Jezebel 
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New York, 5:52 PM
Sun Nov 8
25 posts in the last 24 hours
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06/08/09
Her beauty is a matter of luck (and surgery); her acting career also, a matter of a little natural talent and a lot of nepotism.
She's ok. She does what she feels like, which I like. I just bristle at the suggestion that we are supposed to worship at her altar. I'm more impressed by women like Fleur Cowles, who was a REAL innovator [jezebel.com]
06/08/09
I am not ashamed for being a fan of Angelina Jolie and her work. I really think that the badmouthing from women who claim they appreciate female power, is a little bit hypocritical.
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Oh shit, you're so right. I totally forgot about how my having a uterus means that I have to love and adore all other uterus-havers. Well. I guess I should get on those apology cards to Anne Coulter and Sarah Palin...
06/08/09
Secondly, one's fandom w/r/t Angelina Jolie is not exactly relevant. She can be a great actress or extremely attractive or a UN ambassador without being a "feminist icon." Especially not for "most women," given how obviously divisive her persona is.
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I couldn't care less about the 'man stealing' aspect, as I know there are often more grey areas than people would like to admit in those type of situations. I just don't find her to be any kind of an icon or role model personaly.
Most of the women and men whom I admire are either artists (in some medium) that are elevating conciousness in some way with amazing work, or social/political activists who are galvanizing the public to take action. I don't really see Jolie as fitting into either catagory so...I guess I'm not impressed.
She was good in Girl Interupted, but that was ONE movie, and hardly merits the level of fame she currently enjoys. I've never heard any particularly insightful quotes attributed to her either. She says she wants her personal life to remain private, but in every interview pretty much she talks about her children and their daily routines. I challenge anyone to name ONE truly remarkable and classic thing she has created. As a 'feminist' hero, I feel like being famous for your image is pretty far off the mark. Charity and UN work aside (the purpose and nature of which has always been pretty nebulous, in my opinion).
I am however, quite impressed by her PR savvy. There should be an Oscar for that.
Sorry if that sounds super harsh, but there are so many remarkable people in the world, and it would be nice to give a little more air time to some of them, although I know that's not the way the media works...
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None of which is her fault, mind. So yeah, you have a point. A lot of the disdain is basically misdirected.
06/08/09
If I wanted you to love every woman on the planet and every Hollywood starlet, I'd be writing long defense posts for Heidi Montag and Lindsay Lohan right now. But I don't. You also don't have to LOVE Angelina Jolie. I just don't like the trash-talking she gets - there are FAR FAR FAR worse people out there who don't do half as much as Angelina does. You can find her boring for all I care, just don't dismiss her achievements.
06/08/09
Or am I the only one who thinks its ridiculous to actually hate celebrities who have no real impact on my life?
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06/08/09
Polls also show that if women - not just lesbian and bisexual women but straight women - had to choose a female lover, they would want to sleep with Angelina Jolie. In other words, women both identify with her and desire her.
First of all, as mentioned above, you are ignoring the fact that a straight woman asked to choose a woman she would fuck is REALLY LIKELY to pick what she expects is an acceptable answer. Like, for instance, the woman she thinks is an obvious male sex fantasy. Also, you make a big leap in the second sentence. If a woman says she would consent to sleep with Angelina Jolie, it does not actually mean that she identifies with AJ. A particular woman who wants to sleep with AJ, even though she normally wants to sleep with boys, might feel that way (yourself, perhaps?), but I really think you are taking generalization to a whole new level here. In fact, I don't even think that's a large aspect of lesbian partner selection; other factors will probably come first.
In short, Ms Wolf, I think your article is dumb. Your reasoning is flimsy, you generalize a little more than you ought in a profile of a celebrity, and you exhibit far too much of the adulation you are supposedly analyzing.
06/08/09
This sentence is all kinds of wrong. First of all, when did Angelina put Brad Pitt at the HEAD of a nuclear family? My understanding is that they take turns making movies so one parent is always on hand for the kids. And how would acquiescing to the nuclear family ideal make her a feminist icon in any case? Isn't *partnership* the feminist ideal?
Second, it's easy to make single motherhood look glamorous and unfettered when you're super rich and have a team of nannies to care for the kids when you're swooping through the air with your flight instructor. Not to mention chefs and personal assistants and housekeepers who can handle the mundane housekeeping tasks that suck up so much time that could be more pleasantly spent nurturing children. It's not like Angelina suddenly made single motherhood easy for the rest of womanity.
06/08/09
I think she had wealth, and luck, and connections that landed her in the right place at the right time. I don't find her acting to be particularly good. But I don't know the first thing about her personality.
For all I know, she could be the sweetest person in the world. Or she could be a jerk. The thing is, I don't know her.
I'm not a fan of the constant tabloid coverage, but I do think she is probably at least trying to do some good things in the world with the good fortune she was lucky enough to stumble across. So I mean, while I find the 24/7 Brangelina OMGOMGOMG DIPLOMATIC BUMPWATCH!!11 annoying, I must remember that most of that is generated by PR/agents/tabloids, and probably isn't a reflection of who she actually is.
Can't muster up any hate for her personally.
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I feel the same way about plastic surgery, too.
06/08/09
Yeah.....
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I also think it's interesting that while she has this reputation for being this great charity figure, when has anyone ever seen her try to involve the public? In other words, she could probably do a LOT of good if she actually gave her many fans an idea of how they can become involved in the various causes she champions. The fact that I haven't ever seen her take that position makes me feel like the whole thing is a tad self-serving. Sorry to be so cynical but...think of how she was perveiced before she started taking on these causes.
I mean, it's great to have the media follow you around on goodwill missions to expose conditions in other countries, but how much good does it do if you don't tell the people the stories are reaching how they can help as well??
06/08/09
Sure, she has done some shitty movies with shitty roles, but what Oscar winner hasnt?
06/08/09
--Actually, that would be better. Unfortunately, it's not true.
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Or whatever.
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06/08/09
Thanks, Naomi, for reminding us that all whores eventually have to turn into Madonnas in order for anyone to respect them.
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