It's no question that Jennifer Aniston is a high profile celebrity who is no stranger to the tabloids. Whether it be constantly being compared to Angelina Jolie since her divorce from Brad Pitt, her love life or her appearance, she is scrutinized often. However, she is fed up with being critiqued for one thing: becoming a mother. Due to the fact that she was recently married and nearing the end of her 40s without children, she is subject to the judgement that many other women in her same place face. The paparazzi take countless photographs of Aniston, and whichever one is deemed unflattering enough to convince the public she may be pregnant it is plastered on the cover of magazines nationwide. However, celebrity tabloids are not all who are guilty of this. I have seen it for myself among women that I know and within my family.
You know how it goes: a woman ending her 30s without children or, God forbid, unmarried and receiving plenty of sympathy behind her back. A woman who doesn't choose to have children is a shame for herself or her partner and deemed some sort of failure. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie addresses this criticism in her essay, "We Should All Be Feminists:" "Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?" On the other hand, a man in the same situation is seen as a bachelor or some sort of idol for eluding the commitment of a marriage or children.
The purpose of this article is not to criticize women who are mothers, as it is one of the most beautiful and powerful roles a person could have in this world. What we need to realize is that it is not the only role for women. As Jennifer Aniston concluded in her blog post, "We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies. That decision is ours and ours alone. Let’s make that decision for ourselves and for the young women in this world who look to us as examples. Let’s make that decision consciously, outside of the tabloid noise. We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves."
There is nothing comparable to the responsibility of being a mother. It is not for everyone, and it doesn't have to be.
