Will Smith Talks About Willow Smith and Big Chop

Willow Smith big chop with Mom Jada

Willow Smith's hair -- color, wigs, shaved sides, big chop, etc. -- is often the subject of debate on blogs.

Willow Smith's big chop sparked debate on blogs earlier this year. Her superstar Dad, Will Smith, talks about the family's decision to let Willow, 11, manage her hair in an interview with Parade.


In an interview with Parade, Will Smith talked about Willow's hair and giving her free reign.

“We let Willow cut her hair," Smith said. "When you have a little girl, it’s like how can you teach her that you’re in control of her body? If I teach her that I’m in charge of whether or not she can touch her hair, she’s going to replace me with some other man when she goes out in the world. She can’t cut my hair but that’s her hair. She has got to have command of her body. So when she goes out into the world, she’s going out with a command that it is hers. She is used to making those decisions herself. We try to keep giving them those decisions until they can hold the full weight of their lives.”

Would You Let Your Child Get A Big Chop? 

I say, it works for them and Willow. I'm not gonna judge. My 11-year old rocked pink hair dye (the spray kind) for a few days after an event in school. Did I care? Not much. Will she do it again? I don't know. I didn't make a big deal about, so who knows.

Now, a big chop? I can definitely see where lots of folks might wonder about such a drastic step. Black folks and drastic hair cuts are a BIG step, especially when it comes to a child. And don't let that child have long hair! The only way that many of us can accept that is if it's a fiasco at the stylist or the child is sick. It would definitely NOT be on purpose!

It's easy to see why we feel that way. We think our kids are extensions of ourselves; they are mini-mes. And so if it's a style that "we" don't necessarily approve of, then we don't approve of it for our children. I get it. A big chop is a drastic step -- for an adult or child.

Testing Hair Boundaries 

And you know back in the day, we tested our hair limits, too. Remember asymmetric cuts, anyone? We just knew we were cute (I never got one, but admired them). And of course you had the punk rocker look, with the mohawk cuts and spiked hair, mainly worn by Caucasians. 

There are a lot of  "what ifs" -- would you let your daughter relax her hair, wear locs, etc. Sometimes, there are no easy answers, because all children are different.


But if my child insisted on a big chop -- and I'd talked to her about it being a temporary change that you can't revert -- I'd let her do it. Though, I probably would advise her to start with a haircut first to see how she likes it, maybe shaved sides first and then the big chop.

I get where Will is coming from, though. It's her hair and she'll have to live with it even if she doesn't like it. It's hair, it grows back. I would NOT, however, let my daughter wear a wig/weave permanently once she's done a big chop. That's like telling her it's OK to make a big step and then if you don't like it, that you don't have to live with the weight of your decisions.


I can understand Will and Jada's reasoning to a certain extent -- giving Willow the freedom to style her hair and set her own hair boundaries. It's clear that Willow isn't your typical 11-year old.


What do you think? Would you let your daughter do a big chop?