Why genderqueer and LGBTQ+ fashion icon Jaden Smith is fighting for the right to self-expression for his generation
From sporting a skirt in a gorgeous fashion campaign to launching a gender-fluid clothing line, Jaden Smith insists on setting his own path
Hollywood’s child stars are often overshadowed by their famous parents. However, a handful of trailblazers are finding fame themselves. Jaden Smith, son of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, is known to challenge gender norms, mixing masculine-feminine aesthetics. By fighting for self-expression for his generation and the next, Jaden has become an LGBTQ+ icon.
He challenges gender norms
Back in 2016, 17-year-old Jaden Smith appeared in a pleated skirt, crochet top and a cool leather jacket for Louis Vuitton’s Series 4 womenswear campaign. The campaign drew attention from haters and fans alike, but in the end Jaden was praised for his daring choice to break archaic gender norms.
He created a non-binary fashion line
After appearing at numerous events in men and women’s clothing (and looking awesome in both), Jaden launched his own gender-fluid clothing line, MSFTSrep, in 2016. He told Variety that “[MSFTS is for] the girl that wants to be a tomboy or the boy that wants to wear a skirt, and people try to condemn.”
He is a genderqueer fashion icon
Whether he is rocking a skirt the entire 2016 or heels for the 2017 Met Gala, Jaden Smith has cemented himself as a genderqueer fashion icon. Despite internet backlashes, Jaden has always held his head high and stayed true to what he believes. The rapper-singer told Nylon magazine, “You just have to believe in yourself, you know. The world is going to keep bashing me for whatever I do and I'm going to keep not caring.”