Teen Vogue, long the possessor of some of the best styling and beauty in any American magazine of its caliber, has gone ahead and put your queen Willow Smith on the cover, where she can effectively hypnotize the masses with cat eyes and udjat eyeliner.
The interview, by Teen Vogue beauty director Elaine Welteroth (no doubt a main reason this magazine rules), captures the 15-year-old LA boho-punk musician in full Willow vision, which is to say she’s dropping knowledge jewels like a 37-year-old with a couple self help books under her belt. The internet: accelerator of time; Generation Z: people I need to look to for advice. Hi:
The teen supernova perks up on topics like nanoscience, civil engineering, and microbiology. She is a self-proclaimed STEM freak, with her sights set squarely on deepening connections in the science community and maybe even attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) one day. It’s why she hopped on a flight to tour the campus in Cambridge directly after Paris Fashion Week (where she excited a flashing mob of paparazzi with karate kicks at Chanel’s #frontrowonly show—NBD!). “It was nice to be able to talk to female students and professors about science and logic because that’s just such a man’s world,” she notes. It should come as no surprise that one of Willow’s favorite topics is changing perceptions about women and girls of color in spaces where they are underrepresented. But don’t call her an activist. Why? Because when you’re Willow Smith, categories can feel restrictive. “I see myself as a—hold on, let me ask Siri.” The teenager whips out her iPhone and speaks into it, drawing stares from tables nearby. “Siri, define artisan.” Everybody’s favorite robotic voice serves up a satisfying definition: Artisan is a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. “Ah, OK, yes!” Willow allows. “I call myself an artisan.”
Welcome to the present, nice knowing you! Here’s the full incredible cover, and you can check the full piece and great styling right here.
Images via Teen Vogue