Angelina Jolie Dishes on Aging Gracefully

There’s no denying that Angelina Jolie is stunningly beautiful, and the actress and director has embraced a number of different looks over the course of her career in Hollywood. Through it all, she has served as a shining example of aging gracefully, something she discussed in a new interview with InStyle.

Jolie explained that she likes seeing herself age, both because she sees those close to her and because it represents that she has lived.

“I look in the mirror and I see that I look like my mother [Marcheline Bertrand], and that warms me,” the 42-year-old shared. “I also see myself aging, and I love it because it means I’m alive—I’m living and getting older.”

“Don’t love having a random dark spot from a pregnancy, sure,” she admitted. “I see my flaws. But what I see that I like isn’t about a structure or an appearance. It’s more that I see my family in my face. I see my age.”

The mom of six also shared her thoughts on today’s social media-heavy culture, musing that while when she was growing up, people wanted to be different, but today, it seems so many want to be the same.

“It’s really hard for young people today, [when] people are constantly judging and critiquing and having opinions,” she said. “It’s funny—I feel like decades ago, to be different was actually the thing you wanted. Now I think it seems to be more desired to be with the masses, to blend, or be as good as or be similar to.”

As for Jolie’s definition of beautiful, she cares more about what’s on the inside than how a person looks, finding herself attracted to those who are fully themselves.

“The people I see as beautiful are those who don’t bend to somebody else’s opinion of what is appropriate or beautiful,” she said. “I’ve always been drawn to people who are unique, different, and just simply themselves. It makes me a bit sad when I see somebody unable to live in their own skin and not feeling comfortable in it. There are a lot of things in society that make people feel that way.”

She continued, “Beauty—everybody has a different opinion about what that is. Intellect is the most beautiful. When you see somebody who has a mind on fire, that’s sexy. A person who is empathetic and thoughtful and passionate—there’s nothing more attractive than that. There’s nothing you could wear or put on your face to cover up if your mind is blank and your heart is dark.”

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