thing.

  30. I Choose Me says:

    @sigh. Initially, I used to roll my eyes at this kid but then somewhere along the line I just really started to, I dunno if enjoy him is the right word, so lets say appreciate his perspective. I agree with everything you say and I’m a bit disheartened at all the negativity that he and Willow gets. I mean the NY Post just printed a hit piece on them and I’m like why? They’re teenagers trying to navigate an effed up world and find themselves, while promoting positivity. Sure Jaden’s views are idealistic but so what? As AlmondJoy said upthread, who are they hurting? Is not liking their parents or agreeing with their parenting choices enough reason to come after their kids?

  31. Jwoolman says:

    Yes, Jaden would have benefitted from some kind of an environment (educational or otherwise) that would have let him be around a variety of kids, not just rich kids like himself. He does sound rather divorced from reality, although I agree with him about the false separation into male and female clothing.

    I hated school myself and once I learned to read, did a lot of my learning outside of school, especially in science and mathematics. But I hated it because of the bullies (kids and teachers) and the poor approach to learning and the anti-learning attitudes and the blatant sexism (the boys with interests like mine were given extra attention in advanced math, for instance, while I was left out). High school was better than grade school in some respects (certainly more interesting) and college was much much better (real labs!) and grad school was the best… So I liked learning and did feel the need for a structured approach after trying to do it on my own – even an average teacher and curriculum gives useful guidance, showing you what’s out there and what you need to know first before you can really delve further into the subject.

    But Jaden’s parents were rolling in money and could have picked any school in the universe for him and mixed it with appropriate tutors (real homeschoolers do mix and match), and they certainly could have found much better schools than I was stuck with as a kid. Instead they sent their kids to Scientology-based mini-schools and who knows what kind of “home schooling” after that. If Jaden had a real education, he wouldn’t sound so ignorant and vague much of the time. He’s curious about things, but hasn’t been given the tools he needs to satisfy that curiosity. He seems extremely immature intellectually, like a little bird whose wings were clipped before he could learn how to fly. That’s what happens when a non-genius is left to his own devices to pick and choose what he learns – huge knowledge gaps and stunted growth. Lay that one squarely on the educational approach devised by a psychotic science fiction writer. It may unfortunately be too late for Jaden and Willow, since they don’t even know what they are missing. And that’s very sad, their parents gave them too much in other areas and too little in the essential area of developing their minds.

    • yep says:

      Thank you, jwoolman. That was beautiful.

    • Ennie says:

      Precisely. The internet has a lot of information, but it is not a good teacher if one does not have some kind of mental structure. He is all over the place, getting feedback from fans and minions. He thinks he is a big influence, he might be a well intentioned person, but “good” influence… I have my doubts. He is reinforcing the fact that education is not needed.
      Some people have said that he “doesn’t need” education…Very rich, influential people with no education… Just what the world needs.

  32. MB says:

    He wants to change the world and he is achieving this by…… Modeling clothes and having his photo taken? Wow, that is some next-level Zoolander BS. Being physically attractive doesn’t bring us collectively closer to Utopia, Jaden.

  33. Trixie says:

    Men’s clothes and women’s clothes are cut differently because men and women have different body types. There is a reason there is a difference between men’s clothes and women’s clothes and saying there isn’t or shouldn’t be a distinction is denying that men and women are, in fact, biologically different and have different body types. This is not a sexism or feminism social issue, it’s biological.

  34. PoliteTeaSipper says:

    No one would give him the time of day if he had non celebrity, unknown parents.

  35. LAK says:

    I’m just glad he is over that frowny face he used to pull.

  36. Tara says:

    I think he’s a bit full of himself but not a bad kid. I do have issues with women’s clothing using him as its face… Just because it seems to say women can’t even be better women than a teenage boy. I see the converse side of that too tho, in that we’ve criss crossed gender lines before, eg women modeling men’s suits. I do like that he’s challenging gender dress norms. Yes, some things are generally required based on anatomy but why not question all the other stuff? Also appreciate Vauvert’s (or jwoolman’s?) questions upthread re how breaking down dress stereotypes could help people feel more comfortable in their own skins.

  37. hayley says:

    He’s a very big influence on everybody he’s around? Good Lord. The twit doesn’t realize the joke he’s become, and his parents seem happy to leave it that way. Those two kids are an excellent study in humans allowed to just go their own way and think for themselves without any direction, since birth. When reality hits them one day, it’s going to be epic.