Jennifer Aniston’s Penned Letter Disingenuous?
Jennifer Aniston recently penned an essay in the Huffington Post which was intended as a means to share her frustration with the media, and especially the tabloids, who print false stories about her and make her a consistent and constant staple in celebrity news.
Although she got her point across that she is “not pregnant,” but instead “fed up,” the actress went about getting her voice heard in the very manner which would only cause more talk about her. As Page Six notes, Aniston begins by writing, “For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed-up,” due to the constant pregnancy rumors about the star.
Why did Jennifer Aniston decide to publish her essay on body shaming on HuffPo? https://t.co/CHsFIhaAeq pic.twitter.com/3xmJp3xnSN
— Slate (@Slate) July 15, 2016
Aniston continues to focus on the importance of not objectifying women and seeing them as more than the physical beings that they are, yet in every interview, due to Aniston’s less-than-sizzling acting career, the main focus falls to her beauty tips, fitness regimens, and diet secrets. Is this not all very superficial? The perfect body, perfect hair, and diet to ensure to assist in keeping svelte are all the means to get Aniston on those covers upon which she has appeared half naked.
Jen has been on a number of magazine covers that have done exactly what she claims in her essay to be against, i.e. objectify her body. She has been topless with a tie on and half naked in a men’s shirt. This is all well and good and not at all something the Friends star should be shamed for, yet to state that she is not looking for media attention or to be objectified, following sharing of personal details and posing as she has on magazine covers, boils down to hypocrisy.
Additionally, Aniston makes the point that there is more important news out there for media outlets to focus on. Things that are of more importance than whether or not she is pregnant. Although this is all very true, as Page Six reminds, Aniston uses the “humble brag” approach to demonstrate her concern for world issues while gloating over the attention she gets.
“In this last boring news cycle about my personal life,” she writes, “there have been mass shootings, wildfires, major decisions by the Supreme Court, an upcoming election, and any number of more newsworthy issues that ‘journalists’ could dedicate their resources towards.”
By doing so, Aniston only makes herself the topic of conversation and media headlines for another week, thereby causing the star, once again, to face those stories and headlines that she is apparently “fed up” with.
Jennifer Aniston pens powerful letter on media shaming: https://t.co/dRsE8AxxEG pic.twitter.com/lstqgCKflL
— VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) July 16, 2016
It is, however, understandable that Aniston would be entirely frustrated with the tabloids, seeing as when looking back at all the masses of headlines about her, it seems the star has pretty well been with child for an entire decade. Aniston has noted that the topic of children and pregnancy is a sensitive one for her in the past, and has been upfront that these rumors do sting a bit. Back in 2011, Aniston shared with People about her hope for a family and a new hubby after she had just started seeing now-husband Justin Theroux.
“I think people honestly just want to see me as a mom and married and barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. And I just want to say, ‘Everybody, relax! It’s going to happen!”
Although every cliche she mentions in that line seems something the star condemns in her penned essay, it is obvious that people’s attitudes on matters can change, yet it also is one more reason her essay seems somewhat disingenuous.
[Photo by Kevin Merritt/Getty Images]
