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International Women’s Day is an occasion to celebrate all the amazing females in our lives. On March 8 this year, Angelina Jolie dedicated a heartfelt essay to her daughters titled “Why Girls Deserve Love and Respect on International Women’s Day.”
According to CNN, the 44-year-old actress who has 6 kids, 18-year-old Maddox, 16-year-old Pax, 15-year-old Zahara, 13-year-old Shiloh and 11-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, revealed that two of her daughters underwent surgeries in the past 2 months. She wrote,
“They know that I am writing this because I respect their privacy and we discussed it together and they encouraged me to write. They understand that going through medical challenges and fighting to survive and heal is something to be proud of.”
Talking about how all the siblings handled the difficult situation she said,
“I have watched my daughters care for one another. My youngest daughter studied the nurses with her sister and then assisted the next time. I saw how all my girls so easily stopped everything and put each other first, and felt the joy of being of service to those they love…Their brothers were there for them, supportive and sweet.”
But when someone mentioned to her that caring “comes naturally to girls,” she began to wonder how women across the globe are expected to make sacrifices, serve others and how their worth is measured by how much they “give”. TIME quoted her adding that it is okay for girls to focus on themselves too,
“The little girl is expected to take care of others. The woman she grows up to be will be expected to give, and care for, and sacrifice. Girls are often conditioned to think that they are good only when they serve others, and selfish or wrong if ever they focus on their own needs and desires.”
She concluded by saying,
“Little girls’ softness, their openness, and instinct to nurture and help others, must be appreciated and not abused. We must do much more to protect them, in all societies: not only against the extreme ways girls’ rights are often violated but also the more subtle injustices and attitudes that so often go unnoticed or excused.”
“So my wish on this day is that we value girls. Care for them. And know that the stronger they grow, the healthier they will be and the more they will give back to their family and community.”
This year, as women, let us not feel guilty about ‘me-time’ because if we aren’t happy ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to make others happy either, right?
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