Prior to she sent me the film, Jolie and I were talking about her function as Guerlain’s Godmother of the Females for Bees Program (yes, that is her official title). Over Zoom, among the most famous females in the world (and new style business owner with Atelier Jolie) sort of looks like us. Her WFH setup is austere– a blank white wall, a black rolling workplace chair– and she’s serious, yet enthusiastic, as she explains the program, a joint endeavor in between Guerlain and UNESCO that focuses on promoting female beekeeping entrepreneurship and is now in its third year. Bees and honey are main to many of Guerlain’s signature items, including its Abeille Royale skin care line. Through the Ladies for Bees effort, Jolie takes a trip on a yearly mission journey, most just recently to the Yucatán Peninsula, where the Melipona beecheii, a type of bee spiritual to ancient Mayan civilization, is threatened with extinction. Here, she speaks about her version of self-care, being a modification representative, and how we can help support and protect the world’s bee population.
On her tourist attraction towards bees
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” I have constantly liked bees. I’ve never had a worry of bees, and I’m not allergic. I tend to lean toward the animals on the planet that are a bit misunderstood. But I have grown in my affection and respect for these lovely little creatures for many years, as I’ve learnt more about more about their significance– the way they exist in neighborhood and what they add to our lives.
[I found out more about bees] in Cambodia. I have a house and a job [through the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation] where I’ve been working with communities, and taking care of the forests and the security of land and wildlife for over twenty years. I started it a very long time ago in a location in Samlout, which was the very first and last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge. It was an extremely greatly mined area on the border of Thailand. My child [Maddox] is Cambodian, and at first I thought that I would work in this area on de-mining, and learn a bit about the regional people. I hoped to contribute in a good way and just be an excellent neighbor. Then I found out more about logging and the hazards to the environment. Now the project has grown, and we’re working with the rangers and the protection groups to better comprehend what it suggests as it relates to biodiversity. What remains in risk? When you live hand in hand with the local farmers, you find out that bees are essential to pollinating. [Beekeeping] is an excellent ability and income for a great deal of the farmers we work with.”
On bee missions
“Just recently, we were with the Mayan women in the Santa Clara neighborhood. When you go over pollination and biodiversity, it very rapidly ties to a culture of people, a history. Mayan communities have hives, and they use the honey for medicinal functions, for appeal, and as a food. My job is to be a part of the training, and to bring people together and to get involved and assist support it. Sometimes, it’s working to get an education myself on the cultural heritage, the community, and the environment, and likewise to inform others on what I’m learning. I likewise get to deal with training with youngsters, and we get to discuss bees and do ‘bee school.’ It’s fantastic.”
On personal beekeeping
“I do bee-keep at our house in Cambodia. In Los Angeles, I have actually adjusted my garden for the bees, with flowers and plants that are rich in pollen and nectar.”
On what individuals can do to assist the bee crisis
“Awareness is the very first thing. We need to educate ourselves about what is taking place, and the seriousness of the decrease. Then you can begin to question what is causing it. There are various elements that can be defended, like the impacts of pesticides. We can be more responsible in how we consume and what we purchase. Any person can discover their way into it. It can likewise be a fun project like [setting up] a beehive, or withstanding the damage to the environment. We fulfilled these gorgeous local neighborhoods in Mexico. We can support them by ensuring that the forests around them are secured. If they make a product, we can buy from them directly. We need to understand our shifting world and what is necessary– not that we ought to be against development. However we have to comprehend what we are losing and what is at stake.”
On making more conscious lifestyle modifications
“I believe many people [recognize all the dangers to our environment] It is a bit frustrating, and individuals nearly do not know what to do, and how to keep existing or living. A great deal of pressure can be on the customer, however it ought to also be on these larger companies and federal governments, and looking at what they’re picking to safeguard, and what they’re selling off and allowing to be ruined. A lot of federal governments and industries on the planet can make every private person feel like this is all their fault. There are some big decisions that the worldwide community and federal governments might make that would make the most significant modification. We can all do our part, however they need to do theirs, and they have to be held accountable. A great deal of people task that we have ten years, and we either reverse course or wind up in a very severe state where a lot of the damage done to the environment is permanent. It’s not to terrify everybody, however this is the truth of what we’re living with.”
Her recommendations for anyone wishing to make a change
“Like everyone, I’m browsing to find the balance and to live through these times. You can’t be a professional on whatever. Find what you’re enthusiastic about, what you attempt to support and safeguard, and after that do excellent where you can. For me, a lot of it is for the environment, but my heart is mainly for the people in these communities. I have actually worked with refugees for several years. A lot of people are displaced due to the fact that they’re unable to live in the land that they’re from, to farm and feed themselves, or to protect their own natural resources. I would like to motivate everybody to think about the neighborhoods, the Mayan females and others, and find methods to support and to appreciate them, with all the work they’re doing that advantages everyone.”
On self-care
“It’s not the center of my day. But I believe education is an important part of self-care. That’s where I’m happiest. If I feel that I’ve enriched my mind or a relationship with someone through something I have actually found out or experienced, then I feel that I’m growing. For me personally, I do not wake up and have a real self-care agenda, like what is frequently thought about self-care today. I think it’s terrific for people who can do that or if that is their way. Everyone has their own version. I like to seem like I’m growing mentally or intellectually– that’s my self-care. So I think I do [it], but it’s not so much a face cream.”
A version of this story appears in the August 2023 problem of ELLE.
ELLE Appeal Director Kathleen Hou is ELLE “s Appeal Director. Previously, she held the same title at New York Publication’s The Cut. She’s appeared in publications such as New York, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue India, Forbes, and Attraction. She was also a co-founder of Donate Appeal, a grassroots beauty contribution task started throughout the COVID-19 crisis, which contributed over 500,000 items to over 30,000 health care employees throughout 500+ hospitals.
Certified nutritionist with over a decade in health and wellness. Wholesome Horizons believes in a holistic approach, intertwining mind, body, and spirit. She offers advice that's not just educational, but actionable — promoting balanced diets, active living, and the harmony of mental well-being.