If Jennifer Aniston could ban a tabloid phrase, the star says there’s “too many” to choose from, but anything about her stomach would top the list.
Aniston talked about her frustrations with the constant speculation over her body in an interview with Glamour.
“I think the best one would be a picture of me with a hand over my stomach, saying ‘Finally Pregnant!’” Aniston, 48, says.
She says the tabloid media judge her body harshly.
“I mean, it’s like they take a picture of you and create this story. If your body is in a normal moment of having had a bite or two, or you’re having a moment of bloat, then there’s arrows circled around your stomach, telling you that you’re pregnant,” she says. “And it’s like, actually no, it’s just my body.”
Aniston points out that it’s more than just body shaming — these stories are an invasion of a private matter between her and husband Justin Theroux.
“Having a child, as we know, is no one’s business except the couple or individual that’s going through it,” she says.
Plus, Aniston says that the constant question of whether she’s pregnant or not is a fraught topic for her.
“My ideas of what a happy life and fulfilled life are might be different from other people’s. I think it’s to each their own,” she says. “Nobody’s right to judge someone else’s choices. No one knows what’s going on beyond the four walls of your home, of these people who are having or not having children. It’s a very sensitive area to go to, especially. It’s sensitive to me.”
Aniston says too much of Hollywood is focused on looks, and that affects younger people.
“Right now, women’s worth is being quantified by how they look and their Instagrams and likes,” she says. “That’s all so self-created, so why are we trying to add to that? It’s hard enough to be a young woman, or man, growing up and trying to find your identity, rather than having a whole Internet of people weighing in on it. It makes me sad for those kids.”
And Aniston, who is set to star in a new TV series with Reese Witherspoon, says the industry needs to reconsider the lack of roles for women after they hit 50, particularly as her age group crosses that line.
“We’re all still here, and we’re doing just fine. So maybe we’ll, hopefully, be setting the example of “this is what it looks like.” Look at Helen Mirren — rock star, gorgeous, goddess. Meryl Streep, stunning — a rock star, gorgeous, goddess,” she says. “All of the stories, there’s so many stories that are there to be told. Just because you can’t bounce a penny off your tummy anymore, because you’re not 22 or 32, doesn’t mean that should quantify what makes you relevant and interesting.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.
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