ike most of the world, I’ve long been fascinated by Angelina
Jolie. Before I met her, I always thought there was something
magnetic about her ability to blaze a trail and live without
compromise. Now that I know her firsthand, I’m in awe of her
generosity and compassion. She graced my first cover as editor-in-chief
of ELLE in March 2018, and now, a year and a half later, I’m very excited
to work with her again for our cover story on page 278. She is one of those
multifaceted women we love to embrace at ELLE.
What you might not know about Angelina is how involved she is
when it comes to the process—whether it’s a shoot, or a film, or a cause.
She follows through on her commitment; she will get on the phone with
you herself to make sure that every detail is just right. That’s what makes
her so impressive—she faces every challenge head-on.
This past February, when I went through my preventive double
mastectomy, Angelina’s 2013 New York Times essay about her own de-
cision to have the surgery resonated with me, and I drew a great deal of
strength from her words.
We’ve seen so many versions of Angelina over the years, from her
early wild-child days to her emergence as a philanthropic force and a
director in her own right. She has made some nontraditional choices
in her life, but she has always been her own person, and doesn’t worry
unduly about what other people think of her.
Another woman with a similarly uncompromising attitude is Carrie
Goldberg, the attorney who’s become known as the “troll hunter,” for
helping clients fight revenge porn. (One client has called her “a feministguardian angel.”) Goldberg’s memoir, Nobody’s Victim, lifts the veil on
the personal experiences that led her down this career path—namely, the
assaults and abuse she herself suffered at the hands of men. On page260,
Jessica Testa profiles a woman who’s managed to take some very trau-
matic incidents and turn them into something positive for other women.
As Goldberg has seen up close, we are in a transitional time when
powerful women are ostensibly celebrated, yet the culture at large still
seems threatened by female authority. (Just look at the public reaction
to some of our more outspoken freshman congresswomen.) Given
the parade of power suits we saw on the runway, designers have been
thinking about that question, too. In this, our “The Power of Fashion”
issue, we go deep on what “power dressing” means today, and how it no
longer automatically translates to shoulder pads and pinstripes. These
days, there are myriad ways to look like a boss. But ultimately, it’s about
the power of the woman behind the wardrobe.@NINAGARCIA NINAGARCIA @NINAGARCIAOFFICIALPOWER SOURCE
L
ANGELINA WITH HER
DOGS: “THEY HAVE A
HABIT OF RUNNING
AROUND THE BED
WHEN I’M READING—
PARTICULARLY THE
ROTTWEILER, WHO
THINKS HE’S SMALLER
THAN HE IS.”
TRENCH COAT,
GALVAN, $1,495.
SLIPDRESS, GINIA,
$175. EARRINGS,
BULGARI. SANDALS,
GIANVITO ROSSI,
$995. BAG, CELINE BY
HEDI SLIMANE, $2,250.ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.130