Jennifer Aniston 'fed up' with tabloid rumours and stereotypes
Actress says tabloids perpetuate a stereotype that a woman's value is based on her appearance
Jennifer Aniston is fed up and she wants you to know it.
The 47-year-old actress, producer and director published a column in the Huffington Post on Tuesday about her frustration over the tabloid obsession with the status of her womb and the message it sends.
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"For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism,' the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news'" Aniston writes.
She criticizes the "objectification and scrutiny" of women and says the cultural obsession with a "warped standard of beauty" sends the wrong message to girls who think they will only be valued on their appearance or family status.
Aniston says she used to see tabloids as pure entertainment, like a comic book or soap opera.
"But I really can't tell myself that anymore, because the reality is the stalking and objectification I've experienced first-hand, going on decades now, reflects the warped way we calculate a woman's worth," she writes.
Even in a news cycle of mass shootings, fires and an election, Aniston writes, there is still continuous speculation about whether or not she is pregnant.
"This past month in particular has illuminated for me how much we define a woman's value based on her marital and maternal status," adding that these rumours fuel the stereotype that women are incomplete without a spouse or a child.
"We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves."
Aniston says she's tired of being part of this narrative.
"I resent being made to feel "less than" because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: "pregnant" or "fat."
In her conclusion, Aniston acknowledges that tabloids aren't about to change their approach any time soon, but people can change their reaction to what's being offered as the truth.