The Twofold of Traits

Andrea M. Rende

According to astrology, the Gemini is one who represents a twofold of traits;

these traits are both very different, yet dominant in ones personality and lifestyle.
Thus, it is no surprise that Angelina Jolie’s zodiac sign is a Gemini. Angelina
Jolie is not a new celebrity, and has been followed as a predominant star for a
decade. During her early years of celebrity, Jolie was acknowledged in the
spotlight as representing sexuality, darkness, violence, and intimidation.
Presently, Jolie’s celebrity represents a beautiful, responsible, and intelligent
mother, and humanitarian. Jolie’s present self is a contradiction to her past, thus
the celebrity Angelina Jolie actually represents a confused self, which is proved
both through her films and events in her personal life. It appears that through her
art and her private life, Angelina Jolie is on a quest to find her true, authentic self.
The films that Jolie partakes in reflect the themes she is trying to present in her
life at the time; her confused, Gemini, nature sometimes conflicts with what she
is trying to represent, thus, Angelina Jolie’s celebrity is either praised or detested
by the public.

Jolie’s dominant tension is her darker self that prevailed in the previous
decade, with her current optimistic, UN ambassador, and motherly present-self.
Jolie’s past conflicts with her longing to be taken seriously as a mother, an
actress, and a charitable icon in the present. Jolie is still seen as a sexual icon to
men and women, but through her various roles in films, and her presence in the
public, she also represents intelligence.

Figure 1 is a clip from Access Hollywood, where Jolie is presented in various

interviews over a period of eight years. This video clip illustrates Angelina Jolie’s
tension from her early stardom to the current. Jolie describes herself as,
“questioning,” parts of herself, and, “trying to figure out,” who she is. Jolie admits
that she enjoys hiding behind her characters while maintaining a private life, and
she questioned if she could ever transform from her tattooed, dark self to
become a loving mother and friend. She admitted to her drug use, experimented
sexuality, and her pleasure with danger. Today, Jolie’s effort to represent a
passionate, caring, hard working, mother and charitable icon is both contradicting
and conforming to various words she has spoken in the past. Her troubled self
discussed her questioning of “if” she could ever become the certain self that she
seems to exist as today. Jolie’s sexual dark being is, however; still ever present
in her more serious and intelligent work across her private and public life today.
As Daniel Boorstin suggests, “among the ironic frustrations of our age, none is
more tantalizing than these efforts of ours to satisfy our extravagant expectations
of human greatness…as soon as a hero begins to be sung about today, he
evaporates into a celebrity” (76). Society accepts what Boorstin labels, “hybrid
ontology”, that there is a real human being within that celebrity text. It is important
to dissect this celebrity text, Angelina Jolie, and get past the hybrid ontology to
find out just what is working behind her celebrity content.

Richard deCodova explains that, “in standard histories the force which put the
star system in place are reduced to the play of personal initiative on the one
hand, and a refined notion of the public desire on the other” (17). Thus, in regard
to Angelina Jolie’s stardom, her public (films) and private (personal) life must be
both analyzed in order to draw conclusions on who Angelina Jolie is, and what
she represents.

The promotion and publicity of Jolie’s star image always embodies some sort
of evidence of sexuality or physical appearance. Figure 2 illustrates Barbara
Walters’ rather serious interview where Walters introduces Jolie by describing
her appearance. The introduction to the interview (physical appearance) and the
content of the interview (family and personality) are two very contradicting, but
present aspects of Jolie’s life.

The films that Jolie has starred in add to the tension of being sexy yet
intelligent; Angelina Jolie does not conform to one social type but many. Jolie’s
2000 success in, “Girl, Interrupted,” was about a woman’s portrayal of her stay in
a psychiatric hospital, and mirrored the troubled private life that Jolie was living.
At this time, as illustrated in Figure 3, Jolie was voted hottest female, and was
issued on the Cover of April’s Rolling Stone Magazine. Jolie was not only a
spectacle to be gazed upon, but she was portraying herself as wild, and out of
control. Figure 4 shows the year 2000, where Jolie controversially kissed her
brother on the lips at a film premier; this adding to her confused and dark star
image. In Figure 2, Jolie admitted to her drug use, her sexual experimentation,
and self-mutilation.

The way in which Jolie presents herself at this moment in time is wholly
different from the past Jolie that readers and audiences around the world viewed.
The roles that Jolie has played are representative of her private life experiences,
which in turn, have sculpted her into who she exists as now. After, “Girl,
Interrupted,” and “Laura Croft: Tomb Raider,” both very violent and rather
disturbing films, Jolie continued to mirror themes in her life within her films.
Currently, Jolie wants to be represented as a responsible, intelligent mother, and
works on films such as, “Changeling”; the film is about a mother lovingly and
desperately searching for her missing son. Jolie’s current self, however, still
embodies qualities of her darker, dangerous self, and this is represented in one
of her present films, “Wanted,” where Jolie conforms to playing a role of an
assassin who kills for no apparent reason. Jolie’s present self as the intelligent
woman still embodies her darker self, thus, Angelina Jolie can only be
characterized as not defined, but still to be defined; it is uncertain if Jolie’s
definite self will ever be found.
 Angelina Jolie, like many other celebrities Boorstin suggests, could plausibly
be a, “pseudo event,” existing to gather media and serves no real function in
realistic life; however, Jolie’s process from early stardom to mature stardom
proves various social roles she has played that change her from a common
pseudo event to an active cultural achiever and UN Ambassador. This specific
pseudo event was manufactured and delivered to the audience, but through
reinventing herself, Jolie became a positive force in society. Boorstin suggests
that, “dictionaries define a celebrity as ‘a famous or well-publicized person.’ The
celebrity in the distinctive modern sense could not have existed in any earlier
age, or in America before the Graphic Revolution. The celebrity is a person
known for his well-knownness” (57). Jolie certainly represents this well-
knownness at an early age, as both parents were involved in the film industry,
which helped to create her celebrity, but her personality and emotional
involvement in her star manufacture actually develops her from “pseudo event” to
mature stardom.

Angelina Jolie as a star represents a strong tension between her sexual

image and her intelligent image. In, “Stars as Types,” Richard Dyer outlines O.E.
Klapp’s notion of what a social type embodies. A social type is, “a collective norm
of role behaviour formed and used by the group: an idealized concept of how
people are expected to be or act” (47). Jolie, in her private and public life, and
building through her tension, does not surprisingly represent one of these types,
but many: “the pin-up,” “the rebel,” and “the mother”. Jolie fits these types, while
simultaneously individualizing each one.

Dyer explains, “The Pin Up,” as promoting, “surface appearance and

depersonalization, woman as spectacle, and sex object” (50). Angelina Jolie, at
the age of 16, took her first role in a theatrical production as playing a German
Dominatrix. A dominatrix is a woman who takes the role as the master, or
discipliner, and this role is later echoed in others Jolie’s conforms to. The
Dominatrix, however, is commonly worshipped on screen in a sexual nature,
usually occupying a sexual and violent space concurrently, thus, Jolie’s first,
small role, was feeding to “The Pin Up” social type. Figure 5 discusses how at
the age of 16, Jolie also began modeling in New York, Los Angeles and London,
while appearing in music videos and promotions for the bands, “Meatloaf,” and,
“The Rolling Stones.” Angelina Jolie was not well known or a star at this time,
and her career did begin with occurrences where she could be labeled as, “The
Pin Up.” This social existence, however, was brief, and Jolie, discussed in figure
5, as being on many “most beautiful woman lists,” embodies much more
personality and intelligence than, “The Pin Up,” social type. This is not to say that
when Jolie became a star she was not seen as a sex object, but just as her
tension exists as sexy, but intelligent, her intelligence and charisma shown in
Figure 1, contradicts her existence as solely representing, “The Pin Up”. Jolie’s
first, breakthrough performance, was on HBO’s video premiere of, “Gia.” This
television film, shown in figure 6, rewarded Jolie praise and attention, as the plot
was structured around a supermodel that lost control due to her success. A
model at the time, Jolie proved not to be solely, “The Pin Up,” but embodied
talent, and other qualities representing her true character; Jolie’s recent
membership as a UN Ambassador proves Jolie holds compassion and
intelligence outside of her Hollywood roles.

The Pin Up is a dominant social type suiting celebrity, “Klapp argues,

however, that there may also be other types that express discontent with or
rejection of dominant values” (52). Dyer discusses Sheila Whitaker’s notion of the
“Rebel Hero”. Whitaker, “stresses different relations of rebellion – the immigrant
(Garfield), the rebel against his own cause (Clift), generation gap rebels (Brando,
Dean), the anti hero (Newman, McQueen, Finney), and the politically conscious
rebel (Fonda)” (52). Dyer takes the notion of the rebel further to state, “Youth is
the ideal material term on which to displace social context, since young people
always get old (and grow up)” (53). This idea suggests that the young, naïve,
Angelina Jolie may express in her private life, rebellion, but this stage is
temporary, while in her films and narratives, Jolie is free to express rebellion
throughout her career. In Figure 7, Jolie is noted as saying, “I’ve been reckless
but I’m a rebel with a cause.” Jolie, in this statement, almost admits to her
youthful rebellion, and alludes that this will pass, as she has plans for a future. In
the 2000 film, “Girl, Interrupted,” Jolie’s plays a rebellious character, both in the
film, and in her private life. Jolie, however, did win an Oscar for this role as a
troubled woman in a psychiatric hospital, but her personal unruly lifestyle at the
time, created a stronger belief in the characters truth. Figure 8 presents Jolie
discussing her confused sexuality, her tattoos, and her drug use. All three of
these characteristics of Angelina Jolie are not suitable to the norm in society, and
Jolie represents, in the late 1990’s and early 2000, a rebellious woman in
Hollywood. Jolie individuates, “the rebel” trait, however, by not conforming
entirely to the social role, just as she differentiated, “the pin up”. In Figure 1, Jolie
discusses her questioning if she could become a mother and a friend, and leave
her dark stage of life behind. Jolie, through her rebellion, illuminates a vision
within herself; Jolie, in every stage of her life, is always on a quest to find herself,
and appears to understand that who she is at a certain time may change. Jolie,
once again, is not just, “a rebel,” but just a confused woman on a mission to find
her authentic nature as a woman. The tattoos that Jolie has represent a strong
emotion, a passion, and just a rebellious effort to stir society, and her
experimenting with sexuality and drug use was not a role she played, but apart of
herself at one period in her life. Jolie takes each social type, and transforms it to
define who at a given time, but as time continues forward, Jolie leaves the social
type behind, but takes with it the experience to build who she is.

Over time, Angelina Jolie takes a social type, represents it both publicly and
privately, and continues on her quest. Angelina Jolie takes on a contradictory role
from, “the pin up,” and “the rebel,” and exists now as, “the mother.” Dyer writes,
“despite the extravagant lifestyle of the stars, elements such as rags-to-riches
motif and romance as an enactment of the problems of heterosexual monogamy
suggest that what is important about the stars, especially in their particularity, is
their typically or representativeness” (47). Although Dyer does not discuss the
social type, “the mother,” it is important to acknowledge Angelina Jolie’s
representativeness as, “the mother,” as her current social type. In 2002, Jolie
adopted Maddox from Cambodia, and began her transition from, “the rebel with a
cause,” to “the mother.” Figure 2 discusses Maddox, and Jolie stated, “when you
make a decision to have a child, you cannot think about suicide again and you
can't be self-destructive”. Jolie began to shape her private and public lives
around developing her presentation as “the mother” in a believable way. Jolie
had previously stated, in figure 1, that she questioned if she could be a mother,
and she found the answer by experiencing and representing various social types
in society. Angelina Jolie, already a mother, starred alongside Brad Pitt in the
2004 production, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” where she and Pitt play two assassins
hired to kill each other, while already being married. Jolie, seen in figure 9, has
been blamed countless times for the divorce of Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt.
Jolie’s tension here is represented as her sexy, dark, and rebellious nature could
possibly have been somehow involved in breaking the ontological marriage of
Pitt and Aniston apart, but her intelligent, respectful self, waited until the divorce
was finalized to openly admit to a relationship with Pitt; when she did admit to the
relationship, she explained that they had been divorced before anything took
place. Thus, her tension in this occurrence created two fans: the hateful fan, and
the respectful fan. As Joli Jensen describes, “Fandom is seen as a psychological
symptom of a presumed social dysfunction; the two fan types [obsessed and
hysterical] are based in an unacknowledged critique of modernity” (9.) Jolie’s
fans were created when the celebrity was popularized; fans would not exist if it
were not for the celebrity, and play a large role in the celebrity’s social role.
Despite her drama in the issue of Pitt and Aniston, Jolie remained focused on
playing the role of “the mother.” In the 2007 production, “A Mighty Heart,” Jolie
plays the wife of a journalist who has been kidnapped in Pakistan. Jolie’s
character reflects her atmosphere in her private life as well; Jolie on screen
represents a wife, pregnant with her first child, while her husband is not able to
be with her, and in her private life, she was pregnant with her first child, Shiloh,
and the media would never leave her and Brad Pitt’s relationship alone. Both on
screen, and off screen, Jolie’s life is filled with drama, but her goal to take care of
her child, and be happy, seems to be the only representativeness at this time.
Her most recent film, “Changeling,” is her strongest role of representing “the
mother.” Jolie plays Christine Collins, a mother searching desperately, and
livingly for her son who disappeared. This role of “the mother,” is played at Jolie’s
prime as “the mother” in her private life as well; in 2008 Jolie and Pitt have 6
children. Jolie seems to take each social type at a certain time in her life, and
conform to it, represent it, and put all of her emotion into developing it; when Jolie
is satisfied with her new self, she begins to develop another social role, and
represent it within and outside of her films. Jolie individuates each social role by
not just representing the definition of the specific social type, but having the
social type be represented by her actions, goals, experience, and self. However,
while starring in both, “A Mighty Heart,” and “Changeling,” Jolie played a
supporting role in, “Wanted,” where her rebellious and dark self proved to exist.
Jolie, although seemingly transitioned from rebel to mother, still holds elements
of personality and experience from the previous social roles she has lived. Jolie’s
contradictions from social role to social role prove that she is not at all
straightforward, rather a complicated and complex star text.

Perhaps one of Angelina Jolie’s stronger traits is her ability to convey emotion
from the screen to the viewer, not only in her films, but in interviews and images
across the media also. Angelina Jolie’s ability to adapt to social role, but not
conform to them for long periods of time, is the key aspect to creating what
Horton and Wohl claim to be, “a para-social relationship.” Horton and Wohl,
outline in the article, “Mass Communication and Para Social Interaction,” the
notion of the para-social, or, “the illusion of face-to-face relationship with the
performer,” and, “the spectator”. Horton and Wohl explain that, “Para social
relations may be governed by little or no sense of obligation, effort, or
responsibility on the part of the spectator,” thus, Angelina Jolie’s contradicting
and ever changing social roles are a risky way of maintaining a fan base, yet the
excitement of her spontaneity seems to maintain a large group of spectators
interested in her as a celebrity.

Angelina Jolie’s confusing, Gemini nature, produces a strong tension between

her self just a decade ago, and her current self; sexy, while intelligent. Jolie has
represented various social types, while adding a vision to each in her films and
her private life. Jolie seems to embody each social type and change its definition
to suit her emotion at the time. Her tension as sexy, while intelligent exists in her
public and private decisions weekly in tabloids, and in her films. Jolie still gets
new tattoos, representing her darker, rebellious nature, while simultaneously
creating the Jolie Pitt Foundation for humanitarian effort. Jolie has represented
the confused woman, the intelligent pin up, the rebel in transition, and the
responsible mother. Although her actions sometimes are contradicting, the
emotion in which she represents during each social type period in her life adds to
her experience, and builds her overall character to produce the star text,
“Angelina Jolie.”

Appendix

Figure 1: You Tube Video

Outspoken Angelina Jolie. 2007. Video. 20 Nov 2008. Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZtRhF8YukA

Taken from an Access Hollywood Podcast, this video issues several interviews
over a period of eight years, which depicts Angelina Jolie’s progress from early
stardom to mature stardom. Jolie speaks about her drug use, her marriages, her
sexuality, and questioning herself.

Figure 2: Barbara Walters Interview

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/585924/barbara_walters_interviews_actress_an
gelina_jolie/

Barbara Walters interviews Angelina Jolie. She introduces her by describing her
physical appearance, and continues on to discuss more serious matters such as
her marriages, tattoos, wild past, and her current familial situation as a mother.

Figure 3: Hottest Woman in the World: Rolling Stone Cover

Angelina on Rolling Stone. Image. HotList. 1999.

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/RSPOD/RS819~Angelina-Jolie-
Rolling-Stone-no-819-August-1999-Posters.jpg

Angelina Jolie is discussed in many tabloids and magazines as being the most
beautiful woman in the world, and this Rolling Stone Cover is her first debut on a,
“Hot List”.

Figure 4: Kiss with Brother

Kiss with Brother. Image. 2004.

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/0/6011/18_2007/ajkiss.jpg

Angelina Jolie has been discussed as having a very close relationship with her
Brother, James. Some have said this picture illuminates an almost too close
relationship, where Angelina Jolie affectionately kissed her brother on the lips on
the red carpet before the Oscars in the year 2000.

Figure 5: Biography

“Angelina Jolie’s Biography.” Entertainment, UK, 2007.

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/angelina_jolie_biog/4

This is a biography of the life and fame of Angelina Jolie. It is a detailed

representation of how Angelina Jolie began as the daughter of an actor, and took
liking to the stage. Jolie modeled before she became an actress. Jolie did not
begin with a lucky break, but was born into oppourtunity and used her familial
connections to make her name known.

Figure 6:

Trailer for Gia. 1997. Video. 21 Nov 2008. Google Video.

http://video.google.ca/videosearch?hl=en&q=trailor%20for%20gia&um=1&ie=UT
F-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

Figure 7:

Shes a Rebel. 2006. Video. 22 Nov 2008. Google Video.

http://video.google.ca/videosearch?hl=en&q=trailor%20for%20gia&um=1&ie=UT
F-8&sa=N&tab=wv#q=angelina%20jolie%20rebel&hl=en&emb=0

In this created video clip, Angelina Jolie is quoted admitting to her rebellious
nature but giving it reason. Jolie’s rebellious behaviour is represented through
numerous photographs.

Figure 8:

Sex, Drugs, and Animals. 2008. Video. Nov 23 2008. Google Video.

http://video.google.ca/videosearch?hl=en&q=trailor%20for%20gia&um=1&ie=UT
F8&sa=N&tab=wv#q=angelina%20jolie%20interview%20drugs%2C%20sex&hl=
en&emb=0

A somewhat candid video from late 1990’s of Jolie discussing sex, and drugs,
and her involvement with both.

Figure 9: Magazine Cover: Angelina Jolie is blamed for the divorce of Brad Pitt
and Jennifer Aniston.

US Weekly. 2008. Image. “Brad’s Joy, Jen’s Pain.” USA, January 2008.

Work Cited
1) A Mighty Heart. 2007. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Paramount Vantage.
108m.

2) Boorstin, Daniel. “From Hero to Celebrity.” The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-

events in America. USA: University of Michigan Press, 1973.

3) Changeling. 2008. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Imagine Entertainment. 141m.

2) deCordova, Richard. “Picture Personalities: The Emergence of the Star

System in America.” USA: University of Illinois Press, 2001.

3) Dyer, Richard. “Stars as Types,” Stars as Images” from Stars. London: BFI
Publishing, 1979.

4) Gia. 1998. Directed by Michael Cristofer. HBO Pictures. 120m.

5)Girl, Interrupted. 2000. Directed by James Mangold. 3 Art Entertainment.

127m.

6) Horton, Donald and Richard Whol. “Mass Communication and Para-Social

Interaction.” 1996, V. 19, 3. Nov 20, 2008.

http://members.tripod.com/~fandom101/para1.html

7) Jensen, Joli. “Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterization.”

The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media.USA, Routledge, 1992.

8) Laura Croft: Tomb Raider. 2003. Directed by Jan de Bont. Paramount

Pictures. 117m.

9) Mr. & Mrs. Smith. 2005. Directed by Doug Linamen. Regency Enterprises.
120m.

10) Wanted. 2008. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Universal Pictures. 110m.