Angelina Jolie-Pitt and Brad Pitt’s oldest biological child Shiloh, pictured above in red, recently hit the red carpet in a black suit with hair cropped like a boy. Why? because for years Shiloh has been “exploring her identity” and wishes now to be addressed as John.
Jolie told Vanity Fair in a 2010 interview that John has been exploring their identity since the age of three. “She wants to be a boy,” Jolie said. “So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”
Psychologist Linda Blair says, “It’s normal [for children with older siblings] to want to copy them and be like them,” Blair explained. The healthiest and most respectful action a parent can take is to follow the Jolie-Pitt’s example and allow their child to go through a normal human experience exploring their own identity at their own pace and on their own terms.”
So that’s exactly what Brad and Angelina are doing. John now only wears boy clothes and wears “boy hair styles.”
(John standing next to Brad at their 2013 wedding)
But some parents are chiming in that 8 years old is too young to determine what you identify with. One woman even stated that her daughter identified herself as a dog but she didn’t run out and treat her as a dog. Most kids go through a time where they are exploring gender like things in the world. Boys want to play with dolls and little girls want to be super heroes instead of princesses. But where do you draw the line?
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