Los Angeles:
Jennifer Aniston’s love life and womb are nobody’s business.
The actor who has gone through intense media scrutiny over her split with husband Justin Theroux earlier this year, said she is not “heartbroken” and it’s about time people moved on from the narrative of ‘Jen can’t keep a man’ or she is ‘selfish’ and does not want to have a baby.
In an interview with Molly McNeary for InStyle’s September issue, the 49-year-old actor said media should stop with sexist stories about female stars.
“It’s pretty crazy. The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man’, and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career. Or that I’m sad and heartbroken,” Aniston said referring to tabloid stories about her split with Theroux after two years of marriage.
Also Read | ‘Game of Thrones’ castle on sale for less than $1 million
“First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally. There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do,” Aniston said.
Asked whether she faced sexual harassment at work place, Aniston said there were some “sloppy” moves made on her by other actors but she handled it by walking away. “I’ve never had anyone in a position of power make me feel uncomfortable and leverage that over me. In my personal experience I’ve been treated worse verbally and energetically by some women in this industry.”
The actor said it is unfair to pick women apart and pit them against one another based on looks and clothing and superficial stuff.
“When a couple breaks up in Hollywood, it’s the woman who is scorned. The woman is left sad and alone. She’s the failure. When was the last time you read about a divorced, childless man referred to as a spinster?”
Read More | Say what! Brad Pitt’s secret lover expecting his child? Here’s the truth
Aniston hopes things with improve for better in the post #MeToo and Time’s Up movement and she believes men should be a part of this conversation.
“...it’s long overdue. But we also need to be better at listening to one another. That includes men. They need to be part of this conversation. When everyone is mad and aggressive, people become too afraid to speak and there is no conversation.
“Same goes for politics. We need to include each other, to hear each other out. We can’t stoop to the anger. Michelle Obama said it best: ‘When they go low, we go high.’ We should all be living by that if we want real progress,” the actor said.
