In The Spotlight
When Angelina Jolie publicly announced that she was pregnant for the first time, fans were already dying to find out how the future kid would be and look like. In other words, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt was famous even before being born!
Even though Angelina was already mother to two adoptive children (Maddox and Zahara), this was her first time pregnant, and it goes without saying that her pregnancy was all people talked about!
Escaping Paparazzi
But despite the media attention, Brangelina did all they could to protect their future child from the limelight. They didn't want Shiloh to be born in the U.S. because they just couldn't cope with the idea of having hoards of journalists waiting for them at the hospital entrance.
Therefore, Angelina decided to give birth to Shiloh as far from home as they could, and the country they chose for that purpose was Namibia. Shiloh was finally born in May 27th, 2004.
Shiloh's First Pictures
While the couple didn't want their newborn child to appear on the front cover of every tabloid, they knew there was no way they could prevent the paparazzi from taking a picture of her in the streets. Therefore, they came up with a smart plan.
Brangelina decided to sell pictures of Shiloh to the media and donated each dollar they raised to UNICEF. Therefore, they left the press happy, while at the same time protecting their child's privacy and remaining faithful to their commitment to human rights.
Shiloh's Looks
From the start, fans speculated as to which of her parents Shiloh would look like, and it's a given fact that she bears an uncanny resemblance to her father.
As Angelina herself once said: "It’s funny because she’s almost going to be [an] outcast in the family because she’s blonde and blue-eyed". Shiloh's three siblings had been adopted in either Asian or African countries, so Shiloh really did stand out!
Brangelina's Most Popular Child
Brangelina went on to have three more children, six all in all, but in spite of that, Shiloh was the only one who always remained in the spotlight. Why do you think that is?
Well, when Shiloh was only four years old, Angelina gave birth to twins: Knox and Vivienne. However, Brangelina wanted to keep the babies away from the public eye for as long as possible, just as they had done when Shiloh was born. You probably get where we're getting at!
She Has Her Own Wax Statue
Brangelina wanted to protect their youngest kids' privacy, so this meant that the press focused on Shiloh, who was only a toddler. By that time, many side by side pictures where printed of Shiloh and each one of her parents.
Such was her fame, that Shiloh was the youngest person in the world to have a wax figure created at the popular British wax museum Maddame Tussauds. However, Shiloh's fame had only started!
Gender-Neutral Style
As the years passed, Shiloh started looking more and more like her father, but not only because of her blond hair and blue eyes. Eventually, Shiloh started dressing in "men's" clothes, too.
Shiloh was never too fond of wearing dresses and she would always sport a gender-neutral style at the Red Carpet. In fact, ever since she was little, she preferred wearing tailored suits just like her father.
Defying Traditional Gender Roles
Actually, Shiloh was only 3 years old when her parents first noticed she didn't feel comfortable with "girly" things — that is, to those toys, clothes, or interests traditionally and arbitrarily associated with women.
As Angelina once told in an interview, Shiloh was three years old when she first asked if she could wear a tracksuit. And it wasn't long before Brangelina realized that their child's tomboyishness wasn't a phase.
Brand New Hairstyle
It's safe to say that Shiloh was born brave, as she defied traditional gender norms ever since she was a toddler. Not only did she ask her parents to buy her suits instead of dresses, but she changed her hairstyle, too.
In her early years, Shiloh would sport gorgeous blonde wavy locks, but after she turned 5, she decided to opt for a more traditionally "boyish" hairstyle. With her new cut, she now looked even more like her father!
Hate Media
Sadly, we still live in a world where many people abide by traditional gender roles. This means that those people who defy such norms are often discriminated. But what about Shiloh? Did the world accept her as she was?
Truth be told, Shiloh was the victim of hate media from day one and many media outlets talked about the child's style in a totally derogatory way. In fact, most of you probably recall the time when many magazines published an article titled Why Is Angelina Turning Shiloh Into A Boy?
Questioning Brangelina's Parenting Skills
Media outlets and TV reporters would constantly question Shiloh's gender identity, as if she had to be held accountable for her decision of breaking with traditional gender stereotypes.
Brangelina received plenty of backlash too. Many people started questioning the couple's parenting skills, suggesting that it was irresponsible for them to let their own kid dress as she wanted. Can people really be that reactionary?
Sticking Up For Her Child
Luckily for Shiloh, Brangelina never cared about what the world had to say about her, and they always taught all their kids to be free and to feel proud of who they were.
However, in the face of so much criticism, Angelina decided to stick up for her child, and so she opened up about Shiloh's identity in an interview by Vanity Fair. What did she say in the interview?
A Strong Personality
This interview was the first time she publicly talked about Shiloh's identity. The actress confessed that Shiloh had started defying the norm ever since she was 3.
Angelina also said that she was happy that Shiloh was brave enough to express herself freely. In her view, Shiloh was a very verbal and outspoken kid and it was her strong personality what inspired their unconventional parenting style.
The Role Of A Parent
Both Angelina and Brad have repeatedly stated that Shiloh taught them the importance of encouraging one's children to speak their minds and to choose their own paths.
From that moment on, they promised themselves to encourage anything about their children that made them different, be it their talents or their identity. > "The part of us that is free, wild, open, curious can get shut down by life", the actress said.
Practice What You Preach
"As parents, we encourage our kids to embrace all that they are, and all that they know in their hearts to be right", Angelina told Vanity Fair. In other words, according to Angelina, it's every parent's duty to embrace and respect their child's identity.
Angelina and Brad have always been true to their words, and here's why. When Shiloh was only a few years old, she came up to her parents and made an unusual request that tested just how open-minded they really were. Can you guess what she asked?
Shiloh Chooses A New Name
At the age of six, Shiloh asked her parents if she could start being called John. Many parents tend to ignore their kids when they come up with such requests, but Brangelina had always known better.
Brangelina first opened up about their kid's new name when interviewed by Oprah in 2008. "And so we’ve got to call her John", Brad told Oprah, showing how respectful he was towards his child's identity.
Teach And Learn To Be Free
"I think my kids need to be able to say, ‘Here’s who I am, and what I believe'’”, Angelina said. Hence her decision of welcoming John's new self-perceived identity.
“We can’t prevent kids from experiencing pain, heartache, physical pain, and loss. But we can teach them to live better through it,” Angelina concluded.
A Positive Role Model
The Jolie-Pitt kids have went through a lot over the past years, but it's safe to say that they've become positive role models for thousands of kids all over the world.
In fact, Shiloh and Brangelina have helped shed light on transgender youth, an issue that is usually overlooked by parents, by the media, and even by schools.
Support From The LGBTQ+ Community
Ever since the day he chose to be called John, many LGBTQ+ community spoke out on John's and her family's behalf. One of them was Cher's son Chaz Bono, who also transitioned from woman to man.
Famous model Amber Rose also expressed her support after commenting on one of John's pictures, saying "How gorgeous is John Jolie Pitt, born into the perfect family for him? #TransKids".
Ending The Marriage
In 2016, Brad and Angelina called it quits, breaking the hearts of thousands of Brangelina fans. This was hard on all their children, and it definitely didn't make John's situation any better.
But despite the hardships, John hasn't changed his sense of style at all. And despite Brad and Angelina's many disagreements, one thing they will always agree on is allowing John to dress as he pleases and express himself freely.