Jaden Smith has become a gender-bending icon in his short life. The son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith has cultivated a brand for himself by cross-dressing and otherwise ignoring fashion gender boundaries. Now, Jaden Smith has done it again, this time by hitting the beach in non-traditional swimwear. Rather than opting for the standard male beach attire — either trunks or maybe a Speedo — Jaden Smith opted for a cutoff denim romper.
As Vogue reports, Jaden Smith rocked it.
Not only did Smith look absolutely “in character” in the denim romper, but he even posed for a pic that featured a (perhaps intentional) “wardrobe malfunction.”
How Jaden Smith Stylishly Defied Gender Norms Yet Again – Dismantling gender expectations with his nonconformis… https://t.co/xdiwQPQqQl
— Boss Lady Mae (@iambossladymae) May 31, 2016
Yep, Jaden Smith slipped a nip while posing with good pal Hailey Baldwin and company over Memorial Day weekend. The fashion faux pas (or deliberate pose) made its debut when Smith went bold and went shirtless under the cutoff denim romper (back in the day, they were called “overalls”). According to the Vogue report, Jaden Smith opted for an “acid-wash, raw-edged” romper. Inexplicably, he was able to pull it off.
“In his signature golden dreads, with just a few fluorescent lanyards for accessories, Smith gave off plenty of throwback ’80s SoCal vibes, but his fashion-forward, gender-defying appropriation of the piece sent this look straight into the future.”
This is far from the first time Jaden Smith has made headlines for his gender-bending style. He has become a household name (at least among the youth) because of his penchant for ignoring gender-specific fashion norms and cutting his own path through the overgrown world of style and fashion.
Jaden Smith recently broke both chains and barriers when he became the face of Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2016 campaign. And not for Vuitton’s men’s line. Smith hit the catalog scene straight-up attired in traditional women’s fashions. And he looked natural as heck, too. When Jaden Smith breaks down barriers, he doesn’t do it with his choice of clothing. He does it with his comfort in himself and his ability to pull off anything he chooses to wear.
Jaden Smith refuses to define himself as “trans,” though. Rather, he responds to the questioners and haters alike by telling them that it’s not that he’s transgender, but that he doesn’t distinguish between male and female people.
Rather, Smith says he’s only aware of the difference between “comfortable people” and “scared people.”
Judging from his behavior and his gender-bending, gender-fluid attire, Jaden Smith believes himself to be one of the “comfortable people.”
When Smith became the face of Louis Vuitton’s spring campaign (unheard of for a male model), he busted out in print wearing A-line pleated skirts.
His relationship (and career connections) with Louis didn’t mark the first time Jaden Smith publicly strolled out in traditionally feminine (or less masculine) attire. When Jaden Smith escorted Amandla Stenberg to prom last year, he did so in a skirt. Or, more accurately, kilt.
Jaden Smith is also renowned for his ever-changing, always delightful manicure.
When Jaden Smith was photographed in his denim man-romper (a.k.a., cutoff overalls), he’d freshly come off an appearance at Louis Vuitton’s Resort show. That show took place on Saturday, and it was there that Smith most likely acquired his respectable glow.
Jaden has long been an outspoken advocate of the LGBT community, advocating a world without gender norms and gender-specific clothing. Recently, he said that his ultimate idea of a Utopian world would be one where people saw beyond gender and focused on more important, relevant considerations.
What do you think? Does Jaden rock that romper? Or should Jaden Smith dress more “gender appropriately”?
[Photo by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images]