Angelina Jolie discusses child abductions & forced marriages with Ms. Mag

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Here is Angelina Jolie on the cover of Ms. Magazine. She’s profiled in the magazine as part of her role as executive producer on the film Difret, which is based on the true story of an Ethiopian girl who was abducted and forced into marriage with a captor. There’s a larger article about the prevelance of child-brides and the “cultural practice” in some countries and communities of abducting girls barely in their teens for rape and forced marriage. In the film Difret, the abducted child bride ends up killing her captor/husband and she’s put on trial for murder. Once again, it’s a true story. Angelina told Ms. Magazine:

“When I first saw this film, I was moved to tears by the story. I couldn’t believe what I was watching – what these young girls have been subjected to. But those tears of sadness became tears of joy as I watched how they fought back and in turn what they have done for countless other women.”

[From Ms. Magazine, print edition]

The film was made with Ethiopian actors and very little of the dialogue is in English, so they’re hoping that Angelina’s involvement – she came in as an executive producer after the film was already made – will get the film a wider release and more attention.

Meanwhile, Angelina was apparently just in England for a two-day interfaith meeting on behalf of Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Archbishop of Canterbury was there, as was Angelina’s BFF William Hague. Here’s part of what Jolie spoke about:

Archbishop Welby held his head in his hands as Mrs Jolie-Pitt, special envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees who has just returned from northern Iraq, described the suffering of a young girl there who had been tortured with an electric drill.

“Our most powerful assets are not our armies,” she said. “They are our values. As faith leaders you are advocates for the values of compassion, tolerance, justice and reconciliation.”

She asked faith leaders to help lift the stigma attached to rape and sexual assault; to raise awareness of the issue of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war; to confront those who seek to use religion to justify sexual violence; and to demand justice for victims.

[From The Tablet]

Word. I love that she’s meeting with faith leaders to move the conversation around. Too few religious leaders discuss sexual violence, much less condemn it.

Meanwhile, there are two stupid tabloid rumors floating around about Angelina. One, there’s a rumor that Marvel wants Angelina to direct their female-lead superheroine film Captain Marvel. But I seriously doubt Marvel wants her for that, and I doubt Angelina would consider it even if they did want her. Second story and this one is persistent, for some reason: “sources” keep claiming that Brad and Angelina have adopted a Syrian orphan. They haven’t. Only believe it if it comes from People Magazine, the Associated Press or the New York Times.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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111 Responses to “Angelina Jolie discusses child abductions & forced marriages with Ms. Mag”

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  1. Nessa says:

    She is amazing.

  2. Abbott says:

    Kinda glad she’s given up the award campaign and gone back to being a professional celestial being.

    • ncboudicca says:

      Amen!

    • Bugglez says:

      Balls! Give it up. Stop. Get over it! End the snark! Lose the pettiness.

      Angelina, unlike some people has Oscars – she has Oscar nods (plural). Her campaign for Unbroken was run by the studio. The promotion of her film was a job she was obligated to do – and knowing how important Zamperini’s story was to her – she did it happily.

      This is a woman who chooses to work sparingly and infrequently despite getting offered oscar baity roles that rachel green would sell her mother for (she’d sell her mother anyway).

      If she was as desperate for yet another Oscar we’d see more of her onscreen. This is a woman who publicly says she doesn’t even like acting that much anymore and she did it for her mother.

      This is a woman who with ‘Unbroken,’ had a big budget film that meant the world to her to promote and as the only high profile name associated: she did her job..and her movie was a hit…as usual.

      She’s not trying to desperately sneak in the backdoor to awards season with smoke and mirrors and a terrible movie no one wants to see.

      When will u get it: they are not rivals. This is no even playing field. These aren’t even apples and oranges …they’re apples and cheesewhiz.

      • Maya says:

        Take a bow..

        I agree 1m times

      • norah says:

        also jack o connell won a bafta for his work in unbroken as a rising star – and she is officially angelina jolie pitt btw –

      • GoOnGirl! says:

        And the congregation says “Amen”. Bugglez I totally agree with you.

      • Annie says:

        Why did you bring up Rachel Green? No one said it but you. It’s so ridiculously childish.

      • Artemis says:

        this is a woman who publicly says she doesn’t even like acting that much anymore and she did it for her mother.

        Apparently Maleficent doesn’t exist and she would certainly dislike playing some role for vanity’s sake like say oh umh…Cleopatra. You know she doesn’t like being in front of the camera dealing with all that hassle and costumes and long shoots…Jolie don’t care.

      • waq says:

        I’m in love with this comment.

    • k says:

      you know what, abbot? people like you are what keeps this world low. thanks for being the first in the bitch brigade line.

      well, how is that for hilarious? i was going to cancel this because i figured there was no point to it. it won’t change abbot, probably actually feed them, and replying like this makes me feel like i have transported over to dlisted comments which makes me feel so dirty i need to be rolled in dettol…
      but it won’t let me cancel. so mods either cancel this or don’t.
      i will say this: thank you angelina jolie, and ANY person in a position of influence, who does all they can to change perspective in this world to one that is aligned with humans HELPING humans.

      • Janet says:

        What k said. Whenever I read the comments on that web site I want to rip out my whole hard drive and toss it in the washing machine.

        Kudos to Angie for addressing a topic too many people would prefer to pretend doesn’t exist any more..

      • wolfpup says:

        Rape, or the threat of it, is the basis for the entire system of women’s subjugation.

    • Abbott says:

      Well damn. My original message to you folks has apparently been deleted, though I promise it was far less aggressive than your comments.

      It was a joke. I like Jolie. You all jumped the gun on this one.

      Excuse me while I go back to keeping this world low. It’s a lot of responsibility you’ve placed on me and I wouldn’t want to let you down.

      • Beth says:

        I love your comments. You are one of my favorite commentators here! If anything, you make the world a better place. 🙂

      • doofus says:

        yeah, I was like DAYUM…IT WAS A JOKE.

        people SERIOUSLY need to lighten up!

        stay low, Ponyboy…

      • mimif says:

        If Abot is low, then I want to be low too. She’s hands down the wittiest poster on CB, not to mention she’s polite and doesn’t vomit bile on other posters. If I wasn’t sill laughing from her clever post, I’d be smdh at all of you.

      • doofus says:

        mimif, being with you, girl, is like being low.

        and Abot too!

      • bettyrose says:

        Abbott …I thought your comment worked on both a literal and ironic level: AJ has more important concerns than Oscar campaigns but her recent appeals to clergy put her on an equally celestial plane (ironic in the anti-religious viewpoint because she does a lot more to raise awareness than clergy who won’t even condemn sexual violence as sin). Carry on.

      • mimif says:

        @doofus +1 professional celestial being for Cracker reference. 😀

      • Sister Carrie says:

        I, too, read this as a joke. Abbott is funny, non-regular reader/commentors, funny. And I’m pretty sure she likes what AJP is doing.

    • Tristan says:

      Why are you so horrible to a woman who IS actually making a difference. It is unspeakably tacky to be sarcastic about somebody who is actually putting herself in horrible situations, to bring awareness of the awful things going on in godforsaken warzones. If more high profile celebrities or non celebrities like yourself bother to take on “celestial” actions like she does, the world would be a far better place than the total nightmare it is at the moment

    • Beth says:

      Why are the admins allowing people to pile on to Abbott’s lighthearted comment, but delete me every time I try to defend Abbott? Is this site so pro-Angelina that you cannot make a few jokes? And to the people who couldn’t take the joke: shame on you! Angelina would have found the humor in it; her fans need to relax.

      • norah says:

        it is not that funny first of all – what abbot said. the whole issue is serious and her comment didnt seem that funny at all. you may dislike aj etc but surely a little less snark would have been loads better. she is just a woman as well and at least give her a bit of credit at least

      • Tristan says:

        Try telling one of the many thousands of women & children who have been raped, tortured, abducted or displaced that there is humour to be found in someone trying to champion their lot! These are people who have lost EVERYTHING. There is nothing remotely humorous when somebody of the stature of AJ bringing their plight to the attention of a largely indifferent world. It is very easy for people living our gilded little Western bubble to laugh at everything & everybody.

      • Beth says:

        @Norah – We can debate how funny the comment was or wasn’t, but the truth is Abbott meant no malice by it. She was just making a joke and she has always supported Angelina. Second, you cannot infer that I do no like Angelina–I support her and her efforts. Third, no matter what good Angelina does, this is still a celeb gossip site; a little snark is always a given. It is funny how this level of snark would be considered acceptable if were someone else, but not Angelina.

        @Tristan – I’ve been victimized by sexual violence and my mother, who came to the US from El Salvador in the early 80’s to flee from the Salvadoran Civil War, was raped numerous times by Guerillas. I have worked with organizations like Heartland Alliance and the Polaris Project on programs that work to empower and educate women in these situations, as well as provide resources they didn’t previously have, so I think I have a pretty gasp on what goes on. Nobody was making fun of these women and children; Abbott’s commenting about how Angelina’s goodwill is practically at saint-like levels compared and she meant it in a complimentary manner. I find it funny that in spite of the fact that Abbott has been a nice, amiable commentator here, that her comments have always been rather positive, and that she has admitted she miscalculated how it would be received, not one person who originally jumped down her throat admitted, “hey, I misunderstood your comment” or “hey, I didn’t realize it was joke.” It would be nice to see someone be a bigger person and admit error. I guess Abbott is the only person capable of that around here. I think we all aware of the gravity of the situation, so some people can cool it on the sanctimony.

    • mimif says:

      Hy sh-t, it got even worse.

  3. Gina says:

    Ms. magazine has focused on this topic – rape as a weapon of war – for many years. It and the Feminist Majority are way ahead of the curve on so many world issues. I’m glad to see AJ on the cover and with a full article. It helps greatly to have a prominent celeb be passionate about this issue.

    • wolfpup says:

      Rape is not merely a weapon in the latest war – it is the war on women. Intimidation, exploitation, and sexual harassment, are the weapons used for the *acquisition* of women, their offspring and all labor – creating the class schemata of poverty and wealth. Women *are* the poor of the world, literally.

      It is women who have the greatest stake in the evolution of society, the entire globe of tribes, and the planet itself. We bear the future, within our bodies. How do we stop the mindset of rape?!

  4. original kay says:

    I find so much to admire about Angelina.

  5. lisa2 says:

    I lover her dedication to this cause.. and so glad that Mr. Hague is still involved.

    You can’t adopt children from a refugee camp. One would think the media could do a bit of research first.

  6. Andrea1 says:

    Ok magazine is filled with lies
    They claim marvel is courting Angie. I do wonder why So many credible sites are picking it up and reporting it.
    They also claim Angie is adopting a syrian baby. We all know they don’t allow international adoption. So many lies I tell you!
    On a another note good on Angie for the wonderful things she has achieved and still achieving… Bless you.

  7. Louise177 says:

    Wow, an adoption story. An oldie but a goodie. It’s been awhile since tabloids had an adoption/pregnancy story.

    • mkyarwood says:

      I kind of hope it’s true, though. If I had the resources, I would be adopting everyone left right and centre if it meant those children would have access to love and healthy upbringings. Imagine what that might mean for their countries when they’ve grown up? ALL of society’s ills stem from the maltreatment of children.

      • qwerty says:

        I think they’ll continue to adopt later in life when their brood grows up a bit. The oldest is quite grown up already, maybe they;ll adopt once he goes off to colege or wherever? Travelling around the world with 6 kids must be tiresom. They usually don’t take them all with them as it is I think…

        And even if thy;re done with adopting, they;ve done a great job anyway. You know their kids will not grow up to be socialites. Imagine if every one of them went on to become humanitarian like Angelina? They could do so much.

      • Janet says:

        1) Syria does not allow foreign adoptions by anyone.

        2) You cannot adopt a child from a refugee camp as there is always the possibility that the parents or other close family members are still alive.

      • lisa2 says:

        I think they are done. Brad is 51. Angie will be 40. She has another surgery to do. They youngest are 7 this summer. I just think they are over the diapers. They build their family quickly. Now the kids are older. They are able to do more because they don’t have babies at home anymore. Looking at some of her interviews it is clear that they seem to be enjoying not having babies and having older children. Besides as stated above you can’t adopt a Syrian child nor a child in a Refugee camp. So those things taken into consideration.. the story is as BS as the ones saying she is pregnant.

      • qwerty says:

        They could adopt a kid that’s aout of diapers now. As for pregancy, I doubt she’d medd with her hormones like that after what she’s been through.

  8. jen2 says:

    And today, she continues with her work. She is helping launch a Center for Women, Peace, and Security at the London School of Economics with others in the area. More than just talk and photo ops. This is truly a “girls (and women) girl”.
    http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2015/02/WPSCentre.aspx

    There are extremely strict adoption rules in Syria and that “adoption” is impossible as they don’t allow out of religion or out of country adoption. The US Embassy has a notice on their web page.

    • lower-case deb says:

      thanks for the link, @Jen2. it’s a Center with an interesting premise behind it.

      speaking of Women issues, we know how lately gossip journalists ask artists (especially women, but really almost everyone and their pets) about feminism/being a feminist. has anyone tried to ask Angelina about it? i don’t recall anyone ever asking it recently (not during Unbroken, or even Maleficent).

    • jen2 says:

      redacted

    • HoustonGrl says:

      This is exactly the sort of thing that William and Kate could be involved in and yet….

  9. vauvert says:

    Her dedication to worthwhile causes is amazing and inspiring. Such a refreshing change from the narcissistic, shallow, vapid conversations /interviews most stars have.

  10. kim says:

    Abductions and forced marriages are horror still exist to this day. Good for Angelina to bring this matter to dispute!

  11. mkyarwood says:

    Keep talking about it, Angie! More public figures need to keep these issues in the forefront. People are tired of my facebook preaching.

  12. Maya says:

    Now this is a woman who knows her power and uses it to bring attention to important causes.

    Angelina is what I call a woman’s woman who fights for empowerment for women. Listening to these brave women, not only offering them comfort but realising that you can make a difference to these women in what empowerment is about.

    Angelina has always fought for women both careerwise and humanitarian work.

    Every single character she has played are of strong women who knew their inner strenght. Women evil or good always were strong willed, intelligent, feisty and inner strenght.

    As a woman who has seen terrible horrors while working in war torn countries – I am so glad that war time rape is being recognised as a war crime and that the victims have a right for justice.

    • lisa2 says:

      I remember an interview she did when promoting either Maleficent or Unbroken. The woman interviewing her made some reference to being rescued by a man. Angie said something like in her films she is not usually rescued by the man. So true..

      and while people like to be negative about her movies.. she doesn’t play the weak woman in a film. She doesn’t play the victim EVER. That is something for any woman to aspire to. Not being the victim when she can be the person kicking ass*

  13. INeedANap says:

    I hope this film gets a release in the US, I really want to give money to it.

    • lisa2 says:

      I do too.. I’ll check out my Art house theaters. they usually have a great selection

    • V4Real says:

      Most likely it will. That’s why they made AJ an executive producer on a movie that was already finished filming. They’re hoping her celebrity status will bring more attention to the film and garner a wider release.

  14. Guesto says:

    “Our most powerful assets are not our armies, they are our values.”

    That’s a very powerful sentence.

  15. Catelina says:

    She’s so cool. If there are subtitles I will definitely check out that film she produced.

  16. Kiddo says:

    Such an important discussion to bring to the forefront.

  17. Nk868 says:

    +1 to all of the comments re: Angie’s strength and incredible support of women.
    On another note, watched Girl Interrupted on tv this weekend, first time in years. Remarkable watching who I now think of as la jolie in that role. Can’t take your eyes off of her. Id like to see her in some more non Disney villainess roles again soon!

    • doofus says:

      she was AMAZING in that role. def deserved that Oscar.

      re: the Disney villain role…I think she’d be the bomb as a Bond villain.

      • See, THAT’S what they should’ve approached her for, back in 2010/2011….they wanted her for a Bond Girl, she wanted to be Bond–and eventually did “Salt” right after. Bond Villain ALL. THE. WAY. Except I wish Pierce Brosnan was still Bond, because I DO NOT find The Grumper That Married Rachel Weisz to be all that attractive.

      • lisa2 says:

        I would love her to utter one line from Maleficent”

        “I like you begging…. do it again Bond”..
        perfection.

  18. Amcn says:

    Good for her for keeping this issue on the forefront. She has the power to bring real change and help these girls in a hopeless situation. I cannot imagine how heart wrenching it is to hear these stories and meet these victims. It must really weigh on her, especially being a mother and the mother of an Ethiopian girl of a similar age to the child in Difret. I know I wouldn’t have a strong enough disposition for this and I am so grateful to the people who are working for change.

  19. Tracy says:

    You go Angelina. You go.

  20. scout says:

    ISIS says girls as young as 9 years are allowed to be married there, so scary. I can’t even imagine what those captive Yezidi girls are going through right now.

    She is trying to do something to bring attention to the cause while the whole World just sit on it’s hands and just watch. More power to her and her kind.

  21. Maria says:

    These issues are so important and I’m glad she raises awareness.

    Between what’s going on across the globe, the thousands of missing women in Mexico, and am article I just read about female mutilation doubling in the US…

    We need issues like this out in the open.

  22. db says:

    I admire the gesture of the interfaith meeting but, to be honest, skeptical.

  23. ToodySezHey says:

    Angie is just operating on a whole other level.

    And yes, sadly in many parts of Africa, India and the middle east, marriage by kidnapping is acceptible.

    What will it take to bring some cultures into the 21st century? ???

  24. ToodySezHey says:

    I saw that article about female mutilation doubling in the US and well…

    I live in Minneapolis. South Minneapolis may as well be called Little Mogedishu, we have so many Somali there. Matter of fact, the dude who was nominatrd last year for that Tom hanks pirate movie was a cab driver in Minneapolis.

    all I’m saying is…I had a neighbor in NC who was Somali who had undergone female mutilation as a child in her native country.

    we have a ton of Somali in the Twin cities. I’m not saying…I’m just saying.

  25. I Choose Me says:

    And this is why I will forever admire and be a fan of Ms. Jolie. Her dedication to Human Rights issues is inspiring.

  26. Angie says:

    This may not come off the way I intend but I wanted to say: One thing I appreciate about AJ is that she doesn’t focus on glamorous, trendy or middle-class/white/US-centric issues. The people & issues she focuses on tend to be ignored by the vast VAST majority of Americans. Anyway I really like that she brings attention to those types of issues. Not only are they serious human rights problems but reading about them gives me a little perspective on my OWN life and how incredibly lucky I am compared to many other people all over the world.

  27. Jayna says:

    I watched a story the other day on TV. I didn’t realize there is human trafficking going on in the States until the story going into detail about these rings operating across state lines. They focused on one story. Two young 14-year-olds walking home were abducted by strangers and turned into prostitutes. It was a sad story. When they were transported across state lines and were being prostituted out at a truck stop by the man and woman, one truck driver seeing young girls going into the back of a truck called the cops. They still got away with one until tracked down and the girl’s own father got her out before the police got to the house because they didn’t respond quickly enough to the house they found in a normal neighborhood. I don’t think the girls’ lives were ever the same again. There are rings in this country who target young fresh meat. The story made me sick how they indoctrinated them into sex and their first times having to go into a hotel room and service older men.

    • Yeah, about a year or so ago, I was helping my mom on a paper about modern day slavery–and one fact that stuck out to me was that the majority of prostitutes/sex slaves in THIS country are teenage girls that come out of the foster care system. I remember one quote by a 14 year old girl–she said that she was beaten and raped when she was with her foster “parents”, and the same thing happened to her with her pimp, but at least her pimp told her that he loved her. Beyond f-cking sad. Which strengthens my resolve even more to adopt from foster care.

    • wolfpup says:

      When royals are linked with sexual slavery (see latest Duke of York scandal), it is apparent that rape is acceptable to the wealthy ruling class.

  28. Maghreid says:

    I was just wondering if any of this coverage of Angelina’s humanitarian works has actually inspired the “brangeloonies” to get involved in any charity themselves. I am honestly just curious if her celebrity has been influenced any of you to help.

    • Kim1 says:

      Yes
      I started donating to SOS Villages USA in 2010 after I learned about the organization through Angie.The organization has been around for over 60 years but I learned about it when Angie visited SOS Villages in Haiti. Some fans donate UNHCR.Some support her organization KIND Kids in need of defense.I have heard a couple of fans who adopted from Ethiopia.Brad’s sister Julie and Julie’s sister in law both adopted from Ethiopia after learning more about the situation there.
      Personally I am more a fan of Angie’s humanitarian work than her film work.

      • Maghreid says:

        i love hearing how generous you all are with either your time, money, and blood. I think the spirit of volunteerism and charity isn’t exclusive amongst one movie stars fans or anothers. Charities like St. Jude’s will always attract significant donors due to their ad campaigns. Angelina’s fans are so supportive of her that I was just trying to gauge if it translated to dollars for her causes. Thank you for your thoughtful replies.

    • Jayna says:

      It’s probably more like Gaga’s Little Monsters. They brag about how inspiring Gaga is about love, peace, not bullying, big on giving and working on causes close to her heart. It gives the Little Monsters bragging rights about how different she is to other pop stars who just go out and perform, yet they are the biggest bullies on the internet and bully all the other pop stars, putting them down if they get success, putting them down as beneath Gaga, not talented. They love bragging about Gaga, yet none of it seems to have rubbed off, hence the bullying and putting down of others. I doubt few of them have donated to her causes and BTW foundation.

      Most probably love the bragging rights to Angie over other stars and Jen, in particular, but it doesn’t really translate to their lives as far as being any more devorted to volunteerism than they already did before Angie, whatever form that takes. Most adults donate or volunteer in some manner. But there are those that are really selfless in my community, who really take the time to make our communitiies better and outreach programs locally and overseas. I admire them.

      I admire Angie. I think she’s a great humanitarian.

    • I’ve read some comments from fans over the years that donate to charities associated with Angelina/Brad. But I think that you’re either a charitable person or you aren’t. Doesn’t matter who you are or are not a fan of. If I had extra money to spend, then I might look into Angelina’s charities, but for now I do a lot of volunteer based stuff that you don’t need money for. I bake for Little Brothers. I visit my neighbors. I take care of my (truly trying) grandmother three days a week.

      • Maghreid says:

        Thank you VC for your reply. I think what you are doing in your corner of the world is very meaningful, thoughtful and generous of spirit. From my seat your Grandmother is lucky to have you.

    • daughter of jean says:

      Interesting comment. I would hope that people are more aware and donate on their own accord. It’s sad to think that worshipping a celebrity is what’s needed.

      • Kim1 says:

        I don’t worship any celebrity.Do people who donate to St Jude’s worship Danny Thomas or Marlo Thomas? Celebrities can raise awareness to a charity or organization.

    • jen2 says:

      In reality, the same could be asked about the fans of many celebrities that are known for their charitable sides, not just this couple. So, maybe the question should be expanded to include Clooney, DiCarprio, Bono, etc, etc. Just seems a bit limited and somewhat negative in asking about one person/couple only.

      And I have been doing it long before this couple came along and will continue in my small way as long as I can to various organizations that I believe in, but am glad they do more both domestically and internationally with monetary donations and to bring awareness to their prospective projects/areas of interest.

    • V4Real says:

      I’m just going to add to this by saying I was donating to Sally Struthers Christian Children’s Fund before AJ adopted Maddox and became charitable. So no, she didn’t inspire me; been doing this before AJ. Then again I like Angie but I’m not a Brangeloonie. No celeb has that much control over my life

      I will admit I haven’t donated to feed the children in a few years but I do constantly donate to Autism Speaks, Breast Cancer research, domestic violence, homeless shelters and other local charities in NY. I also donate blood here and there.

      I think people questions AJ’ motives simply because it’s Angie. They are saying she’s not the only celeb who donates but she is the most publicized one. Not all celebs won’t the spotlight on doing something charitable but AJ uses her status to bring awareness. I’m a fan of AJ but I don’t worship her and don’t rip into people who say negative things about her. We are all entitled to our opinion, especially on a gossip site. But I get where you’re coming from. Do all her die hard fans actually join her in her charitable cause..

      • Maghreid says:

        Oh I wasn’t trying to start anything. Or cast shadows on other celebs and us regular people charity efforts. Angelina seems to have a very loyal and supportive fan base and I honestly wanted to know if the fans were helping their star on all platforms. Philanthropy is a wonderful way to improve our world and if a celeb brings you to a cause then there is a use for this celebrity culture besides mindless entertainment. Now I’ll go back to lurking before i get myself in trouble.

    • lisa2 says:

      The “brangeloonies” get involved.

      Funny I don’t recall this kind of snark when other celebs are promoting their projects. When everyone was doing that “bucket challenge”.. nobody screamed or said anything negative. The vast majority of those people doing the challenge didn’t even know what the cause was. They just wanted to have fun dumping water on their heads and putting it on social media. I’m sure the vast majority couldn’t tell you how many people suffer or what the percentage is that are affected.
      but because it is Angie and her fans are happy and supportive it has to be something negative.

      for the record I make a monthly donation to UNHCR and Doctors without Borders.. PLUS my other personal charities.
      Do I as a Brangeloonie past muster now?

      • Tarsha says:

        Well said. Its ridiculous the amount of cynicism about Angelina and her fans. I don’t think these people making the comments stop to ask the same of other celeb’s fans. To be honest, I thought the whole bucket challenge was immature, disrespectful and demeaned the condition.

      • Maghreid says:

        Not being snarky, not being cynical was just genuinely interested. And I meant no disrespect to her fans by referring to them as brangeloonies; many on here self-identify as such. To be fair I will ask the Jen-hens a similar question if Celebitchy ever covers
        Jen’s work with St. Jude’s.

      • maghreid says:

        I was just being nosey. I’m done now.

  29. Janet says:

    Did Angie officially change her name to Angelina Jolie-Pitt?

    Lainey mentioned it so I’m just wondering if she actually did.

  30. Sherry says:

    Not just bragging rights. I’ve always given and given generously within my limited means. The one thing I give the most of is my blood. I always donate to the Red Cross every three months. And I give out if my paycheck to my community charities Come tax refund time I will give some to international charity.

    Why do u have to throw shade at Jolie and her fans. Yes sh does attract a certain type. Just described as above. Don’t know who gagsa and her monsters are and don’t care.

  31. the devils parsley says:

    Two points: Abbot up there is hilarious. I adore words…especially when artfully used to bring out our toothy grins. Her comment was layered, complex, funny, and not at all an Angie diss.

    I’m not a fan of the Jolie. That said, i am a huge fan of any work being done by anyone in this arena. Female abductions, genital mutilation, the horror of rape and forced prostitution, high end sex slave rings (many involving very young children) etc…is an area that weighs heavily, actually very heavily, on my mind. Until recently, very few people seemed to want to talk about the problem at all. I wonder if our stupid ass fear of talking openly about sex has something to do with our reticence? Could it be the still pervasive idea that women don’t really count? I, as a critical thinking type of conspiracy theorist, also wonder if the reason the issue has been largely ignored is because so many of “the powers that be” actively participate in these rings? My point is that we need to examine the issue from a standpoint of causation as well.

    Anyway, Go Angie on this one! Bringing leaders of faith together to discuss the problem is an interesting angle and I give zero fuc#s if you came up w the idea or not. Wheather anybody cares about my feelings on the subject is irrelevant, but you have pleased the Parsley today.

  32. Teri says:

    Love you and admire you as well Angelina. Thank U for being the voice of the broken and other countries.

  33. zut alors! says:

    A few weeks ago, when CB had a post about Angelina and her trip to northern Iraq, a poster stated it would have been more effective for the refugees to speak for themselves rather than have her speak for them.

    I found this article today and embedded at the bottom are 2 mini films Angelina made when she was in Dohuk. They feature the refugees’ stories in their own words.

    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/10/angelina-jolie-opens-london-centre-to-combat-warzone-violence-against-women

  34. TC says:

    Hope Difret gets attention with Angie onboard as EP. I imagine the story hit close to home when she saw the film. Might’ve been her eldest daughter Zahara’s fate had Brad and Angie not adopted her.

    Good for you Angie. Fight the good fight.

  35. Goodnight says:

    I think she’s an inspirational lady. I will never understand her detractors claiming she does all this stuff for attention. Nobody would get involved in all these horrible sexual violence summits unless they were genuinely passionate about helping to stop it, because it’s too horrible for most people to handle.

  36. Toni says:

    Well said Tristan. 😊

  37. LAK says:

    There is a case going through the courts right now in west Africa where a forced child bride poisoned her husband. She’s on trial for his murder.

    It’s so strange to me that we appear to be going backwards.

    Back in the 80s/90s when the feminist movement was so strong as in no one would dare say they weren’t one, these cultural norms were challenged head on and so much progress was made. The Issue of forced marriages and child brides was confronted head on. Laws were passed to criminalise rape within marriage.

    These days, in the name of multiculturalism, we seem to have thrown away the feminist fight. Lots of well meaning westerners will tell you that cultural things should remain sacred and we shouldn’t confront these evil things. And the crux of the matter is that it is women enforcing these evil practices.

    In my day growing up, women fought to do away with them and we’re succeeding, but now, they are at the forefront of enforcing them in the name of culture.

    I don’t care what culture you come from. Evil is evil. End of. That should be the starting point.