Willow Smith's new braids are the total definition of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The musician took the stage at the Day In Day Out festival in Seattle, wearing her hair in a variation of the braids she wore for the Louis Vuitton show in Paris in late June. The vibe is similar but with a few small yet impactful changes. Smith kept the two pieces braided forward to frame either side of her face, but the performance braids are skinnier and pierced with two delicate hoops on either side. The rest of her hair was cornrowed straight back, flowing all the way down almost to Smith's hips. The braids are perfect for the festival life and look particularly cool when shredding onstage, not to mention with minimal makeup, an army green jumpsuit, and combat boots. They're also pretty similar to the beaded cornrows Smith debuted in May after she had been rocking a shaved head on and off for a few years.
Since her earliest days in the spotlight when she was just a tween, Smith has been one of our favorite hair and beauty chameleons to watch. In July 2021, she buzzed her head while performing a rock rendition of her debut single, "Whip My Hair," a meaningful way to nod to the past while growing into the performer she is today. Smith has also discussed her reasons for shaving her head alongside her mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and grandmother Adrienne Banfield-Norris on their show Red Table Talk. (All three generations were rocking buzz cuts at the time.) But in July 2023, she told Vogue that she's been enjoying longer hair. “It’s definitely been a form of connecting to myself and ancestral self-healing for me," the musician said.
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