Willow Smith may only be 21 years old, but this young icon has already proven that she's wise beyond her years.
While she's been in the public eye since birth on account of her well-known parents, Smith has genuinely made a made for herself with both her music career and the insights she shares on Red Table Talk. Through her involvement in the Facebook Watch series, Smith has been given a platform in which she can open up about her thoughts in a safe environment—and she's dropped a few gems along the way.
To bring in Valentine's Day, let's reflect on what Smith has taught us about love and relationships.
Love should be authentic
When Smith has spoken about her parents' relationship, she's consistently praised their no-holds-barred approach to marriage—showing that this Gen Zer truly values authenticity.
Earlier this year, while discussing the subject of her parents' constant oversharing, Smith shared that she thought being open was more reasonable than faking happiness.
"Everyone is going through something, and the biggest disservice you could do [to yourself and others] is put up a facade and be like, 'That's not the case [here].' That sounds wrong to me," she stated.
Smith voiced similar sentiments in 2020 when she addressed her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith's infamous "entanglement" with August Alsina.
"I want to put it on the table. I'm so proud of you. To be able to see you and Dad do that, for me, that was like 'OK, that's the real deal. That's real love,'" Smith told her mother. "When you can be like, 'I'm with you. I'm going to stand by you and I'm going to hold your hand because I love you—that's what we do,' that's really important."
Love is individualized
For romantic love to truly flourish, those involved need to know what they want and have a vision of happiness—and Smith isn't afraid of going a non-traditional route when it comes to her relationships.
Smith came out to the world as polyamorous—someone who ethically has romantic relationships with multiple people in mid-2019. She fearlessly revealed that she's interested in a non-monogamous lifestyle, exemplifies that love is different for everyone, and no relationship is identical.
"With polyamory, I feel like the main foundation is the freedom to be able to create a relationship style that works for you and not just stepping into monogamy because that's what everyone around you says is the right thing to do," Smith stated on Red Table Talk. "So I was like, how can I structure the way that I approach relationships with that in mind?"
On another occasion, Smith revealed that she's not down with the idea of monogamy and that the freedom of polyamory is more appealing to her.
"That feeling of 'You're my one and my only, there's no one else for me—that would not work," she said.
We all have to go our own way when it comes to love, and Smith embraces this with fearless openness.
Love should be rooted in connection
People can sometimes get love confused with lust, resulting in mixed feelings regarding what relationships should be based on. Smith reminds us that love isn't just about sex, but it's primarily centered on emotional connections between people.
"I'm not the kind of person that is constantly looking for new sexual experiences. I focus a lot on the emotional connection, and I feel like if I were to find two people of the different genders that I really connected with and we had a romantic and sexual connection, I don't feel like I would feel the need to try to go find more," she revealed.
"In my friend group, I'm the only polyamorous person, and I have the least sex out of all my friends," she added, proving just how important it is for Smith to have an emotional foundation with her partners.
Essentially, don't get caught up in the sexiness of it all—the genuine connection should come first.
Love needs boundaries
This lesson comes from Jada Pinkett Smith's recollection of an encounter she had with her daughter, signifying that it's more rooted in familial/ platonic love as opposed to romantic. However, the practice of setting boundaries is healthy for any relationship, and—as Jada came to learn—Willow is all about boundary-setting!
During a November episode of Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith revealed she was proud of her daughter for taking the initiative to express her needs and set boundaries with her.
"We should really be able to listen to what people feel. I gotta stop trying to fix every damn thing. That's not my job either. I gotta give Willow props because she'll call me, disrupted, and be like, 'I don't need you to fix anything, mom. I just want you to listen,'" Pinkett Smith revealed.
Remember: it's perfectly healthy to set appropriate boundaries with those you love, and we should all embody Smith's energy on the subject.
Let's consider these lessons as we all forge our understandings of love, relationships, and genuine connection.
