Charity Smith
Staff Writer
In an age when kids are becoming sexualized at earlier and earlier ages, the latest contretemps to emerge is that of young Willow Smith lying on a bed with a shirtless 20-year-old Moises Arias (Hannah Montana) laughing in the background. People have poured out of the woodwork screaming about how disgusting it is and “shouldn’t her parents know better?!”
There is no word on whether or not his parents should have known better. The same outraged masses have labeled this picture as inappropriate.
Okay, I’ve seen this picture. I don’t think I could have avoided it if I tried. There is one important thing to note: they aren’t touching each other. They’re not even facing each other. There is a distinctly familial vibe to the picture. It’s very clear that they’re just hanging out as a family. She might have a crush on him, but it’s totally normal for a 13-year-old to have a crush on an older brother’s friend. He clearly sees her as a little sister which, I daresay, is also completely normal.
Courtesy of E! OnlineWhich is why I am in complete agreement with Jada Pinkett Smith’s smackdown of the general public when she spoke out against the haters.
“Here’s the deal: there was nothing sexual about that picture or that situation,” the actress said. “You guys are projecting your trash onto it, and you’re acting like covert pedophiles, and that’s not cool.”
Amen, mama. Amen. Have we reached a place in our society where we are incapable of recognizing a relationship without a sexual context? This is our contribution to over-sexualization, not just of kids, but of everyone. Get back into the crazy tree and let these people be.
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