Bald Willow Smith: What Would You Do If Your Daughter Shaved Her Head?

Willow Smith via WhoSay and Twitter
Willow Smith via WhoSay and Twitter

When 11-year-old Willow Smith, the tween singer better known simply for being the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, tweeted a photo of herself with a bald head last week, the buzz was about what a big departure the new 'do is following her 2010 hit "Whip My Hair." ("Hit" may be generous, but the song certainly set the youngest Smith apart from her Karate Kid-brother.)

Willow Smith has posted plenty of photos of herself on WhoSay, including one shot in a Nikki Minaj pink wig, another with a sleek bob and Flashdance get-up, one more with messy hair and a hoodie hiding half of her face. These pictures are typical tween and teen stuff -- every grown woman I know has an archive of those photos taken an arm's length from decades ago when we dyed our hair with henna and wore clumpy electric blue mascara and cut our own bangs with nail scissors on late, bored nights.

The hair-rebel in me is much older with highlights that are professionally highlighted, not frantically painted on minutes before leaving for school. So it's probably no surprise the mama in me cringed to see Willow Smith -- a rising star but still girl -- with a shaved head.

It's not a tattoo, it's not a piercing in the middle of a baby face. It will grow back. Or be kept barely-there. It's not that big of a deal. Still, I saw her as a mama does, and reacted: "ACK! An 11-year old! Sinead O'Connor-ed!"

Jada may have well asked her own Hollywood stylist to take the clippers to Willow's desire to GI Jane her cropped hair. But I can't believe most moms would be be OK with their daughters going bald on purpose.

Be honest: What would you say if your little girl shaved her head?


More on Shine:
Catholic school bans skirts
How important is your child's appearance?
Gwen Stefani did it: Is it OK to dye a kid's hair?



Copyright © 2012 Yahoo Inc.