Angelina Jolie wants her daughters to take a stand. During a new interview with former Secretary of State John Kerry, the 42-year-old actress shared some of the valuable lessons that she teaches her girls in light of working with refugees for 17 years.
“I tell my daughters, ‘What sets you apart is what you are willing to do for others. Anyone can put on a dress and makeup. It’s your mind that will define you,’” explained Jolie — who shares Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 11, and Vivienne, 9, with estranged husband Brad Pitt — in her March 2018 cover story for Elle magazine. “‘Find out who you are, what you think, and what you stand for. And fight for others to have those same freedoms. A life of service is worth living.’”
The Maleficent actress sat down with the 74-year-old politician ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8) to discuss her ongoing campaign against the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons of war, as well as why she continues to work toward a positive change for women’s rights across the world.
“I’m very patriotic,” she said. “For me, it goes hand in hand with being proud of what America stands for. For instance, I’m the only person in my house who was born in America. It’s only because we are a country based on people of different backgrounds and faiths coming together that I can have this family. My daughters have the freedoms they have because of being American. And we are at our best when we are fighting for others to have the same rights. Particularly other women.”
Jolie — who is also the mother of sons Maddox, 16, Pax, 14, and Knox, 9 — told the publication that she “was quite anti-politics” at a young age, but her work with refugees and lawmakers has made her realize that violence against women is often treated “as a lesser crime.”
“I think of how hard women fought to get us to where we are today,” she added. “Everything counts, from the way you hold yourself in your daily life and educate yourself on your own rights, to solidarity with other women around the world.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ambassador filed from divorce from Pitt, 54, in September 2016 after two years of marriage and 12 years together. A source confirmed to Us Weekly in February that the former power couple are still working on a settlement and “want things to remain private” and “amicable.”
