Jada Pinkett Smith hopes that women feel empowered to choose partnerships out of desire and not because societal norms encourage women to pursue marriage to be viewed as honorable.
The actress pushed back on the patriarchal way of thinking in a Sept. 2 Instagram post that has slowly been shared despite her shift to a private account. “The Matrix Reloaded” star has not shied away from speaking of the Divine Feminine in the past, and now, amidst two years of dizzying headlines about her marriage to Will Smith, it’s no different.
Despite Jada revealing to the world that she and the Academy Award winner have been separated since 2016, they have yet to file for divorce or to make clear what the true nature of their union is presently. The unknown made her eyebrow-raising post that much more cryptic.
It read: “A man can CHOOSE to belong to someone. And if he does … he is considered noble. A woman is told she MUST belong to someone or … she is not worthy.” In the caption, Jada addressed the belief that women are rendered “powerless” without a man as being a dismissal of “the spiritual influence of the feminine.”
“We mere mortal women are worthy simply because we exist! And those of us who have cultivated our Queendom within our inner kingdom and have a deep relationship with the Great Supreme,” she continued.
“If we so CHOOSE to bond with someone from this space … we will erect monument love and give birth to treasures. We need not bond in fear. You … are …greatness,” she wrote. More than 24,000 people interacted with the message intended to spark a bit of Monday discourse.
Jada, who seldomly engages with commenters, liked some of the reactions. Among those was one that read, in part, “The Goddess ain’t to be f*cked with.” As well as someone else’s reply that stated, “Thank you for sharing the truth that you live.”
A day earlier, on Sept. 1, she teased, “My heart has been blooming in so many ways. Can’t wait to share,” along with a video of her and an unidentified man jet skiing. One person questioned if her latest offering was a clue as to what is to come. “Is this a sneak peek into what you’ll be sharing with us???!!!! I can’t wait,” the follower wrote.
But a deeper look into the comments uncovered that countless people are divided on how to perceive the message. Some expressed that they felt empowered, but several others took issue with Wicked Wisdom frontwoman sharing her perspective on matters of the heart.
A critic morbidly wrote, “But if you never wanted to be with Will or any other man for that matter no one should force you to be with anyone.” Another said, “You are a fool and you publicly humiliated that poor man for years by thinking that you can move on but he can’t so selfish!”
The latter comment seemed to dredge up Jada and Will’s 2020 episode of “The Red Table Talk,” where she confirmed her “entanglement” with singer August Alsina amid years of rumors that she and Will were on the outs.
The married couple disclosed that they were separated when the affair took place and that, at the time, they were uncertain if they would reconcile.
“Well it’s a good thing you’ve never suffered being treated poorly by the one who chose you,” read another reaction. While someone who is convinced that Jada is the villain in her marriage told her, “What u saying sis? When did Will stop claiming you huh? Never!!! He has never said you were to worthy. WE DID!!!”
Her worth as the box office star’s wife was savagely picked apart in 2023 as she promoted her memoir “Worthy.” In it, she wrote about experiencing unhappiness in her marriage to Will as well as their decision to pursue life outside of the confines of their roles as husband and wife.
Fans of the former “couples goals” icons were left to craft their own narratives, many of which have cast Jada as underserving of the A-lister’s affection. At most, she has labeled them life partners living separate lives, despite claiming that her devotion to Will was reenergized when he publicly referred to her as his wife after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Will Smith shows Jada Pinkett Smith some love at a recent event! (📸/🎥: @GettyImages @LayRay3 ) pic.twitter.com/jssh5M72pw
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) October 19, 2023
Last year, Jada teased that she and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” were entertaining the idea of penning a book about their journey tentatively titled “Don’t Try This At Home.” It is unclear if those plans are still in the works.
But what is clear, is that Will and Jada do not spend much time together in the public eye. Aside from appearing by his side, along with their kids, for the “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” Los Angeles premiere in June, they have not been spotted together in months.
