Angelina Jolie: My definition of a badass

Angelina Jolie first caught my attention when I was about twelve the day I saw Girl, Interrupted on my television. Wild bleached hair, wide eyes, that mouth and her very expressive eyebrows. At twelve years old, her character Lisa should have been intimidating to me, but I was drawn in and not only to this untamed character, but to the person playing her. I knew even as a kid that someone strong would have to let this type of character into their minds. I asked who she was and ever since then, I have been intrigued.

"I think everybody’s a little repressd, 

everybodys gotta be just more than they are...

I think we’re all a little repressed, we’re all just held back a little. 

If we could all be a little more free.” Conan O'Brien interview (2000)

When mentioned, she gets either two reactions: adoring love or absolute loathing. Angelina Jolie has, does and will bring out a loud reaction from those within earshot. Number one on the list of reasons why she is not liked is the obvious “she stole Brad Pitt away from Jennifer Anniston. She always steals away men.” Now, I could go on about why these reasons are absolutely absurd now in 2012, but I will let you figure that out on your own. Yes, there are reasons why some may be put off by her, but I’m pretty damn sure that those reasons are about 10-15 years old now… so I think it’s time to move on. 

Instead of making what she said when she was a young actress into something so horrid and negative, why don’t people focus more on what she stands for now… or realize what she’s stood for all of this time: freedom. Angelina Jolie was a free spirit and didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of her. Of course she had her faults but thats what makes her even more admirable to me. She is so un-perfect, she’s perfect. How many women are out there that look back on crazy things they’ve said and done only to be ashamed and embarrassed? How about having all of those things in the spotlight for millions of people around the world to witness? Instead of trying to make people forget, not talking about it or having regretted her younger self, Angelina Jolie embraces it and knows that without those “wild” times or “shocking” moments, she wouldn’t be who she is today.

"I was young, and I was bold, but I didn't have a sense of use. I didn't understand the world, and I didn't understand a sense of perspective that you gain as you get older. I started to travel, and I started to ask questions." MSNBC

Today, Angelina Jolie is Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She spends devoted time and money to humanitarian projects around the world. “Since 2001, Jolie has been on field missions around the world and met with refugees and internally displaced persons in more than 20 countries, including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, Namibia, Sri Lanka, North Caucasus, Jordan, Egypt, New Delhi, Costa Rica, Chad, Syria, Iraq and Haiti, to name a few.” source Her and husband, Brad Pitt, founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to eradicate extreme rural poverty among other things. 

"My understanding of the world changed. I never woke up again wanting to be self-destructive, self-possessed or self-pitying in any way. I realized that it was important to wake up every day feeling grateful for your family and for your opportunities." MSNBC

I was drawn in with those spooky looking eyes almost ten years ago and have admired and adored Angelina Jolie ever since. I thought she was such a badass back then, with her tattoos, piercings and whatever other dark subjects that were rolling off of her tongue. And if you take the time to read or listen to her speak about all of the wonderful things she is involved in today to help others… you’d realize that she’s even more of a badass now than she was ten years ago. There’s no such thing as a perfect, innocent role model. It’s just not realistic. I want someone to look up to who has gone through some dark periods of her own but has matured and grown from them. Jolie has grown into someone who takes her success and puts it to good use. To this day she lives for herself and for those she loves, not paying attention to tabloids or rumors like all of us do. She lives her life the way she wants, the way she believes it should be lived without giving any thought to how anyone else thinks of it. 

You can love her, you can hate her, but you have to admit… she is somethin’ else.

xo ARP