Angelina Jolie joined Instagram last week in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and has since become the fastest user to reach the million-follower mark, reported The Independent.
Angelina reportedly gained a whopping 2 million followers in just about three hours, smashing the fastest million record on Instagram that’s been previously set by the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Sir David Attenborough, and Rupert Grint!
Aniston made her Instagram debut in Oct. 2019, gaining a million followers in about five hours and 16 minutes. Sir Attenborough then smashed that record in four hours and 44 minutes in Sept. 2020. It was then held by Harry Potter star Rupert Grint who debuted on Instagram in Nov. 2020 and gained a million followers in four hours and one minute!
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Jolie’s first Instagram post, which came just days after the Taliban deposed the Afghan government in the wake of the US military pullout from the region, was a letter she received from an Afghan girl. read more
“Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,” she wrote, adding, “So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.”
Jolie, the Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), lamented how sickening it is to watch “how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated as a burden.”
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“Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education but fought for it,” she shared, attempting to mobilise people to help Afghan refugees.
“Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.”
Jolie’s Instagram now boasts a stunning 9.6 million followers less than a week after it debuted.
