Paris Fashion Week is in full swing, only the celebrity sightings have been few and far between. You know it’s bad when I’m considering devoting a post to Olivia Palermo! Thankfully, the Chanel show was Tuesday and the current Chanel brand ambassador came out to support the line. 15-year-old Willow Smith came to Paris with her dad, Will Smith, and Willow only looked bored and embarrassed by her dad a few times. Which we should consider a success! I also really like Willow’s whole look here, from her Chanel ensemble to her blue eye makeup to her killer dreadlocks.
As I’ve said before, I’m actually okay with Willow being a brand ambassador for Chanel. Of course she’s too young for the role, but out of all the potential second-generation nepotism-hires, I think Willow is an interesting choice. Willow understands her role too, and she thinks it’s cool that Karl Lagerfeld hired a young African-American girl to be an ambassador. Willow chatted with The Telegraph after the Chanel show, and here are some assorted quotes:
Her work with Chanel: “It’s not every day that a 15 year-old black girl with dreads gets elected to be the Chanel ambassador… I know a lot of girls that look like me feel that they’re not beautiful and feel like they don’t have a place in the media or a place in the world. I want them to know that’s not true, and if you’re confident and you love yourself then everything you see, your perception, will start to change and you’ll see things differently. I want to show those girls that might not think they’re beautiful but they are.”
She believes in the power of Coco Chanel: “I feel like from all the stories that I’ve heard about her- and obviously no one in this day and age really knew her so we don’t really know how she felt in life- but I think she was a very tortured soul. And the only way she could relieve the pain was through fashion and creation. That pain is the best way to plant a seed. A lot of people don’t understand that you have to experience pain to create greatness within yourself and in the world.”
Her message to girls: “It’s not what anyone else thinks about you, it’s what you think about yourself.”
I think she comes across well here. Which goes to another point I’ve made before: she’s still growing, learning and figuring things out. I feel sorry for her to a certain extent because she’s sitting down for these interviews with major outlets and trying to do her best, but she’s only 15, people. And the parents never prioritized education for Willow or Jaden, so this is all they know. Thank God no one was quoting me when I was 15.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Pacific Coast News.
I feel like much of what the Smith kids have said in the past come from Scientology teachings, which isn’t their fault at all.
But I really like what she says here. And Will looks like such a proud dad.
“And the parents never prioritized education for Willow or Jaden,”
that is the saddest sentence coming from parents who are rich, famous and privileged in the United States.
also, Coco Chanel was sketchy AF:
http://www.messynessychic.com/2012/04/03/coco-chanel-was-definitely-a-nazi/
http://www.messynessychic.com/2016/06/15/up-close-personal-with-coco-chanel-in-her-apartment-at-the-ritz/
http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/01/25/lost-masterpiece-discovered-in-coco-chanels-ritz-suite/
..Will looks like hes had work done…
Yes, something is off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. He doesn’t look quite like Will Smith as I see Will Smith in my mind’s eye… I am wondering if it is Botox? Or is it just that he has finally aged a bit and is looking slightly underweight?
I think the lack of facial hair makes him look drastically different, but I don’t see any evidence of work. However, I’m never good at spotting the minimal work until I see someone’s face in motion when they’re talking. Then all of the unnatural movements come out.
+1
I feel like she’s been 15 for 5 years now.
^^^^YES!!!^^^^. She’s acted like a teenager for years. Now, at least she is one. I think she looks edgy and cool in the pics above, but one thing that jumped out at me – no WAY would I allow Karl Lagerfeld to put hands anywhere on any of my children. Ick. Never.
The optics are nice but the reality is she’s like any other nepotism hire, she’s there because mommy and daddy are rich and famous. The young women of colour she’s trying to connect with will never have 1/10 the protection and opportunities she will have. Their best chance will be education, something this child has never had prioritized. For that reason I just cannot get excited about her as a “role model”.
here here!!!!
I never thought about it that way: their kids have the luxury of not having their educations prioritized, instead all they have to offer other kids of color their age is ‘be yourself, be confident and all will come to you’, because that’s all THEY know….
crazy.
But that’s not her point – which you missed. It’s about how she looks. She’s a medium-complexioned POC with natural hair. Regardless of her income, that means that she has strikes against her in terms of appearance. Black girls get a lot of messages that if they are dark, or if they have natural hair, they are “less than” or “ugly.” To see somebody who looks like them, regardless of her background or income, lauded as beautiful, can be meaningful to them.
Exactly. Her fathers name may have got her through the door but she is still a groundbreaking hire. More than Katie who was raised on corn and sunshine somewhere in the mid West would ever be. Besides, this young womans style is unique and refreshingly bold, why shouldnt she have this just because her dad is a big deal.
She can’t help who her parents are. She’s done pretty good for herself and doesn’t seem to be into drugs, running wild, or wearing inappropriate clothing. She is very pretty and I am sure the Chanel advertising with her as the model will be breathtaking. Cut the kid some slack instead of desperately searching for something negative to say about her.
The young women of colour she’s trying to connect with will never have 1/10 the protection and opportunities she will have.
Loads of basic white celebrity offspring or celebrities who are born in wealth grace the covers of magazines and get roles, they don’t do anything important yet people throw money at them and catapult them also into fame separately from their parents. Give this young girl a chance, she’s unique and trying to make a difference while trying to understand the world as a teenager and learning new things every day.
Also, despite the fact that she can be ‘kooky’, she actually seems interested in a lot of different things and she adores her family. The fact that she’s aware of her skin colour and how other black girls must feel also says more than anything else. I was this black girl magic would have been in the gossip blogs when I was 15.
That photo where she’s sitting and smiling with her Dad is adorable, the rest are a little try-hard but she definitely has a great frame for the models.
Representation matters. In everything. You don’t know how excited my brothers get to see black! superheroes. Of course everyone loves Superman and Batman and etc. but for a young black child seeing a face like their own called a hero carries a significance that feels like finally being treated like an equal.
Before Barack every black child who heard “You can grow up to be president” likely felt a private irony seeing rows of faces that didn’t look like them, didn’t consider them equal and wouldn’t support them.
Before Tiana little black girls who wished to pretend they were Disney princesses first had to scrub away the vision of their own beauty and skin tone and pretend to be a young woman of different nationality color and hair texture in order to feel like they could be a princess.
Representation matters so much that shows like Doc McStuffins gets adults creating a petition to beg ,Disney not to cancel it’s only leading show with an African American lead.
“Before Tiana little black girls who wished to pretend they were Disney princesses first had to scrub away the vision of their own beauty and skin tone and pretend to be a young woman of different nationality color and hair texture in order to feel like they could be a princess.”
This was me all day every day when I was younger. My favorite princesses were Pocahontas, because she looked the most like me, and Mulan, because her values/upbringing were similar to my own (the whole sacrificing for your parents, girls can do anything boys can do vs. Ariel whining all day long about how she wanted to get Eric). It got to the point where I would dream I had blue eyes, and blonde hair because to me that was considered “pretty.”
Representation matters SO MUCH. And it can’t be halfhearted representation either. Execs might not think little girls notice when the doll that looks like them has less extras, features, never shown on tv, little to no features at theme parks, but they do.
Eternal and Lynnie, your comments hit me so hard. This is life as a little black girl. I literally have tears in my eyes. Thank you.
Many congrats to Willow. This beautiful, free spirited young lady is breaking barriers.
Love it, frankly what she said is exactly the point of why I Love her in this, I’m going to CONTINUE letting the weird kooky carefree Smith kids cook
Yup. I officially a fan of Willow Smith.
I’m confused. Is this men’s wear or women’s wear? And where are all the “in” models – Gigi, Bella, Kendall?
You just listed three of the most boring models that walk these days.
Bella’s been walking in multiple shows, Gigi may have skipped it to be Taylor’s side kick and I’m not sure if Kendull was even invited. It seems like her career is nosediving.
I do like that she seems to be seeing the bigger picture of what her having this position can mean, so that’s good. But I still wish her parents would have just let her have a normal childhood without being pushed into stardom. A 15 year old should be focused on education, a career will wait a few years. There are so many children, especially girls, who don’t have that opportunity.
She looks crazy (but in a cool, interesting), and I like what she says here. She gets it.
Let’s be honest here its often Will, not his kids, who should be embarrassed in present company. Granted, Willow is not as bad as her brother, but even I cringe when hearing their inane comments and attempts to wax philosophical. And I didn’t have a hand in raising them!
no education/nepotism=bad.
but i can’t help it, looking at these pictures makes me so happy. will looks so proud and willow is working that outfit. she is a really good choice.
I’m sorry but I have real problems with Willow Smith getting the Chanel job. I don’t believe for a minute Karl Lagersfeld hired her because he’s interested in diversity. He hired her because of her parents and the publicity she would give him.
There are literally thousands of beautiful young black women who would like to be models. Women who could have been wonderful role models. He could have done a true search rather than hire the privileged daughter of a famous actor. That to me would have been true progress.
The only woman buying Chanel are rich grown women, so why have a little 15 y.o girl, who looks more like 12, try and sell it?
Is there a shortage of grown WOC who would have made a lot more sense to use to sell grown up clothes?
She’s always posing SO hard. I wish she would relax and stand a little bit more natural.
Willow has many pre teen and teen followers who can save their allowance to buy Chanel make-up or perfume, very big margin on such products.
I can’t believe she’s still only 15.