Another day, another Willow Smith hairstyle we can't stop thinking about. The musician, who recently released her album empathogen, was there to support her dad Will Smith at the premiere of his new movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die, looking like a '70s-esque dream in a picture perfect Afro paired with a long, plaid print jacket over matching trousers and platform heels.
Smith's hair, styled by her longtime collaborator Vernon François, was shaped into a high Afro that was the perfect balance of round and oval, adding several inches to her height and softly brushing her forehead and brows to beautifully frame her face. “IN ❤️ WITH THIS SHAPE,” François wrote on Instagram. Um, same.
Makeup artist Francie Tomalonis applied a delicately shimmery base shadow to Smith's lids, then added the prettiest pop of molten gold at the inner corners of her hazel eyes, defining them with tightlined black liner on both the upper lashline and lower waterline. Tomalonis brushed up the star's brows for a full, feathery look, then finished with a super subtle neutral lip.
Smith has always been one of our favorite hair chameleons. In 2021, she shaved her head onstage while performing a rock version of her song “Whip My Hair,” infusing the performance with a deeper meaning. Smith has shaved her head many times—starting in 2012—but we've also seen her in beaded cornrows, a braided bob, and braids so long they didn't even fit in her selfie, not to mention the incredible structural styles she wore on her Allure cover, also created by François. Last year, the musician shared a pic of her teeny tiny Afro and showed off her natural hair growth. For the 2024 Met Gala, Smith and François paid homage to the women of the Mangbetu tribe with her cylindrical updo.
Smith told Allure that her youthful hair experimentation helped her express who she was as a person, especially as someone who grew up in the public eye and was famous from a very young age. ("Whip My Hair" came out when Smith was only nine years old and became a massive hit, after which Smith took a break from the spotlight.) “My mother allowed me to do that because she strongly believed that being able to express myself in that way was very important," she shared. “And I completely agree with her because it helped me figure out who I am.”
The singer then shared that she finds beauty and inspiration from the women around her. "When I look at women from all different walks of life, all different skin tones who are authentic to themselves and they see their beauty, that inspires me. And I'm inspiring them because I'm paying attention to them.”
More Willow looks we love:
- Willow Smith's New Braids Are the Definition of "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It"
- I've Never Seen Willow Smith in Such a Normie Hairstyle
- Willow Smith Is Vibing With Her Inner Extraterrestrial
Now, watch Tyla prep for the Met:
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