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Jada Pinkett-Smith took to her Facebook page to pen a very inspiring who-really-cares letter to her daughter’s hair critics. Before we really knew her cute little 12 year-old even owned a set of pipes and could really sing, we were all gawking over what Willow Smith would do next to her tresses. Willow has been bald, rocked a buzz cut, and has most certainly tried every single color known to any variation of a bag of Skittles.

MUST READ: Is Willow Smith A Poster Child For Individuality Or Is She A Child Rebel? [VIDEO + POLL]

Will and Jada have both held a strong “it’s nobody’s business” position when it comes to raising their children. So it was quite refreshing when Jada actually spoke out about Willow’s hair:

This subject is old but I have never answered it in its entirety. And even with this post it will remain incomplete.

The question why I would LET Willow cut her hair. First the LET must be challenged. This is a world where women,girls are constantly reminded that they don’t belong to themselves; that their bodies are not their own, nor their power or self determination. I made a promise to endow my little girl with the power to always know that her body, spirit and her mind are HER domain. Willow cut her hair because her beauty, her value, her worth is not measured by the length of her hair. It’s also a statement that claims that even little girls have the RIGHT to own themselves and should not be a slave to even their mother’s deepest insecurities, hopes and desires. Even little girls should not be a slave to the preconceived ideas of what a culture believes a little girl should be. More to come. Another day.

Can you imagine the world of wonderful women we could build if we taught young people to make their own choices? It took me so long to grasp that concept. You know that the notion that my beauty is not defined by what my hair looks like, or how long it was, or even what color it was.

The rule growing up in my house was: No hair cut until I turned 18 years old. And guess what I did on my 18th birthday–I chopped it all off. My parents thought I was being rebellious. But to me, I was snatching my freedom back and showing them I was an actually person. So naturally I completely agree with Jada and I kinda wish that I grew up like Willow.

What do you think of Jada’s response? Do you agree that children should have the freedom to express and style themselves?

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