Angelina Jolie shared a moving message at the Kids’ Choice Awards that was possibly inspired by her daughter, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt.
Jolie attended the KCAs with two of her six kids, daughters Zahara and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. The adorable 10-year-old and 8-year-old looked thrilled to be spending their Saturday night with mom, and they got to watch Angelina Jolie accept a pretty awesome award — Angelina was voted Best Villain for her role in Disney’s Maleficent . However, instead of delivering a lighthearted speech about how fun it was to play a dark fairy with a cool horned costume, Angelina decided to talk about how it’s important for kids to embrace their differences — she wants them to know that “different is good.”
According to Fox News, Angelina Jolie said that her advice was based on her own experiences growing up.
“When I was little, like Maleficent, I was told that I was different. And I felt out of place — too loud, too full of fire, never good at sitting still, never good at fitting in. When someone tells you that you are different, smile and hold your head up and be proud.”
With a playful wink, Angelina also encouraged kids to “cause a little trouble, it’s good for you.” You can check out a few more excerpts from Angelina Jolie’s Kids’ Choice Awards acceptance speech below.
Perhaps Jolie decided to speak up about how different she felt when she was younger because she’s aware of all the chatter about her daughter, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. As the Inquisitr previously reported, earlier this year there were rumors that Shiloh self-identified as a boy and wanted to be renamed John Jolie-Pitt . Amber Rose even labeled her a “ trans kid .”
However, the rumors were based on a 2008 Angelina Jolie interview, and Angelina never said that Shiloh was transgender — she simply told an amusing anecdote about how Shiloh insisted on being called John after watching Peter Pan and becoming enamored with the John Darling character. It was likely just one of those whims that young children dream up and quickly become bored with, and Jolie has never referred to Shiloh by the name John since that interview. She also hasn’t used male pronouns while talking about her daughter.
The Shiloh Jolie-Pitt transgender rumor exists because the little girl dares to be different — she likes to dress like her brothers and wear her hair like a boy. Angelina is often criticized for allowing her daughter to embrace a more masculine look, so perhaps her KCA message was aimed at the haters who complain about anyone who doesn’t fit their preconceived notions about how others should look, act, and think.
Angelina Jolie isn’t just trying to inspire kids to be comfortable in their own skins — she’s also inspiring women to take care of their bodies. Her Kids’ Choice Awards appearance was her first public outing since she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. The actress wrote about her courageous decision in an op-ed piece that was published in the New York Times .
Angelina carries the BRCA1 gene mutation that makes her more susceptible to getting cancer, and she lost her mother, aunt, and grandmother to the disease. The actress already underwent a double mastectomy to ensure that she doesn’t get breast cancer, and she had been planning on having her ovaries removed as a preventive measure for quite some time. Her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died at age 56 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Having her ovaries removed put Angelina into forced early menopause at age 39. Because of her genetics and the tough life choices that she’s had to make, Angelina Jolie still knows what it’s like to be different — there are many out there who won’t agree with her decisions about her body, but Angelina feels like she’s doing what’s best for herself and her family. After all, she wants to live to see the wonderful adults that her children become after growing up with loving parents who encourage them to embrace their differences.
[Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty]