Angelina Jolie says Maddox's nursery school is robbing him of his individuality

Angelina Jolie has hit out at the English nursery school she sends her son – because it has robbed him of his individuality. The actress, who has a home in Britain, was forced to alter son Maddox’s Mohawk haircut, remove jewelry she had given him and put him a grey uniform – and she is concerned about the effect it will have on the three-year-old.

Angelina said, "He had a helicopter necklace, but that’s not OK in England. They downplay the individual, which is a problem."

Now I can see that a little boy would really be into a helicopter necklace but she has been spiking his hair since he was an infant.  It’s HER individuality that’s being downplayed!

Comments

If she doesn’t like the school why can’t she take him out? I’m sure she has the ability to send him anywhere she wants instead of complaining about it.

- a.rose on May 3rd, 2005

I agree with you Danielle, it’s not Maddox’s individuality that’s the problem, it’s hers. She has his hair cut and styled that way and he’s always wearing jewelry. I doubt he really cares about any of that, he’s only 3 years old. If she’s really concerned, why doesn’t she find another school that doesn’t have those rules?

- Ally on May 3rd, 2005

the reason for uniform, no jewelry, etc in uk schools is, not infact to supress individuals, its so that bullying doesnt occur-or at least reduces the risk. so that you dont get picked on, for not having the latest fashions, if you cant afford it, etc, everyone has the same uniform, no-one is standing out, asking to be picked on. everyones equal. thats what we’ve always being taught anyway.

- ellen on May 3rd, 2005

Don’t tell me she didn’t see the other kids before enrolling Maddox in the school…please. I agree with all that’s been said above.

- bab on May 3rd, 2005

Common you have to attend meetings,you have to get info,she couldn’t of gone in this blind!If you don’t like it take him out,they have rules ,if they change for one they have to change for all then why have it as a private school?
And really did 3 yr old maddox ask for the mohawk ,did he ask for the jewlery,did he ask to go there?HUm his induvidality???

- Michelle Anne on May 3rd, 2005

To be quite honest, I rather like his mohawk.

- kat on May 3rd, 2005

I loved Maddox’s hair! I love Landon’s hair, too. Has anyone else seen Meet the Barkers? My husband refuses to let me have our son’s hair cut/styled like Maddox or Landon’s. Oh well.

- Katelyn on May 3rd, 2005

This is one of the dumber rants I’ve heard from a celebrity. Maddox is *three* – he doesn’t decide how to style his hair, etc. Three year olds don’t care about things like that. And someone should tell Ms. Jolie that there’s more to individuality than some hair gel and jewelry… or, you know, wearing a vial of blood around your neck. :/

- mizj on May 3rd, 2005

Do you people even have kids? It’s not unusual for little kids to be into things their parents are. Until we’re older our parents are our biggest influences and we’re enthusiastic about what they are enthusiastic about. How many of you loved to help your mum clean house as a toddler? I bet you didn’t when you were 14. Also, my cousin is only two and she’s fussy about her hair and likes it done a certain way.

But anyway, it’s the school’s rules and I’m sure she could find another to suit her taste if she was really bothered.

- Chaton on May 3rd, 2005

Why doesn’t she just switch schools? No one’s forcing her to put him in a uniform-required school.

- Kristen on May 3rd, 2005

As far as his individuality goes, I think she may be going a little over board. She will be hard pressed to find private schools where she can go beyond the uniform and school rules. I love his hair though!

- shelly on May 3rd, 2005

If it’s a school that she knew they wore uniforms and didn’t allow jewelry, why’d she enroll him in the first place?

And I thought the jewelry he wore was for her benefit (it had bells on it so she could hear him moving around). If he *wanted* to wear the stuff, then it’s a problem if the school made him take it off. If he doesn’t care, then why should she?

- Annie on May 3rd, 2005

“And I thought the jewelry he wore was for her benefit (it had bells on it so she could hear him moving around).”

She put bells on her toddler??? a la a cat or a cow?? Seriously?

So, this means he was out of sight but at least she knew he was close by? Where did you hear this, Annie??

- Anne on May 3rd, 2005

The bells on his ankles was when he was a baby, he hasn’t worn them in a couple of years. It was a little anklet with bells on it so that you can hear where the baby is when he/she starts walking. It’s a custom somewhere overseas, I don’t remember where. Seemed more about decoration than anything. He’s been seen wearing necklaces, rings and bracelets since then.

- Ally on May 3rd, 2005

I have to agree with most of you. A 3 year old BOY doesn’t really care about hair and jewelry. I have a girl AND a boy(my son is almost 3) and doesn’t give a rats BEHIND about anything but climbing things.

- Lauren on May 3rd, 2005

It is a traditonal Cambodian custom for children to wear jewlry. I have 2 Cambodian nieces-thank you angie for your help getting them home-and it is a tradition in Cambodia to wear jewlry. Typically it’s gold. It’s an Asian thing generally, but Cambodian’s are really into it. I have a pair of ruby earrings from Cambodia and there HUGE. There jewlry is just insane. These earrings are at least 3 carats. It’s just crazy how they are about jewelry. They like silver too. It’s normal to have silver jewlery made in shops out of the metal in land mines from around the country. They make a lot of products from the metal in the land mines. I have tons of stuff made from land mines and it’s truely beautiful. His hair was obviously not his “choice,” but there’s something about this article that makes me doubt his hair was really a problem because h had it for awhile and it is also a tradition to shave a Cambodian child’s head on an anual basis for 5 years or so. Which could be the reason behind his hair cut because she has followed his customs greatly.

- Weezy on May 3rd, 2005

Now, as for Angie, it can’t be a surprise that private schools are a bit more structured and can be rigid in their rules and expectations. And as many said, you interview, you pay tuition, and I can’t believe this would come out of the blue.It’s fine to be individualistic, it’s fine to follow tradition, but isn’t she balking at the English traditions? And everyone knows things are a bit more conservative there, so if it’s not what she wants, find somewhere else, he’s still plenty young enough to adjust, do it before it becomes disruptive to his sense of security. And I can see where it could be him, my 3 year olds had some definite ideas on clothes and other attire, or it could be mom, like alot of stage parents who say “I only do it because they love it so much”, most of what a young child loves is pleasing their parents and other significant role models.

- Laura on May 3rd, 2005

Is is a Cambodian custom to cut the child’s hair short on the sides and leave the middle really long? Because that’s what she’s done since he was a baby. And she deliberately styles it to look like a mohawk by using gel on the longer parts. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but that’s what she’s done with Maddox’s hair.

- Ally on May 3rd, 2005

Read my post a little more carefully there Ally.

- Weezy on May 3rd, 2005

Instead of complaining Angie, take your son out of that private UK school and he can go to another private school in Cambodia for that matter

- mujja on May 4th, 2005

I don’t believe this – I don’t think Angelina would say a such thing. Did you take this from an unreliable source?

- Dawn on May 4th, 2005

yes it’s an Asian thing. my mum still have the ankle bracelet with bells that i wore when i was a baby, and my brothers’. and my ears were pierced early on too, so i always get confused when i see teenage girls begging their parents to have their ears pierced, haha.

maddox does like his hair like that. angelina has said in an interview that when she gave him gel, he do his own hair. some children do get attached to their hair, especially since he’s had long hair as long as he could remember. kind of like a security blanket.

looking for schools are not an easy thing to do. maybe they do make him cut his hair but it could be a really good school, good location, etc. she can’t just be like, “oh i don’t like one thing about this school, i’ll just find a new one.”

- stephanie on May 4th, 2005

I can affirm that my English husband, who was required to wear a school uniform, does not have problems with his indentity or individuality. Personally, I think uniforms are a rather good idea.

At 3 years old I don’t think Maddox would be in Nursery. Nursery is basically what we call elementary, but I think they start at 4 yrs. rather then 5 yrs. If he’s attending what is essesntailly a day care he wouldn’t really need to wear a uniform.

Chaton, I have children…3 boys and 2 girls. Not one of my boys OR girls cared about his hair, clothes, jewelery…etc when they were 1+. Cultural choices are one thing, but blue dyed mohawks are a completly different matter. My youngest daughter was 3 yrs by the time she announced she didn’t like her hair up. She didn’t say “Mum, I want my hair cut like this and gelled like that…”. And YES…once upon a time they all liked helping with chores, but that didn’t last too long. My children are 15, 13, 10, 9 and 6 now. In a small way I wish for the days when their biggest concern was deciding to watch Blues Clues or Franklin. LoL!

- alice on May 4th, 2005

Well i live i the UK and generally nursuries (age 3-5) dont have uniforms. Its only when you go into reception (the first year of school age 5) that you were uniforms like the rest of the school.
Private schools are sometimes different and start earlier.

I liked wearing a uniform. It took me ages to work out what to wear on non-uniform days because i was scared of getting riddiculed.

- Eleanor on May 4th, 2005

My daughter attends a private nursery in London that does require a uniform. I was told that it was up to me whether she wears jewellery, but warned me that accidents can happen.
Obviously she has put him into an upper market school where the rules are a bit more strict.
Sorry, but a middle class English school requiring a tight dress code? Surely she cannot be surprised!!

- k on May 4th, 2005

Pffft…Just pull him out Angelina. I can sympathize when it comes to the matter of schools supressing individuality in general, but she has all the resources in the world to avoid subjecting him to an, er, hyper-conformist (?) environment, so I don’t feel too sorry for her. BTW, for the person who posted that uniforms in the UK are in place to avoid bullying – it goes way further back than that. UK state schools were born of the industrial revolution, the main goal of which was to produce docile, maleable factor workers who stayed in line and didn’t rebel against their superiors, hence the uniforms.

- justme on May 4th, 2005

I live in the UK as well and I think uniforms are a good idea. I’ve yet to meet a kid who feels wearing a uniform supresses their individuality. Sure…many kids think it sucks, but at the end of the day and on weekends they can dress how they like. Think of it this way…your employers want to present a professional look to the public and expects you to dress a certain way. It can either be a uniform or a smart suit. So, really we all conform to a certain extent.

- alice on May 4th, 2005

I think its weird that Angelina would put her son in such a conservitive school when she her self is so alternative, you’d think she would have chosen a more liberal type school.

- julia thorne on May 4th, 2005

I am English and think it is a great way of making sure children who have less do not feel deprived. Certain trainers become ‘the in thing’ and then the kids whose famillies cant afford them feel inferior. In some non uniform schools it is the main cause behind stealing (the temptation of wanting the most fashionable thing but not being able to have it).

- Havana on May 4th, 2005

Jesus. So, now she can’t complain about uniforms without being attacked? And as for the comment about sending him to school in Cambodia…that’s just ridiculous. I think individuality is a thing that should be prized and, by the way, children are usually influenced by thier parents individuality (or lack thereof, as i suspect might be the case with many of you).
Sorry for the rant; I really enjoy the stories and pictures on this site, the comments are a different story……..

- ap on May 4th, 2005

he’s not being an INDIVIDUAL if she’s the one dressing him and making his hair ….stop whining and take him out of the school if it’s so bad

- madina on May 4th, 2005

I think there was a rule about not slamming other commentors, ap. I can see your point, but there’s no need to defend a celeb by saying other posters lack individuality in the way you said it. There seems to be several viewpoints represented from what I can see, and if you don’t like the comments, it is quite simple to only view the photos and stories. I know Sarah and Danielle have said as much to posters in the past.

- Laura on May 5th, 2005

I think there was a rule about not slamming other commentors, ap. I can see your point, but there’s no need to defend a celeb by saying other posters lack individuality in the way you said it. There seems to be several viewpoints represented from what I can see, and if you don’t like the comments, it is quite simple to only view the photos and stories. I know Sarah and Danielle have said as much to posters in the past.

- Laura on May 5th, 2005

Laura: I’m not defending a celeb as much as I’m defending the right to individuality and, probably by default, her right to want that. I was perhaps a bit harsh with my individuality comment and for that, I apologize; it just seems that a lot of comments on this site are SO negative and harsh. Of course, I guess I fed into that problem, as well. Bottom line, sorry for any offense.

- ap on May 5th, 2005

I have 5 year old twin boys that have blue and green mohawks. They have had mohawks since they were 3. A few months after they first got their mohawk my mom shaved them off and the boys were VERY upset and asked to grow their hawks back right away. As a matter of fact, they were the ones to ask for mohawks in the first place! From pictures that I’ve seen Maddox has had a hawk since he was 2 or so (until recently). Maybe it wasn’t Angelina Jolie forcing it on Maddox maybe he wanted it. My two year old daughter lets me know every morning what she wants to wear and how she wants her hair!

- Jen on May 5th, 2005

I think people are responding to the fact that she’s complaining about a dress code she was made aware of BEFORE she enrolled him in the school. Personally, I think she lost the right to gripe when she knew and still placed him in the school.

- alice on May 5th, 2005

I think people are responding to the fact that she’s complaining about a dress code she was made aware of BEFORE she enrolled him in the school. Personally, I think she lost the right to gripe when she knew and still placed him in the school.

- alice on May 5th, 2005

Look…she knew what was expected BEFORE she enrolled him in that school. I mean honestly…do you really think the school just sprung it on her? Personally, I think she lost the right to gripe when she went ahead and placed him in the school anyway.

- alice on May 5th, 2005

Maybe she was aware of the dress code but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she was aware that she would have to cut his hair and take off any jewelry that he was wearing. Is that not a possibility? If she was bitching about the uniform I would say, you’re absolutely right, she knew that going in; however, I think that it’s totally plausible to assume that the haircut/jewelry was not mentioned. If, in fact, uniforms are encouraged/required so that some children will not feel more deprived than others…what does a haircut have to do with that? I actually think that it’s a nice idea to have children dress alike in some instances so that everyone appears to be “financially similar” but, to force a haircut is to infringe your style on someone, which I don’t think is an appropriate decision for a school to make.
Also, I must say, i doubt that Maddox is in a school with children that come from less than priviledged backgrounds.

- ap on May 5th, 2005

I think she tries hard to do the right thing for her son and I’m sure she did know about the rules but probably decided that the benefits of the school outweigh the disadvantages. As far as making the comments, well, what other parents haven’t said similar things that didn’t happen to end up in print!

- kf on May 6th, 2005

Yep, if she doesn’t agree with the school policies she should send him to a different pre-school. It’s not necessary for a three year old to be at a ‘school’ anyway, why not just take him to playgroups?

- Clare on May 6th, 2005

OK…she wants her child to express his individuality…fair enough. However, I feel she lost the right to gripe when she knew full well the schools expectations and enrolled him anyway.

- alice on May 6th, 2005

OK…she wants her child to express his individuality…fair enough. However, I feel she lost the right to gripe when she knew full well the schools expectations and enrolled him anyway.

- alice on May 6th, 2005

i think angelina is spoiling her son a little too much. i am asian and i lived in england before. i don’t want to say much about western culture, but we asian believe that spoiling your kids will only lead them to bad behaviour and whiners when they are adults – hence our strict upbringing. for god’s sakes, the boy’s only 3 years old!!! he looks like he has everything he wants, and common, sending him to a more strict school would be better for him perhaps? uniforms are a good thing actually, kids can express their individuality in other ways. besides having uniform better for discipline – yes, i’ve seen what kids wear nowadays, and there’s that responsibility to dress modestly… i mean, your age… don’t spoil your kids to much… u’ll do more harm than good if u do…

- maryme on May 6th, 2005

Angelina said in an interview that she puts the gel in Maddox’s hands and he does his hair himself. So, its not necessarily her individuality being robbed.

- Sarah on June 5th, 2005