Angelina Jolie believes the world needs more “wicked women” prepared to put their lives on the line to fight injustice and abuse.
The actress and UN special envoy, who spent time in her twenties working with refugees in Sierra Leone, said: “Women who refuse to follow rules they don’t believe are best for themselves.
“Women who won’t give up on their voice and rights, even at the risk of death or imprisonment or rejection by their families and communities. If that is wickedness, then the world needs more wicked women.”
Jolie, 44, has written an essay celebrating strong women for the September issue of Elle magazine.
The star, who was made an honorary dame in 2014 for her services to the UK’s foreign policy and her work to end sexual violence in war zones, said she felt helping the world’s most vulnerable was her “life’s work and purpose”.
She wrote: “Who we are meant to be in life is something we all have to work out for ourselves. I think we can often go off track as women because our instinct is to nurture or to adjust ourselves to society’s expectations.
“It can be hard to take the time to ask ourselves who we truly want to be — not what we think other people will approve of or accept.” She added: “I remember when that moment first came for me.
“I was in my twenties, meeting refugees in Sierra Leone during the closing stages of a brutal civil war. I understood for the first time the level of violence that exists in the world and the reality of life for the millions of people affected by conflict and displacement.”
The mother of six posed for a shoot by royal wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski for the piece. She said she tells daughters — Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and 11-year-old Vivienne — they shouldn’t worry about what they look like “on the outside” but instead their ability to think for themselves.
“I often tell my daughters the most important thing they can do is develop their minds. You can always put on a pretty dress but it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside if your mind isn’t strong. There is nothing more attractive than a woman with an independent will and her own opinions,” she said.
This year, Jolie is set to star in Marvel’s upcoming movie Eternals. She plays Thena, who has superhuman speed, stamina and strength. She has previously said her children were thrilled she was playing a “strong” character.
