Is Willow Smith growing up too fast?

That’s one of the topics broached this week by Clutch, a popular online magazine for young African American women.  


Recently the press went into a tizzy after 9-year-old Willow Smith, daughter of star couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, was spotted walking the red carpet sporting leopard-print harem pants, a cheetah print cropped jacket paired with combat boots, thick gold chains and  double-sided shaven hair. 


As the Clutch article notes, The Washington Post called Willow a “misled elementary-aged girl” and stressed that there’s a fine line between individuality and caricature. A Huffington Post headline read “Willow Smith, 9, Looks Twice Her Age.” 


The Smith family has announced that Willow, who made a cameo in her father’s film “I Am Legend,” and had roles in “Madagascar: Escape to Africa” and “Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl,” soon will be launching into a recording career. This might explain the funky wardrobe, but some say it doesn’t excuse it. 


So what do you think? Is her style too mature  or are the Smiths encouraging self-expression and self-discovery?