Jennifer Aniston Shouts From the Rooftops: I Am Not Heartbroken!!!
Poor Jen? Not so, sitcom legend Jennifer Aniston said in a new issue of In Style — the enduring narrative that the FRIENDS star is lonely and heartbroken needs to die an immediate death, she insisted.
Aniston, who split from her second husband Justin Theroux earlier this year, said the media's fixation on her failed relationships completely overlooks the fact that there might be more to the story than meets the eye.
Aniston's first marriage to Brad Pitt ended in 2005.
"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. First, with all due respect, I'm not heartbroken," she said. "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?"
More, the "Poor Jen" narrative is completely sexist, Aniston maintains. Proof? Have you ever heard of a divorced man being labeled as sad or crestfallen?
"Women are picked apart and pitted 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," she said. "The woman is left sad and alone. She's the failure. F that. When was the last time you read about a divorced, childless man referred to as a spinster?"
That all said, Aniston noted she's secure enough in her life to keep on keeping on.
"For the most part I can sit back and laugh at the ridiculous headlines because they have gotten more and more absurd," she said. "I guess they're feeding into some sort of need the public has, but I focus on my work, my friends, my animals, and how we can make the world a better place. That other stuff is junk food that needs to go back in its drawer."