Here's Why We're Applauding Willow Smith For Speaking Out About Her Self-Harm
WARNING: This article contains content about self-harm.
Willow Smith is speaking out about her experience with self-harm, and we are so proud of her.
The singer, who is the daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, appeared on her new Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk recently where she revealed she used to cut herself, to the shock of her mother and grandmother.
"What? When were you cutting yourself?" Jada asks her daughter on the show. "I didn't see that part. Cutting yourself where?"
Willow explained that after she topped the charts with her breakthrough track 'Whip My Hair' in 2010, "I had just stopped doing singing lessons and I was kind of just in this grey area of, 'Who am I? Do I have a purpose? Is there anything I can do besides this?"
"After the tour and the promotion and all of that, they wanted me to finish my album, and I was like, "No. I'm not gonna do that," she said.
"And after all that kinda settled down and it was like a kind of lull, I was just listening to a lot of dark music. It was just so crazy and I was plunged into this black hole, and I was cutting myself."
Willow admitted during the show that she only told one friend she was self-harming, but explained that she stopped five years ago because she realised it was "actually psychotic."
"I was experiencing so much emotional pain...But my physical circumstances weren't reflecting that. [Cutting yourself] makes it feel real instead of like a ghost, like, in your mind."
With parents who boast a combined net worth of $280 million, and a privileged upbringing in Calabasas, Willow Smith's life would most probably appear nothing but #blessed to an outsider.
...But by revealing the reality of her experiences with self-harm, the singer has proven that no one is immune to mental illness.
Willow was just 10 years old at the time she said she was experiencing these issues, which shines a light on the shocking amount of pressure there is to be perfect and constantly in the limelight in Hollywood.
We applaud Willow, for letting other young people know, it's okay to speak out and ask for help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicide or depression, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
