I only realized last week that Jennifer Aniston has a holiday movie coming out – she’s got a part (a supporting part?) in Office Christmas Party, which is basically like the “party movie” for the holidays. I’m including the trailer at the end of the post – I like several of the actors, but this movie probably isn’t for me. It’s more for guys in their early 20s, maybe? In any case, Aniston has something to promote and it’s not her hair. So she covers the December issue of Marie Claire, and she mostly chats about her HuffPo essay about how we need to stop womb-watching her, and how Justin is her soulmate or something. Some highlights:
On why she decided to write her Huffington Post op-ed: “My marital status has been shamed; my divorce status was shamed; my lack of a mate had been shamed; my nipples have been shamed. It’s like, Why are we only looking at women through this particular lens of picking us apart? Why are we listening to it? I just thought: I have worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human.”
On what’s next for her: “This is a time when I’m not completely sure what I’m doing. I’m at this sort of crossroads trying to figure out what inspires me deep in my core. What used to make me tick is not necessarily making me tick any- more … The most challenging thing right now is trying to find what it is that makes my heart sing.”
On her husband Justin Theroux: “Why is he the right person for me? All I know is that I feel completely seen, and adored, in no matter what state. There’s no part of me that I don’t feel comfortable showing, exposing. And it brings forth the best part of myself, because I care about him so much. And he’s such a good person. It hurts me to think of anything hurting him.”
On how she picks her acting roles: “You have to be so madly in love with it and think, I will be so upset if I don’t go and play this person…Especially these days, with Justin in Melbourne. It has to be worth it.”
I actually like what she says about everything that is “shamed” and she’s not wrong at all. We pick and pick and pick and it happens to all women. You have too many babies, you have too few, your hair is too long, your hair is too short, don’t show off your figure, don’t look too matronly, and on and on. Although… did people really “shame” her for being married? Not really. As for the rest of the interview… “All I know is that I feel completely seen, and adored, in no matter what state.” That’s a nice way to talk about love, but do you think Justin is that guy? I’m still not sure.
Photos courtesy of Michelangelo di Batista/Marie Claire.
She looks lovely here, and I’m glad she seems to be happy in her life. Life’s too short not to be happy.
I agree that she looks fantastic in these photos. However I rolled my eyes a few times reading though those quotes.”Why are we listening to it? I just thought: I have worked too hard in this life and this career to be whittled down to a sad, childless human”please she contributed to that narrative and then some. She is now focusing on what makes her hear sing? Does that involve doing movies like this one or the one called Mother’s day or any other of the movies her beloved husband does not even bother to name? And then I generaly think that celebs should really try to restrain themselves and not say things like it hurts me just thinking of something that will hurt my loved one. Because the next moment they are in court fighting over who gets what (I guess in this case – the hair products?) and leaking dirt to the press.
I was wondering why she appears different. Then I noticed what it was. They’ve enlarged her small close set eyes with photoshop but they didn’t scale the right one correctly- it’s bigger, lol. Take a look. It’s googly.
Just looking at the cover… Do I have to choose between being pretty or funny? Wtf?
Ew. Yeah, that is….gross.
That headline is “Grrrrr” inducing!
I love the last photo – idk for some reason Im buying what shes selling and think shes genuinely happy with her life right now. She looks great and I need to know where she got that cozy outfit in the last photo!
I’m with you Mousyb. She looks fantastic & I love her way of thinking. That outfit in the last photo is to die for. Looks like cashmere — can anyone identify?
I do actually believe she’s quite happy in her life; I think people sometimes find this hard to believe because her life is lacking things they feel are important, but she never looks miserable or especially troubled.
I don’t dislike her; I’ve enjoyed a few of her films and shows and she’s a good example of how a not especially beautiful woman can look very good if she works hard. She’s not doing anything hugely significant, but she’s an actress, not a pioneer in any field, and she does her jobs well enough.
I’m glad she finally said something about people constantly picking at her regarding her love life/lack of kids. Good for her.
I think her comments about her relationship with Justin are touching.
I agree that it’s silly to pick on her for such trivial things…
My issue with her or Gigi or the Jenner girls talking about being picked on is how out of touch they seem. they literally make their living from being popular and pretty, it seems like they’ve all built these self-serving platforms to judge all the people who ever doubted/made fun of/was critical of them. It would be so great if there was more outward awareness of what ‘being picked apart’ or ‘bullied’ actually looked like.
Growing up, the kids who got picked on were the ones with physical/mental disabilities, those who struggled socially, who were friendless at school, came from abusive homes, who dealt with crippling poverty, they were never the epitome of ‘fitting in’. I just wish these women would use their platform to to truly give a voice to the socially tormented.
My issue with her is the whole so-called shaming crap. For years she milked her divorce, relationships, and even her nipples. She loved all the “oh, poor Jen” attention, but now that it has grown tired, and the comments aren’t as kind, she is being “shamed.” She is just as clueless about shaming as Ariel Winter. AND to think this shaming platform started because she got photographed looking not-so-toned in a bikini.
Ummm …. pray tell, how did she milk her nipples (and seriously, no pun intended)?
Go Jen!! Great cover.
Best she has looked in years.
Movie looks awful though lol
Man, being defined by her childless status is unfair – maybe she should stop talking about it and define herself with something else.
You know who’s awesome and doesn’t go on and on about their childless status?
Dolly Parton
Cameron Diaz
Oprah Winfrey
Condaleeza Rice
Helen Mirren
Betty White
Renee Zellweger
Ashley Judd
Stop answering these questions. Go travel. Go get interesting in some way that isn’t about your relationships or a lifestyle brand. Stop drinking veggie smoothies while doing beach yoga and give us something else to talk about.
Well said Melody 👍🏻
Why the f–k should she do something you find interesting to talk about?
Gmadb melody
She has been all about the same crap for a decade and that’s not going to change
This is her thing
Why the hell should she change her life to fit your ideal?
Anytime she attempts to talk about politics or anything not vanity related she gets critized for it anyway.
This women can’t win.
People really need to cool it with her personal life. She’s had way more than her share, even for a celeb. Plus, ‘Why is he the right person for me?’ ?? Really? Like, he can be *not* the right person for her and she can still choose to be with him because she likes it that damn way
Glad she’s finally happy. She’s a bit hypocritical on some of things said. As she has used them to her advantage. Nothing wrong with that. she plays the game just like anyone else in a business where PR is everything. But overall, women tear each other to pieces on everything & anything. We don’t need men to hold us back, we do a good enough job of it ourselves.
^This +1000
You never hear men tearing into each other on a personal level the way women do.
I don’t know about this, men tear into each other too. It seems like internalized misogyny to say that they (men) never do it on a personal level.
Gore Vidal commonly claimed John McCain was an idiot who got himself captured in Vietnam as a reason for why McCain didn’t deserve the presidency or senate! Sounds personal to me. Men can be bitchy, you just have to Label it as such.
Even though I am annoyed by her, Paltrow does not speak ill of her core friends famous friends Drew, Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz.
And though I loathe to say this, the icky Handler supports Anniston.
Worth while for her to travel? Didn’t Brad Pitt say something to that effect in a previous interview way before Jen? And this isn’t the first time she’s plagerized one of Pitt’s quote. If you don’t believe it, google for yourself. And the old “childless/having children” scenario definitely got old.
Of course she equates real love with being “adored.” Classic narcissist.
On shorter hair in the deep South. A friend cut her hair a wee bit past her shoulders and her male co-worker said ‘I don’t know why pretty girls cut their hair’. DICK.
I think the majority of men like long hair. I’ve always kept mine short because I don’t give a sh@it.
Good. I love short hair and if I did not gain 75 lbs from Endo meds I’d be right there with you! But down here, women think short hair is not as attractive too. I guess because of the all mighty men that will save there souls! Oh my lawd!
The photos are very nice.
And yet, she poses in the last photo in a manner designed to get us to look at her and talk about her. She is a pretty woman, but she strikes me as someone who is very needy and insecure.
Well, regardless of your feelings for her, I don’t think her comment is really wrong as it applies to all women.
She is attractive, but boring as hell. Pretty mediocre when it comes to acting. Not my favorite.
From one “sad, childless human” to another, life is what you make it and if you want to remain child free, do it. I am tired of people making me feel like I am incomplete, missing out, or worst of all, the most selfish person alive because they don’t understand why I have no children.
I don’t have kids.. and no one makes me feel incomplete. I don’t have friends or family questioning me. I think if if you own your life and live it the way you want the world excepts. I don’t know the people you or other’s know. I have never had that happen to me. If people ask if I don’t have or want kids.. I say NOPE.. Love them but don’t want them in my house.
Maybe the women feeling shamed by it need to tell people to F off and be done.
I have lots of people questioning me about it. You must be lucky enough to know a lot of very nice, kind, and non-intrusive people with common sense.
She looks good here, and seems happy. I like what she said about her husband.
I wonder if she’ll really change up her career or anything. It sounds like she wants to do something different.
She’s gorgeous and “Friends” was a decent ensemble sit-com. The truth is, her “success” in the movie business, is because she was married to Brad Pitt. She has to prove that, she can star in, and “carry” a damned good movie. I think she can do it, with or without having birthed a baby. Having children is overrated; and it hurts like hell..