Jennifer Aniston Is Over the Media’s Misconceptions: ‘With All Due Respect, I’m Not Heartbroken’

Jennifer Aniston has criticized the media for speculating about her personal life in the past, and in a new interview, she’s once again taking a stand against the misconceptions and invasions of privacy that follow her wherever she goes.

“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,” the actress said in InStyle‘s September cover story. “First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions.”

Aniston’s personal life has been the subject of intense scrutiny since she broke out as a star on NBC’s Friends in the mid-’90s. The focus of most of the tabloid attention is on her relationships — including her recent split from husband Justin Theroux — and whether she is or will ever be pregnant. But as the celebrated actress told InStyle, the real story isn’t anyone’s business, and as she’s said in the past, the double standards are infuriating.

“No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors,” she continued. “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?”

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Talk about her all you like, but with great friends, new projects, and still-perfect hair, September cover star Jennifer Aniston is doing just fine. And at 49, she knows who she is. That means no boundaries, no bullshit, and lots of laughing. “For the most part I can sit back and laugh at the ridiculous headlines because they have gotten more and more absurd,” she tells her close friend @MMcNearney, who interviewed her for her refreshingly candid cover story. “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.” Read the full interview at the link in bio. | Photographed by @BenHassett; Styled by @JuliaVonBoehm

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In 2016, Aniston penned a scathing open letter for the Huffington Post addressing the pregnancy rumors that followed her at the time. “I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body-shaming that occurs daily. … The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing,” she wrote. “The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty.”

In the InStyle interview, which was conducted by Aniston’s good friend, screenwriter Molly McNearney, the actress also urged people to look beyond outdated beauty standards in the name of progress. “It’s time to just stop thinking beauty is in the shape of a size 4 and the right butt size and the right waist size and the right measurements,” she said. “It’s just old. We’ve done it. We’ve been there. Let’s move on.”

What do you think of Jennifer Aniston’s comments? Let us know @BritandCo.

(photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Turner)