Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are facing loads of criticism, after reports that they’ve decided to “support” their daughter Shiloh’s decision to be called “John.” While the media has sort of wound this out of control, it sounds like this may not be a case of a “boy growing up in a girl’s body” at all. When you look at the facts surrounding the story, you will learn that Angie and Brad never said that Shiloh was having an identity crisis. She’s just being herself.
According to Kpop Starz , the whole “ call me John ” thing started after Shiloh fell in love with Peter Pan .
“She only wants to be called John. John or Peter, so it’s a ‘Peter Pan’ thing. So we’ve got to call her John. So you know, it’s just that kind of stuff that’s cute to parents, and it’s probably really obnoxious to other people,” Brad Pitt said previously.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt haven’t said too much about Shiloh wanting to actually become a boy, which is something very different from being a tomboy, or feeling more comfortable hanging out with boys. If Shiloh expressed a want to become a boy, that’s something that the celebrity couple would absolutely support, and would more than likely respect, especially when addressing Shiloh with the media. For example, Jolie would likely call Shiloh “John” in public, and use masculine pronouns when referring to her. That is not the case, however, nor has it ever been.
In an interview for Maleficent last year, Jolie spoke about offering the role of Aurora to Shiloh, and apparently Shiloh laughed. Jolie said that her daughter would never wear a dress… and that Shiloh said she’d prefer to play “Marcus” — an apparently made-up character with horns and a bow and arrow. Even still, Jolie doesn’t insinuate that her daughter wants to have a sex change at age 8. And she still refers to Shiloh as a “she” and as her “daughter.”
It seems as though labeling Shiloh a “trans kid” is unnecessary at this point. Brad and Angie have not made any kind of statements that would suggest that they treat Shiloh as their son . The truth of the matter is that the power couple likely don’t think twice about whatever is going on with Shiloh. They allow their daughter to be who she is without pressure to be anyone else.
“I don’t think it’s for the world to interpret anything. She likes to dress like a boy and wants her hair cut like a boy and she wanted to be called ‘John’ for a while. Some kids wear capes and want to be Superman and she wants to be like her brothers. It’s who she is. It’s been a surprise to us and it’s really interesting, but she’s so much more than that – she’s funny and sweet and pretty,” Jolie said last month.
Some have chosen to praise Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for their open-mindedness. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Brangelina allows Shiloh to express herself by keeping her hair cut short, and wearing suits to various events. They haven’t tried to sway Shiloh into playing with dolls or wearing her hair in braids. Instead, they have given her freedom of self-expression, which is really what ought to be praised.
It’s entirely possible that Shiloh wants to be called “John” (or play a character named “Marcus”) for reasons that have nothing to do with wanting to become a boy. But if Shiloh does want to undergo gender reassignment surgery at some point in her life, you can bet that Angelina and Brad will be right there to support her.
According to the Los Angeles Loyalan , there really is something about parents who accept their children for who they are without offering labels, judgment, or terms of any kind. The outlet suggests that perhaps someday the world will follow suit.
“Hopefully, as time goes on, we as a society will hear less about those oppressed by loved ones until they are pushed to the brink and more about those who are allowed to explore every aspect of themselves as they grow.”
[Photo courtesy of Nylon ]