Jada Pinkett Smith became the center of attention after comedian Chris Rock made a joke at the 2022 Oscars about her bald head. Since she has been diagnosed with alopecia, her husband, Will Smith, strutted to the stage and slapped the comedian in front of everyone. However, the controversy is not all there is to the actress.
She has been quite vocal about the problems she has faced in her life due to racism still being prevalent. Especially on her Facebook talk show, Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about her struggles as well as that of her mother. She also talked about how the racism she faced affected her view of the world today. In a recent interview, she opened up about having to “navigate” the need to be “less black” in her career.
Jada Pinkett Smith Opens Up about her Struggles
In an interview with The Guardian, Jada Pinkett Smith addresses several topics near and dear to her. From having a different upbringing to her grandmother’s sensible teachings, Smith’s words are something to certainly pay attention to. During the interview, she talked about having to navigate around people getting threatened by the color of her skin when she joined “the game” at a young age.
“Even something as simple as coming into the game at such a young age, and how I had to navigate the necessity to be ‘less Black’. How do you navigate people being threatened by your Blackness? Having to really not take it personally and understanding: ‘OK, this is the land I’m in right now. How do I navigate this without allowing their discomfort with my Blackness to get on me?’ That’s a hell of a thing to navigate.”
In the interview, she also talked about how her upbringing was quite different from that of her White peers. She stated that her grandmother taught her how to respect those differences, even if the same wasn’t happening to her.
“Oh, very different. And learning how to respect those differences, even if my difference wasn’t respected – that really is my grandmother’s teaching, right?”
Smith added that her grandmother wanted her to walk with her head high in any world, with anyone, irrespective of whether they understood her or not. Both Smith and her grandmother certainly have wise words for anyone willing to listen.
Jada Pinkett Smith Talks about her Diagnosis
In the same interview, Smith called her struggles with alopecia a “great teacher”. She stated that the whole ordeal with her hair was extremely scary for her as hair is a big part of identity for her and other Black women. It took a lot of strength on her part to look at beauty beyond preconceived aesthetics.
“It’s been a hard one, a scary one – because specifically as Black women, we identify so much of ourselves with our hair. And it was scary. I had to really dig deep and see the beauty of myself beyond my aesthetics.”
At the end of the discussion, she left the interviewer with a bit of advice when she stated that when people grow older, they tend to get more comfortable in their skin and who they are. So much so, that it doesn’t matter what others have to say about them. Amen to that!
Source: The Guardian
