The BET Awards hit the airwaves tonight and brought out not only today's musical bests, but also the big old jerkface bullies. Just when you thought people couldn't be any meaner, Twitter lit up with TONS of mean-spirited talk about an 11-year-old girl. That child happened to be Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter and aspiring singer, Willow Smith.
Let's just say Willow's young age didn't get in the way of the level of cruelty that led the viewer commentary tonight. Unbelievable!
Twitter didn't leave a single aspect of Willow's appearance untouched -- ripping on her new super-short hair, her ears, and her outfit, calling out her thin frame and her gender-neutral appearance, and even questioning her sexuality. Um, she's 11 folks. Some jerks even went as far as to say she looks like a boy, like Will Smith's son, cancer stricken, or even like a "monkey." WTF? Pick on someone your own size @-holes!!!
There's no denying that celebrities get picked apart all the time. It's sort of par for the course; however, I think we have to draw the line when we're talking about a growing, changing, coming-into-her-own child. Willow is a creative and beautiful young girl who is always playing with style and -- like all 11-year-old girls -- figuring out who she is and how to express herself. Good for her, I say! And good for her parents for letting her be the girl she wants to be.
Will and Jada no doubt have their hands full, having two kids who are dabbling in music, film, and more. Growing up is hard to do, with or without celeb status, and now Willow's parents are faced with having to shield their daughter from the ugliness of adolescence and peers, atop the ugliness of the whole entire world -- adults included. That's a lot.
Willow also debuted her new video for her song "I Am Me" tonight, and people jumped all over that too, saying she's too young to know anything about which she sings. But maybe what people really needed to do was shut the eff up and listen to her lyrics and learn.
Do you think society needs to give child celebrities a break or do these kids just need to grow a thick skin and deal with the low blows?
Image via Getty/Frederick M. Brown
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Comments 53
Its one thing for teenagers and her own peer group to ridicule her. That's par for the course even if you're not famous. I think we all probably got picked on in school.
But you're all adults, and when an adult criticizes a child, then you're worse than a schoolyard bully. Shame on every adult for criticizing an 11 yr old!
She's only finding her place in the world. Even if it were true *and I don't agree that it is* that she can't sing/has no talent, so effin what?! Don't listen to it!
I blame her parents for throwing her into this shark tank. If they were living like "children" they wouldn't be thrust into this and this wouldn't be happening. All kids of celebs aren't like this. The Smiths want it or they'd change it. I feel terribly bad for this little girl. None of it is her fault and people who would publicly treat her this way are bastoids.