Angelina’s Mom Advice

Angelina Jolie is a symbol of beauty and glamor to many, but that’s not what she wants her girls to obsess about.

In a revealing new cover story for March’s Elle Magazine, conducted by Secretary of State John Kerry, Jolie opens up about what advice she gives her daughters Shiloh, 11, Zahara, 13, and Vivienne, 9. (She is also mother to Knox, 9, Pax, 14, and Maddox, 16).

• “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,” Jolie told the mag. “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 Oscar-winner continued, “I think of how hard women fought to get us to where we are today. Everything counts, from the way you hold yourself in daily life and educate yourself on your own rights, to solidarity with other women around the world.”
• The goodwill ambassador and U.N. special envoy also discussed how much she loves being an American and how she defines patriotism. “I’m very patriotic, as I know you are. 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.”
• She adds that being American now offers her children options they wouldn’t have elsewhere, and that they should use their opportunities to help others. “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.”