Angelina Jolie’s new sternum tattoo is a ‘mature power play’ – psychologist explains its ‘untethered’ symbolic
ANGELINA Jolie unveiled a new tattoo to the world on Sunday to kick off a new personal narrative, a psychologist has said.
He weighed in on the star’s ink, which she debuted at the Tony Awards, and claimed the Maleficent star’s messaging was to prove she had “softened” and felt “free.”
Angelina, 49, showed off her new tattoo when she hit the red carpet on June 16 for the 77th Annual Tony Awards.
The Tomb Raider star attended the event honoring New York City theater with her daughter, Vivienne, 15.
Both worked on the new musical The Outsiders, with Angelina also presenting an award.
The mom and daughter wore matching green outfits. Angelina’s Versace dress was teamed up with a soft shawl.
A small black sparrow was displayed in the middle of the actress’s chest.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Joshua Klapow, PhD, said Angelina’s statement was “powerful.”
“The messaging behind Angelina’s bird in flight tattoo surrounds lifting a burden,” Klapow told The U.S. Sun.
“This shows Angelina is now untethered.
“Placing a simple bird in flight on her sternum is quite powerful.
“She put a softer, lighter, freer, more delicate symbol in one of the most powerful places on the body.
“It brings the eye to where her breasts [are] and is consistent with Angelina Jolie and a power play, but this is mature.
“Angelina put it right where the eye would be drawn to where the double mastectomy was.
“This is about somebody who has had her breasts surgically removed.
“She could have gotten a bird on her shoulder or her back.”
Many fans and followers may have remembered Angelina’s 2013 New York Times op-ed.
She wrote then that she underwent a double mastectomy as a preventative measure.
Angelina found out she carries a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
Her mom, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 when she was 56.
LIFE ALTERING
According to Klapow, Angelina’s new tattoo was not a shock.
“While the tattoo has symbolic meaning, it is well deserving,” he said.
“She debuted the inking on the red carpet, and it was a smart public relations move but was not shocking.
“Angelina is a superstar across multiple vendors and has recently experienced life-altering events.
“This tattoo is appropriate to her, her lived experiences, her health, career, and her relationship to tattoos.
“Remember, these awards were also a new event and venue for her.”
The mom of six celebrated at the Tonys, winning an award for producing Outsiders. Vivienne helped her.
She shares the teen with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, who is 60.
The former couple are in the throes of a tricky divorce. The split reportedly came after an altercation between Brad and his son Maddox on a private jet.
Vivienne had dropped her father’s surname from her listing in the Playbill for The Outsiders.
One of their other daughters, Shiloh, also filed to drop Pitt from her surname after she turned 18.
Klapow claimed the Lara Croft star perhaps wanted to show her different side via the new inking.
“Angelina has grown children and is still divorcing a famous actor,” he added.
“Again, the tattoo symbolizes being untethered, free, delicate, and beautiful.
“She is now moving all this part of her personality and makeup out in front.”
This is also not the first tattoo for Angelina, who has around 16 inkings on her body.
These include a Buddhist swirls tattoo on her forearm, a tribute to Winston Churchill, and Thai and Buddhist symbols on her back.
Angelina has the birthplace numbers of her six children on her left arm and a tiger on her lower back.
REFINED STUFF
Klapow of MentalDrive said many celebrities chose to make “aggressive” statements using body art.
“We are so used to seeing much more in-your-face statement pieces from artists,” he said.
“Angelina has other, more shocking tattoos on her body.
“She has larger tattoos with much more aggressive statements.
“Some of her other tattoos don’t have that aesthetic to them like the new one.
There may have always been a soft part to Angelina Jolie.
Dr. Klapow
“Some are more firm and aggressive but more domineering.
“This bird is a refined statement from Angelina Jolie about her stuff.
“She made it incredibly light but prominent, so this is another facet of Angelina Jolie that has always existed.
“But we have not seen that corresponding with a tattoo that represents that.
“There may have always been a soft part to Angelina Jolie.”
FINALLY FREE
“None of us know exactly why Angelina placed a small tattoo on her sternum and chose that design,” Klapow added.
“We can say the bird’s location symbolizes her maturity as an adult.
“The unveiling at the Tony’s shows her maturity as an entertainer.
“We can connect all this with the novelty of getting a Tony Award, which could be her statement about freeing her body.
“These things triangulate on a tattoo that could look like this.
“There could be other ones on Angelina that we can not see.
“Overall, the bird was a great choice.
“Angelina’s tattoo also had such an impact because it expresses her beauty, lightness, peace, calm, and freedom.”