Donnerstag, 28. Oktober 2010
Is this video too mature/adult for a 9-year old child?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf9jfy_whip-my-hair-bmf_music
I am interested in reading and hearing your thoughts on this video. The artist is little Willow Smith, the 9-year old daughter of Actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Does this video portray Willow in a way that is problematic for you? Do you feel that she is presented in ways that are too mature and adult for her age? Or, do you feel the opposite? What are your thoughts?
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I think that the song itself is cool and it is a song written for a teenage singer.
AntwortenLöschenBut Willow is not yet a teenager and is much too young for such "showbiz".
I also think that Willow is presented like a diva and very snobbishly. Maybe she actually is already detached because of her early career.
Concluding I have to say, if she was a little bit older I would not have anything to criticize.
I like her song :) But I agree with Aenna.This girl is 9 years old, although she is not presented as a little girl in this video. Other little girls play with their barbie doll and little Willow has to shoot a video, a whole team is working around her, everyone expects her to do a good job and this could be very exhausting for a little girl. And we do not know if she can handle pressure. Some stars, who are older now and began their career as a child star admit that they felt worn out sometimes.
AntwortenLöschenI don't really know what to think about this video... She reminds me a bit of Rihanna here and I already heard that some people said she's really copying her. We know that Will Smith's kids are, in a way, pushed to be successful in the showbiz, just like their famous parents. When you hear the children talk in interviews, they sometimes already behave like adults. For me, this is all a bit too much. I think Willow doesn't even know what she really wants because she was always told that she is great and will become famous. So I guess that for her, the video is not too mature because she's grown up in this world. But as a person from "outside" I'd definitely say that it is too mature. A child should have the opportunity to be a child and not a 9-year-old-Rihanna-look-alike-popstar.
AntwortenLöschenBefore I read Caro's message my first thought about Willow also was that she looks like Rihanna in this video! Her moves, her hairdress..everything seems to be a kind of imitation...
AntwortenLöschenIn my opinion the parents should not push such young children like Willow into the showbiz. I don't think that Willow had a chance to say what she wants to do or maybe she's too young to know that. She's influenced by her parents.
Maybe Rihanna is her ideal and her parents said: You can be like Rihanna! We can make you famous. Isn't it a dream for young children to be like a famous star?
I think a 9-year-old-child doesn't really know what it means to be "famous" and that is what I have to critize: Every child should have the chance to make an own decision about how to live their life and thus they have to know what it means to become famous...Additionally I agree with Caro, that every child should have the opportunity to be a child. You become older fast enough ;)
I would agree with the others who have already said that she behaves a little bit too mature for her age. When I think about to which mucic i listened when I was nine years old I could remember something like Rolf Zukowski(german singer of songs which are written und produced for children). So I´m not really sure if this is a style of music a nine year old girl would normally listen to. I also think that her make up and nailpolish are a bit too much and I have to criticize that the other dancers in her video seem to be much more older than Willow. But I think the most problematically thing is the way her parents try to push her like Caro already have said. I can remember many stories about popstars or actresses who started their career as a little child pushed by their parents(e.g. Lindsay Lohan) and now ended up as a junkie...
AntwortenLöschenHey this is Caro S.:
AntwortenLöschenWhen i just watched the music video i was almost surprised but shocked at the same time. Actually the video is quite awesome, but when you consider which role Willow plays in it, it's not that convincing anymore.
She's doing a good job,what i mean is that she's trying to act like an adult,like all the other big artists, e.g. pink etc., or at least wants to give the impression that she's more mature than other kids in her age.
But reality proves different...because this is an absolute stylistic overkill of a 9 year old.
In my opinion she is presented in an overdressed way, which means not appropriate to her age.
Moreover her behavior in this video is not normal for this age because when i think of a 9 year old girl I associate a happy, smiling, little cutie playing with her barbie.;)
But she's already pretending to be a grown up with lots of experience and know-how.
...To break it down: TO EARLY to compete with the big guys!!
Just a comment by the way to avoid confusion:
AntwortenLöschenI'm also Caro S. :D
But I'm Caro Sch., and you're Caro St.! ;)
So now I hope everyone's in the know ;)
hey guys, found a video :
AntwortenLöschenhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wx5Wt2MtcU&feature=player_embedded
willow smith live on ellen. Perhaps you want to see how she behaves live!;)And first she sings "want you to make me feel like I'm the only Girl in the world" - second Rihanna? ;)
Hey!
AntwortenLöschenI totally agree with the other girls. It’s a great video but little Willow looks much older and also pretends to be much more mature than she actually is.
I think one of the most important aspects is, that Willows parents are very famous so that the society may expect a lot of her. Young, pretty and famous – an easy “object” to sell?!
You can compare it with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie – is not everyone expecting a perfect looking child because her parents do both look so good?
I think Willow is not able to think of the consequences of being famous. Instead of enjoying childhood, being protected by her parents, playing with barbies and so on, she gets pressed into the role of a popstar. She always has to behave, act as a perfect child and can’t be normal because everyone has an eye on her. And which consequences such an early pressure may have are visible on other popstars like for example Britney Spears.
Furthermore the video Ella posted underlines this “too mature” impression of Willow. She moves her hips like a young lady, her smile at the end of the video really reminds me of Rihanna and she doesn’t fall out of the group or attracts attention because of her age. You would expect them all the same age – except that she is a bit smaller.
In conclusion I would say that she is represented in a way that is too mature for her age. Maybe she is a good “product to sell” but she should wait another few years before she starts a career in the showbiz.
Hello everyone.
AntwortenLöschenI totally disagree with the earlier comments posted in this blog.
On the one hand you are right that Willow LOOKS much older than she actually is and that she is PRETENDING to be more mature than she could be at the age of 9.
However (yes i learned something today no "but" at the beginning of a sentence ;) ) she is playing a role. She is pretending to be like her role model Rhianna, and we all did that when we were 9 years old. She is living her dream of beeing a Hip Hop Star and can live it because of her famous parents. When I was 9 years old the boys wanted to be like Boris Becker and the girls like Steffi Graf. A lot of kids pretended to be Bon Jovi or the Backstreetboys on the "Mini Playbackshow".
Willow is doing the same thing just in a much bigger way.
I also don't think her parents are pushing their kids into the show business. They just love working with their kids like every good parent does.
Will loves acting and Hip Hop music. His son asked him if he could play a part in one of his movies so of course he pulled some strings to make that possible just like every great dad would help his son to get into that one football club he always wanted to join.
I am pretty sure Willow also asked her Dad if he could write and produce a Hip Hop song for her so of course he pulled some strings to make that possible just like every great mum would help her daughter to get into that one dance group she always wanted to join.
Will and Jada do not need to push their kids into anything because every child is ambitious to be like their parents and to live their dreams. I am also pretty sure that parents like Will and Jada know exactly how capable their children are and how far they should introduce their kids to the show business. Unlike overachieving mums like Britney Spears' or Lindsay Lohan's parents who themselves had no idea what they were putting their children through.
In my oppinion, Willow is not dressed in a way that is inappropriate or too sexy for her age. She is dressed like a 9 year old Hip Hop singer, which she is in this video. Will is known as one of the last Hip Hop stars who does not need to use the "f" or the "n" word and was even criticised for not beeing "hard enough" for the Hip Hop business. Knowing that I doubt that he would do anything to harm his daughter or push her into something that she did not want to do and is too mature for her age.
All in all, I think that it is a really good song and you can see that Willow is having fun and how can that be wrong. Will and Jada are responsible parents who know exactly how far they can go and they do everything in their power (and unfortunatly for some of us that power is way beyond anything we will ever achieve;jealousy) to make their kids happy. I know I would do the same for my son if I could.
P.S.: Everyone is entitled to their oppinion so please don't bash me just because I disagree ;)
First of all, I like that video and I wanted to sing along and I totally agree to dwightness7. She grows up with that fame since she was born and it's absolutely normal that her parents are supporting her in all respects because they have the opportunities.
AntwortenLöschenThey can produce her a song and a video and isn't that a dream of almost every girl in her age?
She is not living in a normal standart she has the high celebrity status because of her parents who can do such a video for her.
Well, I also assume that this video is like a ''redemption'' because her older brother Jaden has aldready act in films even the leading part...
All in all the main point in this case is that a 9-year old girl wants to be a star and wants to sing, dance, have fun and entertain!
She has got the opportunities, so what would you do when you were in her spot? Play with toy cars and barbies or would you make videos, sing, dance and be a little real star?
She's just a child and she dreams like we all have or had...and she's just fullfilling that...
You have a point here. It may be her dream and maybe she really likes what she does. It might also be the case that she likes what she does not because she has grown up with this, but because she is a young girl with dreams like that.
AntwortenLöschenAnyway, honestly, do you really think it is good to act like that when you are nine years old? Do you think, it is okay to let your child enter a business of which you know how cruel it can be?
Yes, she might dream of it. But that dream could turn into a nightmare when she discovers the dark sides of the showbusiness and in my opinion, her parents should keep her away from that until she is old enough to decide on her own- and this is not at the age of nine years.
In my opinion, there are two point of views,from which you can look at this.
AntwortenLöschenFrom one point of view, this video is fun and enjoyable.
Willow has made her dream come true, if being a singer was her dream at all, and maybe her parents supported her, but that is something we actually do not know, which is why Dwightness7´s claim of the Smiths´ being very responsible parents is very subjectively, due to the fact that he does not know the Smiths´ personally.
On the other hand, Willow´s performance seemed to be too perfect for a nine year old girl. People might get the feeling, that she did the dancing and singing, but was not responsible for anything else beside that. In some ways, she was not even responisble for that either. The specialists completed her video and maybe even told her what to do and how and when to do it .
Let me show you a real nine year old girl performing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yIHJqQeqKg
I think, the difference is clear. It is a suitable child video, without mature and sexual intimations. It fits to the skills of a child and her possibilities to creat a video of her own.
Last but not least, i have to agree with Caro. To decide whether she wants to be a singer or not, Willow should wait until she is old enough.
While reading through all the other bloggers´ statements I pointed out some aspects I would like to comment on.
AntwortenLöschenFirst of all, I definitely agree that this video is too adult for a 9-year old child because the way she is dressed and behaves is not appropriate and does not correspond to the real world of an ordinary girl that age. Her make–up and – what´s that in her face? Pierced lips? - and her moves are too sexy and exaggerated.
As some have already said Willow is just playing a role and singing and dancing is fun for her, that´s true, however, one has to consider how cruel showbiz could be and all the critism she is confronted with since this video is open to the entire public . Moreover, we have to acknowledge that Willow is under a very strong pressure because her whole family is successful and she has to follow them.
Another important point to be regarded is that Willow is an idol for many young girls who might imitate her and are thus objects of a sexual world.
All in all, it is okay if a little girl wants to feel like a popstar but this video is kind of exceeding a limit and one has to be aware of the fact that Willow owns a social responsibility.
Well, I posted a statement here, some days ago but it's still lost.
AntwortenLöschenSo I will write another one.
I think that it is okay that Willow lives her dream to be a popstar and it is great that her parents support her.
They give her the opportunity to have an own music video and a song and things like that.
Nevertheless, she is dressed too adult in her video clip.
But I think that is necessary for the show business.
You do not present your personality, nowadays.
You just play a role of a character, which people want to see.
They do not want little, nice girls.
Nowadays, they want to be entertained.
Therefore, Willow dressed like an older girl and behaves like that.
I think somehow, it is okay, because it is just a role and not the "real" Willow.
Her parents care about her and they know this business very good, so they would stop everything, if their daughter would be in trouble or something like that.
I'm sure that everyone here would be happy if their parents would support their actions.
All in all, I think that everyone should make his/her own experiences, so even Willow should.
And I think, that her parents know what they have to do, what to allow their daughter and what they should forbid her.
Well, in response to the main question I say: Yes, this Video is to adult for a 9 year old girl. Her moves are sometimes provoking and her styling would fit a girl much older than her.
AntwortenLöschenAfter so many posts it is difficult to write something new. I agree with Dwaight that parents should support their children, but it is also their responsibility to protect their children. In my opinion the Smith´s should not have granted Willow her wish to produce a music video that early. What about playing with the good old doll? Meet other kids to play something or so. If Willow goes on and starts a career in the music business she will not have a childhood. There are enough celebrities which started their career to early. These bad examples should be warning enough to protect one´s children from the music business.
Supporting children is a good thing and I am thankful that my parents are supporting me, but they also know when to protect me. I do not know why, but I do not know of a german celebrity´s child in music videos or movies. Maybe in the USA being famous as early as possible no matter the costs is a good thing.
Overall is to say that she is far too young to become a part of the music business.
As Andreas already said, it is nearly impossible, to write something, that has not already been written.
AntwortenLöschenAll in all, I have to say, that I do like Willow's song.. It stayed on my mind for the rest of the day.
Refering to the video, I have to say, that I do think, it really is too mature for a nine year old girl. At least some parts of it and that Willow is dressed and styled like an adult, so you can not recognize her as a child.
However, in my opinion, it is obvious, that Willow had lots of fun making this video and she is, unfortunately, born in a world, in which it seems quite necessary to look and behave like an adult, to be successfull.
That becomes obvious, when you take a look at all those teenage-popstars, who change their more suitable look and style of music to a more adult way. You can see this, when you remember how Rihanna started her career and how she performs now. Other examples are Christina Aguilera and Miley Cirus.
All in all, I have to say, that I would not let my daughter join the music/fashion/acting business as early as Willow's and many other celebrity parents do.
I find it difficult to judge whether it's right or wrong to let such a young girl perform in a music video. I think most people would immediately say that it wasn't the girl's own decision but the one of her famous parents who put her under pressure to follow in their footsteps.
AntwortenLöschenTo a certain extent, I would also say no to a nine year old girl already presenting herself like a very self-confident and strong woman because I am not really sure if a girl of her age can have such a strong and powerful behaviour. Furthermore I am a bit concerned about other problems resulting from this video e.g such as the fact that she'll be known everywhere and so consequently won't have real privacy.
Apart from these risks , I think it's quite unbecoming to declare her as the new rihanna or something like that as one should not attempt to produce a prefabricated image for someone. If this happens , there will no space left to her in order to develop herself , her specific qualities.
Nevertheless, I am not of the opinion that it's too harmful to her personality, or alarming due to her clothing in the video, or her dancing, because she isn't dressed too freely and doesn't dance too offensively. With regard to the possible pressure of her parents, one could object to somebody that she has grown up with the music business and that she, like many other little girls, emulates her parents, as is normal for a child of her age.
While watching the video again, my first thought was what a wonderful voice this young girl already has. I closed my eyes and just listened to the song for a moment... If I haven't known that this song is sung by a nine-year old girl I would never have assumed it, because she sounds older.
AntwortenLöschenLooking at the video again, it seems to me as if the producers of this video wanted her to look like her voice sounds, which means: more adult. However, in my opinion it appears artificially as it doesn't fit to her age.
I can attach myself to the entries before which say, that the parents of Willow should keep her from this business until she's old enough.
From my point of view a unconcerned childhood is very important for the development of a child particularly in our times. For example, I like it to look back and remember my childhood because I memorize it as a time without stress and serious sorrows which has passed more slowly than time does nowadays.
I don't understand the parents of Willow who refuse their children a unconcerned childhood by allowing these early careers. What's the problem in waiting a few years? I don't believe that she would loose her beautiful voice until then.
To answer the main question, I certainly would say that this video is too adult for the 9 year old girl Willow Smith.
AntwortenLöschenHer hairstyle, her dress, her movements, everything in this video seems to be artifical.I do not think that Willow would act in this way in everyday life. For her, entering the world of business, means acting like an adult popstar which in return means acting according to the expectations of the audience.To express it in simple words,she has to be perfect.Consequently, every step and every movement has to be thought about.
Is this a chiildhood one wants to live?Being famous and successful is indeed everyone's wish and aim.However, it is not the aim of a child.A child does not want to be successful, instead he only wants to have pleasure ,and he will only have this pleasure if he can act in a free way without any pressure.
Her parents should not force her in this direction,only because they are successful artists.They should give her the opportunity to choose her own career.
How many parents are doctors, teachers..... and their children are not?Even if it is Willow's choice to be a popstar,they have to prevent her from entering the world of business at this early stage of development and let her decide on her own when she gets an adult.
Taking everything into consideration,I still think it is problematic for children like Willow to enter the buzzworld.
Written by Jihane laare
I can only agree with what was said before: If Willow was a little older, the way she is presented in this video would not be a problem. However, she behaves and sings in a way that is not natural for a nine-year-old. She looks provocatively into the camera, and even the boys in the clip pretend to check her out. This is kind of ridiculous, because even today with all the kids maturing at a very young age, nine is still an age where girls and boys do not play together, let alone flirt with each other.
AntwortenLöschenI heard people say that her brother begged his father to let him take part in a movie and when she was old enough, Willow apparently wanted to stand in the limelight as well. Even if this was true, she is way too young to be confronted with the pop-industry and all the bad things that come along with the career of a child-celebrity (and since her parents know *the biz*, they should protect her from that until she is a bit older).
I think the video of Willow Smith is totally inappropriate for a 9-year old girl. It's totally different when other kids of her age want to be a star like Rihanna.
AntwortenLöschenBeing put in a position where a lot of pressure is on her with a whole marketing campaign to promote her single.
However celebrity parents in Hollywood tend to spoil their children to a certain extend where it gets dangerous, i.e. Suri Cruise,etc. Moreover it's a parental duty to protect children from harm and lead them.
In conclusion I think the whole promotion is way more than just pretending to be a star and fooling around and defintely not healthy for a child.
In my opinion the question is very difficult to answer. Looking at the preceding answers to question i totally agree with apects of dwight's and aspects of andreas' comments.
AntwortenLöschenSo first of all, i generally believe that 9 years are pretty young to enter the showbuisness. This buisness can be very hard and very dangerous especially for young children.
Well, of course it is the dream of every little child to be a star and to act like their role models. Especially for Willow it is not that hard to become a star because of her parental home.
So in my opinion it is okay, even if Willow is just 9 years old, to let her dream her dream of being a star like rihanna as long as she has the protection of her parents. Without this protection it would be too early to live and behave like an adult star.
So what is of great importance is that her parents find a balance between enabling her daughter a life like a star, but also protecting her of that life.
I was quite shocked when I saw this video, this is not fitting to Willow's age in ANY way! That girl is nine years old, she should go to play with Barbie dolls or having some pony-riding or whatever but dancing with a lot of makeup in her face and taking some dance figures out of Christina Aguilera's "Dirrrty" video (moving down and spreading legs wide open then closing them and moving up again) it is rather shocking than anything else, specially if you keep in mind that this girl is only nine years old!
AntwortenLöschenI mean...what the hell shall happen to that girl one day? Shall she become a second Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears?
This is not normal, and people that grow up like that cannot have a normal life with all the things they have to learn and they have to do and experiance in their childhood which is important for their later developement.
Jade and Will Smith should better spend a thought on giving their children a normal life than pressing them into the role of a young adult, including all the behaviour.
I just saw an interview of their son that played the male main role in Karate Kid on the red carpet. That boy was talking like an adult, not like a kid, and he was always searching for his father's acknowledgment after each sentence he said.
Children are always like that, no matter what you do to them, they want their parent's acknowledgement and they would do everything for it.
It is not normal that a nine-year-old wears makeup and clothes like Willow does in this video, that she moves like this and that she becomes one of those kid star copies that turn out to be wrecks latest in their early or middle twenties.
A more or less normal childhood is (in my eyes) the only thing to make a child become a strong adult and not one of those wrecks we often see in the news because they are totally drunk crushing another car or because someone filmed some sex orgies or drug parties.
There are enough cases that show that this happens if children experiance a childhood like Willow and honestly I cannot remember one kid star that did not turn out to be like this.
Main importance for Jade and Will Smith should be to make their children become strong, self confident and independent adults later instead of making them appear as perfect adult imitations now.