The Jolie Phenomenon

She has a unique beauty, a mysterious and captivating shyness about her and a flair for humanitarian efforts! Forget about Tomb Raider and that weird Billy Bob Blood thing, I think I like Angelina Jolie. I think I like her a lot. She seems so nice, so pretty. Right away I wanted to see the pictures of Shiloh. Recently I've even considered a cool tattoo down my back- it's chic. No, I wouldn't kiss my brother on the lips, but it's ok for her. It's not weird, it's just a gesture of love, right?

And it was out of this mesmerized fog that I got snapped right back into reality when my cousin dropped this Tiger Lily nomination on me:

From Gina on Angelina Jolie:
"For someone the media is making out to be this glowing maternal goddess and heroic humanitarian, I'd just like to remind them of the bizarre behavior she's repeatedly shocked us with in her not-so-distant past....drug videos, open confessions of weird sexual encounters, making out with her brother, wearing a vile of her husbands blood to show devotion, etc, etc. Has the public so quickly forgiven and forgotten all of this?

In addition, the way she picks these poor kids up like souvenirs and thrusts them into her odd world is not heroic or maternal, it's sad and selfish and a little shady. There's just no telling what kind of psychological trauma they will be sorting through in 10 years. And for someone who insists she's interested in keeping a low profile, she continues to pull one attention-grabbing stunt after another. Coincidence? I think not. So before she's nominated as woman-of-the-year, I just felt she deserved to be nominated for a more appropriate award - a tiger lily!"





At first, I was a little defensive. That is some strong language about my girl. After all, Angie's helping people in New Orleans. But, UN ambassador or not, the facts are the facts. I immediately went to one of the greatest sources of accurate and thorough information, People magazine. Their online magazine has a number of features which have come in very handy for me, as I track Jay-Z and Beyonce's every move, so naturally, I went there for my information. Here is Jolie's biography:

http://www.people.com/people/angelina_jolie/biography

After reading her bio, and now out of my transfixed state, there is no doubt in my mind, Angelina Jolie deserves a Tiger Lily. And not because she is so strange and yet so revered, but because she has been able to do what no one else I have ever known has been able to do: She is has overcome her past without totally separating herself from it. I mean, she's in the public eye and there's no "fresh start" or "clean slate" for this movie star.

Here's the thing. In my experience, once labeled a strange-cat, always a strange-cat. Last time I checked, the kid that talked about maggots in the 5th grade and ate his scabs for lunch is still not voted "most popular" at his high school reunion. Instead, they give him "most changed" and then avoid him in the punch line. That's why, as I watch all of the mania unfold about Angelina Jolie, I am astounded at how quickly people have been able to forgive and forget.

This acceptance of Angelina has me in deep thought about our society's criteria for forgiveness and redemption. What is it about Angelina? How is it that people are so easily mesmerized by her? Maybe she's just beautiful and beauty affords great forgiveness in our society. Or maybe it's just that we like to see Brad happy again. I myself have been taken in by her charms and I just can't explain why I'm able to look past those Goth years.




As my 10 year high school reunion creeps ever-closer and people sympathize with me when I say I'm not so interested in going, it makes me wonder: How did Angelina escape with only a few cutting scars and few not-so-great tattoos? Looks like we'll never know. Unless, of course, People decides to enlighten us.

Thanks for the nomination Gina, Tiger Lily #7 to Angelina Jolie. Hmm. #7, a lucky number--maybe this explains the Jolie phenomenon.