One year ago, Jennifer Aniston penned a takedown piece focused on tabloid coverage of female celebrities and the problems the body-shaming, pregnancy speculation and objectification end up creating for all women.
It was blunt, it was inspiring and it was far from all she had to say about the subject.
Now, in a new interview with Vogue, the actress has returned to the topic and declared, "I don't think it's getting much better."
"I think the problem is the tabloids and the gossip columns taking the human body and putting it in a category," she explained. "They’re either fat-shaming, or body-shaming, or childless-shaming. It’s a weird obsession that people have and I don’t understand exactly why they need to take people who are out there to entertain you, and rip them apart and bully them? Why are we teaching young women this? It’s incredibly damaging."
It was her desire to counter that damage, after many years of being the focus of unwanted tabloid attention, that first inspired her to speak out.
"I was finally like, 'This has just got to stop!'" she recalled. "I couldn’t hear this narrative anymore about being pregnant or not pregnant; you have no idea what is going on personally in our lives and why that is or is not happening and it feels ... In my own brain, I’ve shifted my perspective, so who gives a sh**!"
But she realizes that even when she's the subject of the body comments and baby-bump talk, the effect goes way beyond her.
"If you’re going to walk out and have your nipples showing, or your belly is a little bloated, or you’re not at the weight you want to be — you are perfect no matter what you are and no matter where you are and who cares!" the 48-year-old said.
Aniston believes the public is addicted to "salacious stories," which just fuels the problem. So until there's no desire for that kind of coverage, she knows it will continue, which is why she thinks the ultimate change has to come from within.
"You have to tune out the noise, which is fine by me, because I just know that I’m happy and healthy and doing everything I can to be good in the world and to the people I work with," she said, adding, "But it’s hard."
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