Willow Smith opens up about self-harm
‘I had learned to see myself as worthy,’ the 18-year-old explained
Despite being raised in one of Hollywood’s most famous families, Willow Smith didn’t have an easy childhood.
In an interview with People magazine published this week, the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith talked about her history with selfharm and why she thinks she had a responsibility to share her story.
Smith’s struggles began when she was thrust into the spotlight after the release of her hit song “Whip My Hair” nearly nine years ago. People reports Smith, now 18, began hurting herself in her “early teens.”
Smith spoke to the outlet about the pressures of fame.
“I was super young, and I had a dream, but all I really wanted to do was sing and I didn’t equate that with all the business and the stress that ended up coming with it,” she said.
Smith said science and spirituality inspired her to stop cutting.
“I was like, ‘This is pointless — my body is a temple,’ and I completely stopped,” she said. “It seemed literally psychotic after a certain point because I had learned to see myself as worthy.”
Smith revealed her cutting last year on the Facebook Watch series she hosts with her mom and grandmother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Red Table Talk.
Despite her shock at the revelation, Smith’s mother told People she was proud of her daughter’s vulnerability in sharing her story.
“I was so proud of her in that moment, especially for her to share it publicly,” the Girls Trip star said. “I was really proud.”
Smith’s openness, her mom added, has been a healing experience for their family.
“She brought a lot of healing to some of our family members that we didn’t know were cutting either,” Pinkett Smith said.