Recently, information about actress Jennifer Aniston about to become a mother has been published in many news outlets. In response to this “fake news”, Aniston just kept silent. Now, when the rumors have died down, Aniston “posted” a “heartfelt letter” that caused a stir about “not having children”.

Actress Jennifer Aniston is 47 years old. She has been through two marriages, her first marriage ended in failure with actor Brad Pitt (lasting from 2000 to 2005) and her second marriage started in 2015 with actor Justin Theroux.

While Hollywood actresses of Aniston’s generation are all married and have children, the actress from the TV series “ Friends” still seems “indifferent” to the matter of children. Recently, when Aniston showed signs of gaining weight, often wearing loose-fitting shirts or holding a scarf to cover her belly, people started to speculate that Aniston was pregnant.

Although it was a private matter, the idea of ​​Aniston becoming a mother was a real sensation in the American media and public. Immediately, newspapers ran articles about Aniston’s “pregnancy suspicions”, and they all turned to photos showing the “signs of impending fertilization” of the beautiful actress regardless of her age.

Only to see Aniston swimming in a bikini, showing off her toned waist and healthy body. She diligently went to the gym to get back in shape, “smashing” all rumors about her “pregnancy”. Thus, a “failed good news of Hollywood” was extinguished. The “victim” did not comment or explain a single word in the face of the rising wave of rumors.

It was only this week, when the rumors had really died down, that Aniston “posted” with an article for the Huffington Post (USA) Blog. Currently, the article, or what can be called a letter from Aniston, is spreading strongly on social networks, as a manifesto for a generation of women who are completely proactive in all decisions in life.

Let’s read Aniston’s currently viral letter. The letter was actually written by the actress and sent to a prestigious American newspaper, and is not a “fake” letter that is being circulated.

Let me start by saying this – frantically explaining the rumors is never my place to be. I don’t spend my energy confronting lies, but I do want to join a larger conversation that has begun and needs to continue.

Since I don’t use social media, I decided to write down all my thoughts here in detail.

First of all, I must say that I am not pregnant. I am sick of this topic. I am sick of the sport of “ scrutinizing” and gossiping about other people’s bodies, which sadly happens every day and is disguised as “journalism” or “celebrity news”.

Every day my husband and I are constantly harassed by dozens of unruly paparazzi who stubbornly stick outside our house and dare to do anything to get a glimpse of our private life, even though this affects my family life and even annoys the unfortunate neighbors living nearby.

However, leaving this security issue aside, I want to focus on the big picture that tabloid journalism has brought to readers.

If I am seen as a certain icon to a certain group of people, then I am clearly a prime example, through which many people will see me as a mother, daughter, sister, wife, girlfriend and female colleague.

The way we “scrutinize” women is ridiculous and frustrating. The way I am portrayed in the media is how society views and judges women in general.

Sometimes, norms need to be re-examined so that we can truly understand what they are. Norms are generally just accepted by the majority, a subconscious consensus. We must take responsibility for our own consensus.

Little girls absorb the standards we adults agree on, whether they are positive or negative. From an early age, little girls are plagued by questions about whether they are pretty, overweight, or skinny; they know that if they are not doll-like, they will not receive the love, attention, or affection of adults.

Later, when the girl grows up, she wants to be like a supermodel or an actress who appears on the cover of a magazine… These standards are something that girls begin to notice from a young age and will continue to carry into adolescence and adulthood.

We read news about female celebrities only to perpetuate prejudiced standards in our minds, because the news focuses solely on their appearance and body, which tabloids cleverly turn into a stream of assumptions, analysis, and explanations.

That she is pregnant? That she is having trouble with her eating habits and seems to be getting fat? That she has started neglecting herself? Or that her marriage is in trouble? All because paparazzi have captured the “deterioration” in her figure…

I used to tell myself that tabloids were just like comic books, don’t take them too seriously, they were just a comedy for everyone to watch and have fun when they wanted to distract themselves from the reality of life for a while.

But I can’t tell myself that anymore, because the reality is that I’ve been stalked and judged for decades, reflecting a warped societal perception of how we measure a woman’s worth.

Specifically, last month, many newspapers created speculations about me, seemingly defining for me the value of a woman, based on her marital status and motherhood.

Every possible source of information was approached by the press, just to find out if I was pregnant (as had been rumored countless times before… and I didn’t even bother counting).

These stories all contribute to a long-standing common view that women cannot be considered fulfilled, perfect, successful and happy if they do not get married and do not have children.

In the recent dull news cycle revolving around my personal life, I just wonder why, with shootings, wildfires, important Supreme Court decisions, a major election looming, and countless other worthy news stories, some “journalists” are wasting their energy on my personal story.

So, here, I will make my point clear once and for all: we are still perfect with or without a partner, with or without children. We have to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when we look at our own bodies.

Such decisions are ours and only we can make for ourselves. Let us make independent decisions for our lives and for all the other young girls in this world who are looking to us to choose how to live their lives.

Make your decisions consciously, away from the noise of the tabloids. There are women who don’t need to get married, don’t need to become mothers to feel that their lives are enough, that they are perfect. We have to decide for ourselves the ending, “from then on they lived happily ever after”, and how happy we are is up to us.

I’m tired, I don’t want to be part of this news cycle anymore. Well, maybe one day I will be a mother, and when that happens, I will share it with you, and I have to be the first to tell you.

But I didn’t pursue becoming a mother because I felt like if I wasn’t, I wasn’t complete. That’s what the news would have you believe.

I hate letting the newspapers influence how I feel, just because my body is changing with age, or just because they take a picture of me from a strange angle and start rumors that I’m pregnant or getting fat.

That’s not to mention the sadness and discomfort I felt when I suddenly received a series of messages from friends, colleagues and even strangers about the fact that I was about to become a mother, while it was completely someone’s fabrication.

After so many years of experience, I have learned that such news, although dangerous, will never change. What can change is only our perception and reaction to seemingly harmless news that is actually very harmful.

We have to actively decide for ourselves what we accept and maybe one day, the celebrity-hunting entertainment tabloids will be forced to look at it again, through a different, more correct and humane lens, because readers no longer like made-up and nonsense stories.