Angelina Jolie shares advice for her daughters in wicked women essay

Angelina Jolie is sharing her words of wisdom with the world. The Oscar-winning actress penned a powerful essay about “wicked women and the men who understand them” for Elle’s September issue. In it, the philanthropist—who is a mom to Maddox, 18, Pax, 15, Zahara, 14, Shiloh, 13, and 11-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox—revealed the advice that she gives her young daughters.

The Maleficent actress shares her six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt

“I often tell my daughters that the most important thing they can do is to develop their minds,” she penned. “You can always put on a pretty dress, but it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside if your mind isn’t strong. There is nothing more attractive—you might even say enchanting—than a woman with an independent will and her own opinions.”

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The 44 year old, who shares her children with ex-husband Brad Pitt, also praised her sons for the respectful men they are becoming. Angelina wrote, “I could not be prouder of my sons for the men they are becoming, the way they respect their sisters and are respected by them.”

Angelina Jolie stars on the cover of Elle's September issue

In the moving essay, the Maleficent actress stressed that the world needs more “wicked women,” defining them as “women who are tired of injustice and abuse,” adding, “Women who refuse to follow rules and codes they don’t believe are best for themselves or their families. Women who won’t give up on their voice and rights, even at the risk of death or imprisonment or rejection by their families and communities.”

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Angelina noted that while not everyone is born to fight, they do have the ability to support one another. “Who we are meant to be in life is something we all have to work out for ourselves. I think we can often go offtrack as women, because our instinct is to nurture or to adjust ourselves to society’s expectations," she wrote. "It can be hard to take the time to ask ourselves who we truly want to be—not what we think other people will approve of or accept, but who we really are. But when you listen to yourself, you can make the choice to step forward and learn and change.”