A Woman's Duty

Now that Brangelina have sealed their union officially all totally sympathetic eyes are now on poor Award-winning actress Jennifer Aniston. Well all eyes are on her ring finger. And if they could all eyes would be on her uterus. The tabloids have long monitored the contents of Aniston's uterus. Because she is a uterus toting celebrity woman and the only thing that will truly salve the pain of losing Brad Pitt to Angelina Jolie is surely a baby. Babies solve everything. Plus you guys, how awesome would Jennifer Aniston's maternity wardrobe be? AND this successful, rich actress is not getting any younger. So...y'know. Tick tock Aniston. 

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Last week Aniston spoke on the Today show to Carson Daly about the media's fascination with her womb activity. "...it is always such an issue of, like, 'Are you married yet? Are you going to have your babies yet?' And it's just constant...And it's like 'I don't know'. I don't have this sort of checklist of things that have to be done and if they're not checked then I've failed some part of my feminism or my being a woman or my worth or my value as a woman. Because I haven't birthed a child or… "Y'know, I've birthed a lot of things. I feel like I've mothered many things. And I don't think it's fair to put that pressure on people."

When our children's children's children (not Jennifer Aniston's, obviously) look back at the Aniston, Jolie, Pitt triangle (for it will go down in history and on the curriculum: the six wives of Henry VIII then the six kids of Angelina and Brad) will they study the media's peculiar and rude obsession with one woman's childfree life or one woman's peculiar refusal to have a child, or six?

We don't know, and don't need to know whether Aniston is childfree by choice or circumstances. We also don't seem to know that it's none of our business. Which is probably why Jennifer Aniston has not revealed why she is not with child. 

Aniston is one of America's Sweethearts and to not want children makes you a cold hearted bitch.

The reason that nobody seems to be able to stop going on about it is that, thanks to no mention of ever wanting kids with Brad or anyone else, we can only assume that there's a possibility that Aniston does not want kids. Which is hard to believe because she is a cis woman! Women are baby crazy right? Their ovaries ache with maternal desire every time they see a parent struggling to get a pushchair, unaided, onto a bus whilst holding the big shop, their screaming child and the bus fare, yeah? Aw...

It's also apparently difficult to consider because Aniston is one of America's Sweethearts and to not want children makes you a cold hearted bitch. Unless you're fun. Like Cameron Diaz who was pushed to explain her childfree state with practical reasons: "It's so much more work to have children...To have lives besides your own that you are responsible for - I didn't take that on. That did make things easier for me. A baby - that's all day, every day for 18 years. Not having a baby might really make things easier, but that doesn't make it an easy decision."

Oh yeah and she doesn't want an effing baby: "I was never drawn to being a mother." 

So stop asking. 

Squeamish Kate