Jennifer Aniston has been in the public eye for nearly two decades. For a majority of that time, there has been speculation about her relationships and if she misses Brad, hates Angelina or is happy in her new marriage.

On top of all of this, she has been reportedly "pregnant" more times than physically possible for any human woman. And you know what? She is (rightfully) fed up with it all.

Recently, she took to the Huffington Post in writing an essay entitled, "For the Record," about being reduced to her relationship status and fertility.

Her words validate something that is true for me and many other women.

We still live in an age that treats women's bodies as objects of communal ownership and that regards women not just as people but also as vessels waiting to be filled and made complete by way of partners and children and families.

Similar to that old nursery rhyme: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in a baby carriage."

Not every woman is dying to give birth. Being a mother is not the only criteria that makes a woman a woman. However, the idea that a woman would opt out of motherhood remains something taboo.

Does signing up for Team Jen mean we have to project our desires onto her? Are we trying to recreate those scenes of a pregnant Rachel Green in real life? Do we think that if she (or any of us) sees two lines on a pregnancy test that she will somehow fulfill the traditional interpretation of "happily ever after?"

According to the US Census Bureau's Current Populations Survey, "47.6 percent of US women between the ages of 15-44 are child-free." I am one of them.

There happen to be many reasons why I choose to not have children. Like when Chelsea Handler said in a 2013 interview: "I don't think I'd be a great mother. I'm a great aunt or friend of a mother."

My overall decision isn't about discounting or dismissing parenting — it's about respecting how difficult and significant parenthood is.

Whether or not a woman chooses to have children, she needs to make the best choice for her own particular situation.*

We really need to change the conversation about women who do not choose to have children from one of shame and judgement to one of choice and acceptance.

*Author's Note: For all the women who choose to not have children, there are many others who simply are unable to and really want to. I am not disregarding the additional planning, logistics and money that significantly curtails their options.