Will Smith's son Jaden fights gender stereotypes, defends his choice to wear a dress
Whether he’s rocking pink hair or accessorising using his own chopped-off dreadlocks, Jaden Smith isn’t afraid to push style boundaries.
And now, the actor and singer has defended his right to wear a dress.
Taking to Twitter this week, the 19-year-old posted: “If I Wanna Wear A Dress, Then I Will, And That Will Set The New Wave … JADEN SMITH #ICON.”
He’s clearly not the only one wanting the status quo to be challenged, as the tweet has already gathered up more than 4,000 retweets and 20,000 likes.
If I Wanna Wear A Dress, Then I Will, And That Will Set The New Wave…
-JADEN SMITH #ICON— Jaden Smith (@officialjaden) March 26, 2018
(Though the much-higher number of likes than retweets could suggest people are still a little shy to broadcast that they feel the same.)
And while some commenters have been oh-so predictably unhappy about it, many fans have seconded Smith’s sentiment.
One commented: “me laughing bc people are finally idolizing what they made fun of for years” (sic).
Another said: “yea to hell with doublestandards”, while plenty of responses simply read “icon”.
Respect man ! Set a new vision for the public eye ! Image for the next generation of style.
By the 22nd Century a dress could be the new fresh
— Tyson Hill (@ImTysonHill) March 26, 2018
Others even called upon Smith to bring another fashion into the menswear scene – crop tops.
One wrote: “CROP TOPS KING, I wear them and lemme tell u there’s nothing better than a crop top & joggers. Join me you beautiful man. Make it a trend.”
And another person tweeted “bring back the skirts and crop tops too pls” and another wrote “bring back the crop tops, king”.
His tweet wasn’t just talk, either; Smith has been spotted wearing non-gender conforming outfits on more than one occasion.
Perhaps the most memorable being the monochrome frock he donned while accompanying Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg to her prom back in 2015.
A post shared by amandla (@amandlastenberg) on May 29, 2015 at 7:01pm PDT
A couple of years ago, he also featured in a womenswear campaign for Louis Vuitton and launched his own gender-neutral clothing line.
And Jaden’s not the only male celebrity to have challenged gender stereotypes in fashion.
Harry Styles whipped up a storm when he wore a – admittedly rather low – pair of heels to the Dunkirk premier. Along with a double-breasted suit, Styles rocked a pair of ornate red-and-gold shoes anyone of any gender should be jealous of.
A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Apr 16, 2017 at 7:24pm PDT
Kanye West himself also donned a modest camel pair while posing with his family last Easter, much to the delight and confusion of fans.
And Jared Leto has challenged what we perceive to be “masculine” clothing on more than just a few occasions over the years, whether that be the golden Chanel trousers and pink cowboy boots combo he wore to Paris Fashion week a few years ago, or the super-floral suit he rocked last September.
Whether we have Styles, West, Leto or Smith to thank for it, here’s to starting a movement.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.
Read more from Yahoo Style UK:
Willow And Jaden Smith: Will And Jada’s Relaxed Parenting Gave Them ‘Confidence’