Angelina Jolie Isn't Using Social Media Like Most Celebrities
Angelina Jolie is far from the typical Hollywood starlet. She isn't hocking skincare on social media, posting highly edited images, or cataloging her daily life, but that shouldn't surprise anyone who knows Jolie. Between her professional work, her family, and her multitude of philanthropic endeavors, she doesn't have the time to waste curating the perfect Insta feed. She knows firsthand how important world issues are through her work with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Jolie even penned a piece for TIME in 2020 that highlighted just how important world issues are and why people need to be more proactive. "When did we stop wanting to stand up for the underdog, for the innocent, for those fighting for their human rights?" she wrote. "And what kind of country would we be if we abandoned that principle? There is a lot of focus in America today on self-preservation. But peace is almost always fought for hardest by those who really understand war."
So when Jolie finally joined Instagram in August 2021, she wanted it to be known that she wouldn't be using the platform like other celebrities. She was going to do it her way.
Angelina Jolie joined Instagram to share Afghani stories
Since joining Instagram in August 2021, Angelina Jolie has made 26 posts, as of this writing. Her posts have covered topics from deforestation, displacement, and giving voice back to Afghani people who are losing their rights. After the American withdrawal from Afghanistan left the headlines, Jolie wanted to keep the stories going because the struggles are not over. She wrote on her first Instagram post on August 20, 2021, "I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you'll join me."
Months later, on February 5, Jolie posted a similar image from her very first. She once again shared a letter penned by an Afghan girl, which read, in part, "I might never be able to go outside again or even be able to speak as I am a girl." This letter comes at a time when the Taliban are arresting women for being in peaceful protests and many girls are not allowed to go back to school.
Jolie further implores her followers to keep paying attention to Afghanistan. "Please track what is happening in Afghanistan, where young women are being taken from their homes at night at gunpoint and disappeared, and new restrictions are being imposed on the freedom of women and girls day by day," she wrote. "Please help ensure they're not forgotten." As long as she's online, it seems like we can count on Angelina to remind folks that things aren't over just because they aren't constantly making headlines.