Angelina Jolie Reveals Why She Gives Shiloh & Other 5 Kids Freedom To Express Their ‘Individual Styles’

Harper's Bazaar

‘Nothing’ makes Angelina Jolie ‘smile more’ than seeing her kids ‘being fully themselves,’ like when they take charge of their personal wardrobes! The ‘Maleficent’ star shared her parenting insights in the December/January issue of ‘Harper’s BAZAAR.’

From Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s favorite Versace shorts to Zahara’s Naked Wolfe platform boots, Angelina Jolie’s children aren’t afraid to rock their personal styles! The mother of six encourages this attitude, which she revealed in her Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020 cover story for Harper’s BAZAAR, published on Nov. 5. For the Maleficent star, living boldy and freely means having “the ability to encourage my children to explore the world, including the world of ideas and expression, without there being limits to what they are allowed to study or know or imagine themselves doing in the future,” Angelina told the magazine. The actress loves seeing this boldness in others as well — her six children Shiloh, 13 Zahara, 14, Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, Vivienne, 11, and Knox, 11, for example!

“I think we all know boldness when we see it,” Angelina continued. “Nothing makes me smile more than when I see someone being fully themselves, with their own individual style and character, whatever that is.” When Angelina was a youngster herself, she already owned her individual style! “At school I wasn’t that popular person; I was a punk. I loved leather, PVC, and fishnets. Those were my three favorite fabrics in my early 20s. I remember the first time I wore PVC pants. I was waiting for an audition, sitting in the sun in L.A. By the time it was my turn, my pants had fused together. I didn’t get the part. But I loved those pants,” the Oscar winner mused to the magazine.

As for how Angelina teaches her six kids to be bold — a question posed by Harper’s BAZAAR — Angelina revealed, “I think kids need to be able to say, ‘Here’s who I am, and what I believe.’ We can’t prevent them from experiencing pain, heartache, physical pain, and loss. But we can teach them to live better through it.”

There’s a difference between individuality and excessive indulgence, however, a fine line Angelina’s aware of. She “has never been about buying” her children “designer stuff,” a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife in Aug. 2019, the same month Shiloh was often pictured wearing her Versace shorts. “Now that Shiloh and Zahara are teenagers, they’ve started to really get into all of that. They know exactly what they like and they are very into having the ‘right look’,” our source explained at the time, adding, “Angie remembers exactly what it was like so she’s fine with it to a certain point, but she’s very careful not to let them go overboard. She doesn’t want them to become spoiled.”