On an episode of Red Table Talk, the topic centered around mom-shaming, specifically within the entertainment industry. Joined by fellow moms Ashley Graham, Maren Morris, and Jessica Alba, Jada Pinkett Smith recounts the waves of criticism she received when Willow Smith, then 12-years-old, decided to shave her head.
That experience, coupled with many others surrounding the appearance of her children, taught Jada an important lesson about parenting.
"Looking at how my children were being affected, that's what count(s). When people are like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe you shaved Willow's head!' If they coulda seen this child's expression of freedom looking at her hair falling to the ground, so me as a mom looking at that, experiencing that with her—there is nothing that anyone could say to me to tell me that it was wrong."
Willow, then, revealed that she believed her and her brother Jaden were shunned from the black community based on their eclectic appearances and the way they were raised.
"Specifically with the African-American community, I felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit. Like, 'We're not going to take pride in them because they're too different, they're too weird."
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
The question shouldn't be if Willow was shunned by the black community; more so, was she shunned by mainstream media? A media that historically has a one-dimensional view of what a young black woman should look and act like. The American media is, and has been for decades, controlled and operated by people who do not look like Willow. Up until recently (and recently being 2019), writers' rooms and corporate suites were full of homogenous old men.
For Willow to point to the black community as the media, when very few, if any, black voices are heard or amplified, is a bit harsh. That's not to say Willow hasn't been shunned by members of the black community. A few seconds behind that statement, she says:
"Even some of our family members, I would feel they thought we're too different."
As with many young black people, the views and beliefs of our elders can be oppressive and limiting. Sexism, homophobia, and other harmful stereotypes exist in our community that we actively need to fight against. We're constantly fighting from within, especially as a black woman. Jada explained:
"Even in the community, we create stereotypes around ourselves and it's something that we, as a community, really have to learn how to let go of. I know that people felt like it's dangerous ... You know what it's like to be a Black or Brown person in this world. You are doing your kids a disservice. I understood where that fear came from, but I also understood, from having been on the streets and having had not been your conventional Black girl in the streets of Baltimore, I knew that self-confidence is what helped me survive."
Both concepts can and do exist. Willow and Jaden were shamed in the media for the way they expressed themselves, but that wasn't the black community. It is also true that Willow and Jaden were shunned by members of the black community for how they chose to express themselves.
As a community and especially black entertainers, it's important to be careful about the rhetoric we place on our community and our members.
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by DFree / Shutterstock.com
- Willow Smith Said She and Jaden Felt "Shunned" By the Black ... ›
- Willow Smith States She Felt 'Shunned' by the African-American ... ›
- Why Willow Smith says she and Jaden felt 'shunned' by the Black ... ›
- Why Willow Smith says she and Jaden felt 'shunned' by the Black ... ›
- Willow Smith says she, Jaden felt 'shunned' by Black community ... ›
- Willow Smith says she and brother Jaden felt 'shunned' by black ... ›
- Willow Smith and brother Jaden felt 'shunned' by black community ... ›
- Willow Smith Says the Black Community "Shunned" Her and Jayden ... ›
- Willow Smith Says She She Felt 'Shunned' By Black Community ... ›
- Willow Smith says she and Jaden were 'shunned' by Black community ›
RELATED
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy