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Willow Smith has been in Hollywood’s spotlight since she was a child — but she’s ready to “prove” the “nepo baby” critics wrong. As the only daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow, 23, sat down with Allure for a photo shoot, for which she posed in a daring red ensemble.
In one image from the cover shoot — which came out on Thursday, May 2, alongside her interview — Willow modeled an oversized, red cut-out look, which featured a crop top and miniskirt paired with matching leggings. To complete the fiery image, Willow’s face was brushed with bright red makeup.
In another image, the “21st Century Girl” artist was given a bold leopard-themed makeover, shining with gold, blue and red accents across her face. For the cover shot, Willow’s hair was done up in a dramatic, statuesque style.
While speaking to the outlet, Willow opened up about her new album, empathogen, as well as growing up under the limelight as a young Black woman. Despite initially being known by her famous parents, Willow acknowledges that she has “privilege” but can still connect with fans.
“Being Black in America, even with privilege — which I’m never going to deny that I have — you’re still Black,” Willow said, before adding, “And I love being Black. People would look at me and [say], ‘Okay, well, her parents are this and this and that, but she still is like me. She still has brown skin.’ And we all know that that doesn’t exempt you from anything, and that’s a place of connection.”
When it comes to the naysayers who’ve dubbed Willow a “nepo baby,” the “Whip My Hair” hitmaker acknowledged that this is an “insecurity” of hers but emphasized that she worked her way up the ladder without her parents’ assistance.
“I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker,” Willow explained. “I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents. That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong. But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s**t to anybody.’”
Aside from her famous family, Willow also noted another fear: “being perceived as difficult” in show business.
“In this society, a woman who knows what she wants is always perceived as being ‘difficult,’” she said. “I’m not being difficult, I just know what I want. And I’m willing to sacrifice the chillness of the moment for trying to get to that goal.”