Jennifer Aniston Argues That Marriage and Motherhood Shouldn't Define Her "Value as a Woman"

"I've birthed a lot of things and feel like I've mothered many things," the actress says on Today

By Zach Johnson Aug 27, 2014 1:06 PMTags
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What timing! The same day In Touch published a cover story about Jennifer Aniston's "shattered" baby dreams, the Life of Crime actress appeared in a pre-taped Today interview Wednesday, where she discussed the media's obsession with her wanting—or not wanting—to get married and have a baby.

"Orange Room" anchor Carson Daly referenced Aniston's February conversation with Gloria Steinem regarding feminism, in which she said society determines a woman's value by "whether or not you've procreated."

"I'd talked to her personally about this for awhile, just because it is such an issue of, like, 'Are you married yet? Are you going to have your babies yet?' It's just constant. It's like, I don't know!" she said. "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 value as a woman because I haven't birthed a child. I've birthed a lot of things and feel like I've mothered many things, and I don't think it's fair to put that pressure on people."

Daly asked why people are so fascinated with Aniston's personal life, to which Justin Theroux's fiancée of two years replied, "If you have an answer to that, please let me know. I don't know! I don't know."

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Aniston also examined her evolution from Friends until now.

"I feel like I've grown up three times. I feel like I've had three different periods of adolescence. I've had an incredible evolution. I keep seeing these little lifetimes that I've lived and they're all so wonderful. They all served me so well," the 45-year-old Horrible Bosses 2 star said. Aniston continued, "All of the fears that I've overcome, challenges that you face that you think, 'Oh, there's no way I'm gonna be able to get through this,' and by the grace of God, you have that strength in you and you get through it."

"I feel very grateful to my evolution and my history and all involved," she said. "I would never exchange it for anything."

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