Is there anything missing in Jennifer Aniston's life?
The short answer is no. Still, tabloids often allege that the actress is longing for more than what she already has. (As if her sexy fiancé Justin Theroux and a Golden Globe nomination weren't enough!) The recurring rumor is that Aniston is either pregnant, pregnant with twins or desperate to get pregnant. "I don't like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women—that you've failed yourself as a female because you haven't procreated. I don't think it's fair. You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn't mean you aren't mothering—dogs, friends, friends' children," the 45-year-old star says.
"I have a lot of friends who decided not to have children, who can't have children, or are trying but are having a difficult time. There's all sorts of reasons why children aren't in people's lives, and no one has the right to assume," The Horrible Bosses 2 actress continues. "It's quite rude, insulting and ignorant."
Unfortunately, the narrative about Aniston's personal life hasn't changed since her marriage to Brad Pitt ended. "This continually is said about me: that I was so career-driven and focused on myself; that I don't want to be a mother, and how selfish that is," she says in Allure magazine's January 2015 issue. While it might sound like she's unfazed by this point, she says, "Even saying it gets me a little tight in my throat."
Aniston is also tired of hearing what people have to say about her film career. In the drama Cake, for example, her character is in chronic pain after being in a car crash. While filming, she stopped wearing makeup, shaving, and looking in mirrors; she also had a large prosthetic scar on her face. "So much of the exercise was just letting yourself fall apart," she recalls. Still, when photos of Aniston on-set were published, the discussion about her onscreen transformation annoyed her. "A woman going physically unattractive is where you get recognition and some sort of respect. You read things like, 'Oh, finally, she's acting!'" The actress calls such criticism "quite sexist, to be honest, because men don't get that."
Feminism, she points out, is "simply believing in equality between men and women. Pretty basic."
Describing her fiancé, Aniston gushes, "We're equals. He's a nurturer. He is so fiercely loyal. Beyond protective. I mean, the way he takes care of our dogs, he takes care of me, he takes care of friends."
Aniston doesn't say much about their wedding plans. "We do talk about it all the time," she teases.