Willow Smith recently posted a startling photo of herself wearing a tongue ring, via her Instagram account. The 11-year-old’s latest stunt has left many of her fans wondering if the “Whip My Hair” singer has gone too far.
Some observers have been quick to suggest the piercing is a fake, while others are outraged that her parents, Will and Jada Smith, would allow their pre-teen daughter to get her tongue pierced.
Is Willow Smith too young for a tongue piercing? Whether it is real or fake, parents of daughters understand that modesty is important regardless of your spiritual beliefs. Tongue piercing to my knowledge has always been directly related to sex, told that it enhances sexual pleasure when a woman gives oral sex to a man seems a bit uncomfortable and out-of-place for a child to wear.
[caption id="attachment_3807" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Willow Smith Tongue Ring[/caption]
Even if this is not what was meant by it (and I'm sure it was not), are there some things that should be deemed age appropriate? For example, it seems that this generation has more permission to get tattoos (under the age of eighteen), than any generation than I have ever heard of. I do believe that age appropriateness is necessary when deciding what our children are able to partake in.
Take the Janet Jackson style for instance. My daughter wants the nose ring chain that traveled from her nose to her ear. I think it is sexy, and for that reason I do not want my daughter with it. At this time, it is not age appropriate for someone to look at her and think "sexy".
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This does not mean that some may not already think this. She is definitely experiencing all the attention that I experienced at age sixteen, but this is a time of learning where I teach her about herself, her value, her body and how to handle tough situations.
I think allowing her to wear this ring in her nose to ear combo will invite additional attention that may be more than she is mature enough to handle.
[caption id="attachment_3802" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Janet Jackson Nose to Ear ring[/caption]
On this blog we talk about awareness, prevention and healing from emotional and child sexual abuse. It is befitting to warn parents that sometimes we have to be careful just how "free" we allow our children to express themselves. We are put here as parents to be guides, offer correction and to make the uncomfortable choices that could impact our children.
I am not saying that they cannot express themselves at all, however I would caution that some freedom that they want could harm them, and that is why we are hear to offer our love, support, discernment, correction, and teaching.
I hope that with all parents, including Will and Jada, they are teaching their children how to handle the attention that will come from extreme eccentric-ism.
[caption id="attachment_3805" align="aligncenter" width="253"]
Janet Jackson Nose Ring[/caption]
Willow Smith Tongue Ring[/caption]
Even if this is not what was meant by it (and I'm sure it was not), are there some things that should be deemed age appropriate? For example, it seems that this generation has more permission to get tattoos (under the age of eighteen), than any generation than I have ever heard of. I do believe that age appropriateness is necessary when deciding what our children are able to partake in.
Take the Janet Jackson style for instance. My daughter wants the nose ring chain that traveled from her nose to her ear. I think it is sexy, and for that reason I do not want my daughter with it. At this time, it is not age appropriate for someone to look at her and think "sexy".
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This does not mean that some may not already think this. She is definitely experiencing all the attention that I experienced at age sixteen, but this is a time of learning where I teach her about herself, her value, her body and how to handle tough situations.
I think allowing her to wear this ring in her nose to ear combo will invite additional attention that may be more than she is mature enough to handle.
[caption id="attachment_3802" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Janet Jackson Nose to Ear ring[/caption]
On this blog we talk about awareness, prevention and healing from emotional and child sexual abuse. It is befitting to warn parents that sometimes we have to be careful just how "free" we allow our children to express themselves. We are put here as parents to be guides, offer correction and to make the uncomfortable choices that could impact our children.
I am not saying that they cannot express themselves at all, however I would caution that some freedom that they want could harm them, and that is why we are hear to offer our love, support, discernment, correction, and teaching.
I hope that with all parents, including Will and Jada, they are teaching their children how to handle the attention that will come from extreme eccentric-ism.
[caption id="attachment_3805" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Janet Jackson Nose Ring[/caption]
Ressurrection
I wouldn’t even allow my 13 year old to do that. There is an image she is projecting to other young girls, and ghats not a positive one.
Agreed.
WILLOW SMITH makes her own rules….. and it is sad. A great deal of parents allow their kids to do what they want and they call it ” experimentation “……. Which just boils down to parents wanting to be their kids FRIEND more so than their ADULT / RESPONSIBILE PARENT.
by the way – i absolutely LOVE your blog
I completely agree that parents are positioned for guidance not solely friendship. I do believe that a healthy relationship includes friendship. But we teach boundaries. Thanks so much for the compliment, glad you enjoy!
Yikes! Oh. Whew! I thought I was being attacked by a doberman pinscher for a second. That’s someone’s child? Oh, yeah. Is that one of Will and Jada’s robots? I saw the son on a few talk shows and he needed to be kicked in the head with his fresh mouth. I recall seeing that daughter, the one in the scary photo with the tongue thing, on one of Oprah’s last talk show segments. She was behaving like an uppity “woman” with Oprah, referring to Oprah as “girl friend” and the like. I wanted Oprah to slap her face and tell her she is not her equal or peer, but a little girl. These monsters are the products of their parents. It’s Will and Jada’s fault. Actually, Will and Jada always manage to work their sexual escapades into talk show conversations and their self-entitled, spoiled spawn are the outcomes. Yikes, again. I would love to see those kids get a reality check by attending a public school. The first time they cop attitudes with real children, it will be their last time.
Wow lol upset huh? Thanks for commenting.
I think the author of this blog is right willow smith os too young for a tounge piersing no matter what her parents say i dissagree totaly.
There for her parents are also un-controlled ssuper stars who raises their kids to think they are better than every one else.
Well watevs ttyl ppl luv kk;-p
Worldly people behave worldly. No surprises here. Of course she is too young but that doesn’t matter. In this age of sexual freedom and tolerance, everything goes. There are no standard moral codes of propriety. Everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Some eleven year olds are having babies so we know that they are having sex. Who cares about a piercing? If something is going to be said about what is appropriate for a child, we first have to address the open and brazen sexual immorality of adults.
To The Original author of this article [ http://thegrio.com/2012/06/25/is-willow-smith-too-young-for-a-tongue-piercing/ ]- So what? Please Stop The Hypocrisy…
Very well said. Thank you.
I have a tongue ring and i got it when i was 18 as a sign of freedom and new found adulthood from my mother. my mom was always a strict one. so when i got the chance to fray away and ruffle her feathers I did…. and i am happy about it now at 19 and i regret nothing but i think even as young as she is willow has to know that that is not appropriate and so did her parents her parents knew it was not the right thing to do and you guys are so right u have to be an adult to have these things because people do relate this to sex in the worst way when they see it. some see it as empowerment. but either way it is not appropriate for a 11 year old little girl to be having. I wish sometimes little girls knew that growing up to fast is not the answer. I mean I am a mentor in a peer group called sisterhood where we teach little girls how to be girls and slow down because life isnt all that great when it is sped up. I mean people like me we do what we can but in the end it is up to the parents to teach their children all of this and willow smith is the prime example of when parents cross the lines between friends, and parents or in her case celebrities who are to busy for their kids and parents. THEY couldn’t be prouder but the world is dying inside slowly to see what (aka this little girl and her tongue ring) is trending on their children.
Great comment. Thank you so much.