Angelina Jolie does not believe feminism should come at the expense of men.
The actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian spoke on the topic of feminism and femininity in a Q&A with perfume line Mon Guerlain.
“Equality is not about us all being the same, it is about the freedom to make our own choices and live our own lives fully, not at the expense of men, but alongside men,” Jolie said. “It is not about taking each other down but building each other up. I think it is not said enough how much we need the men in our lives to be strong and capable and the best they can be.”
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But expressing herself as a woman did not always come so easy to Jolie. In fact, it was motherhood that shifted her perspective. “That sense of ease grows and changes with each passing year and each stage in life,” she explained. “For me, it is about learning to accept yourself and what life brings.”
Jolie, 43, refuses to buy into the idea that women are spoiled goods once they hit 40: “It is just simply not true. Wisdom, understanding, clarity of thought — all the things that come with age — are also beautiful and feminine qualities. I’d like to think we all get better with age — men and women.”
“There is nothing more attractive than someone being fully themselves, without inhibition, in whatever form that takes,” Jolie said when asked how women should tackle conflicting ideas of femininity. “We all recognize it when we see it — those women whose beauty is their spirit, and their inability to be anything other than true to themselves.”
One way Jolie expresses her femininity is with her new perfume Mon Guerlain Eau de Toilette. How does perfume represent femininity, you may ask? “By lending itself to your every mood, and escaping definition,” said Jolie. “That is what I love about Mon Guerlain.”
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She described the fragrance as “classic, refined, understated elegance combined with strength of mind and character. Poise.”
Working as an actress, Jolie has had many an opportunity to lose herself in a character. Her role in “A Mighty Heart” particularly stands out “because Marianne is a woman I admire and learn from. She has overcome so much with strength and grace.”
Jolie is keeping very busy these days and has a number of notable upcoming movie credits. She will voice Stella in “The One and Only Ivan” starring Bryan Cranston. The actress will also reprise her role in Disney’s “Maleficent II” and star opposite David Oyelowo in “Come Away”.
