Here's Why Angelina Jolie Is Finally Making Her Instagram Debut
Instagram truly is the best place to keep up with your favorite celebrities and get updated about what they keep busy with. The super popular social media site isn't even just for the young, with the likes of Ina Garten, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tom Hanks reportedly having some of the funniest accounts on there (via Buzzfeed). But there's one A-list celebrity that has been noticeably missing from the platform, and it's someone that would no doubt collect an impressive following if she made an account: Angelina Jolie. Indeed, neither she nor her children are on any kind of social media, with Jolie noting that this decision is due to keeping "inaccurate" information away from them. "My children have a very odd sense of who's telling the truth and what is the truth and what they actually believe or trust," she told BBC Radio 4′s "Today" in 2018.
But her lack of social media presence doesn't mean that Jolie is removed from the world — in fact, it's quite the contrary. In addition to being one of the most recognizable actresses in the world, Jolie has dedicated much of her life to countless charities and organizations across the globe, per Vogue. And it's for this reason that she's finally broken down and decided to make her very own Instagram account. But don't get it twisted — it's for business purposes only.
Angelina Jolie shared this heart-breaking photo
On Friday, August 20, 2021, Angelina Jolie decided it was time to finally make an appearance on Instagram. But it wasn't for the purpose of staying relevant or to stay up-to-date on pop culture, but to spread the word about an important issue.
The world is currently aching by the current state of Afghanistan after American troops retreated from the country and the extremist terrorist group, the Taliban, took over (via The New York Times). People everywhere are fighting to help in any way possible, from spreading awareness, to raising money, and signing petitions.
As for Jolie, she took to Instagram to share the story of a young girl from Afghanistan who is currently suffering at the hand of the events happening in her country. Jolie posted a photo of a hand-written letter with a caption that read, "This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan. Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely." She continued, explaining, "I've come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights" (via the New York Post).
As of publication, she already has 2.7 million followers and over 700,000 likes on her post.
Jolie asked the public to join her in helping Afghanistan
Angelina Jolie shared passionate opinions and thoughts regarding the events in Afghanistan, which she called "sickening." On her Instagram post, she added, "I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago [...] To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand."
A source close to the humanitarian told People what exactly compelled Jolie to speak on the events happening in Afghanistan and why it led her to making an Instagram account, after all these years. "Angie felt compelled to join in a moment when women and young people in Afghanistan are losing the ability to communicate on social media and express themselves freely," the source explained. "From her point of view, if she's able to be a part of the effort to amplify their voices, then she felt it was reason enough to join and use her platform."
It's not clear whether Jolie will continue to use the account in question, or if she created it specifically for the purpose of sharing the letter that was sent to her. However, the final message she left her followers leads us to believe that this won't be the last see of Jolie on social media: "Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you'll join me," she wrote.