8 Reasons Why We Still Admire 53-Year-Old Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston originally became famous for playing Rachel Greene in the iconic show Friends. The image of the funny girl next door stayed with the star for a very long time, but eventually, she was able to prove that she wasn’t going to be defined by just one role. Aniston has become a role model for many young girls: she has built an amazing career, she does charity work, and she defies harmful stereotypes in our society.
We at CHEERY wanted to talk about several reasons why Jennifer Aniston has millions of fans all around the world.
She’s not afraid of new professional challenges
For a long time, movie directors thought of Aniston only as a perfect romantic comedy actress. For several years, she had been doing similar movies, and some viewers even thought she wasn’t talented enough for something more serious. But in 2002, she appeared in an independent drama The Good Girl, where she played the role of a supermarket cashier. Jennifer worked hard to prepare for the role: she wore wrist weights for several weeks prior to filming and even during some of the scenes to make her look more worn down.
In her next roles, she tried to steer away from the comedy genre more often. One big success was the psychological drama Cake, where she played a woman suffering from chronic pain. Aniston wore a brace that prevented her from slouching to mimic the stiff movement required. And the effort paid off. Critics said that she was superb, and that “Aniston’s performance is something that most actresses will pray to be able to achieve, but never come close”.
Her next triumph was the drama series The Morning Show. The role of Alex Levy was the most difficult in Aniston’s career. She portrayed a character that had to fight sexism and ageism while dealing with her own psychological problems.
Critics spoke highly of her work, and she won the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actress.
She can overcome difficulties
Aniston’s personal life has always been under as much attention as her work. Her first marriage with Brad Pitt looked perfect on the outside, so when they announced their divorce, people were shocked. The situation got even worse because Brad started dating Angelina Jolie almost right after.
But Aniston managed to save face and commented on her divorce, “Nobody did anything bad... Such stuff just happens.” And when someone said their marriage fell apart because she didn’t want a child, she said, “A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children.”
After she broke up with Pitt, she didn’t feel sorry for herself. She just moved on with even more confidence.
She’s wise enough to stay friendly after breaking up with someone
Aniston says that when a relationship ends, it’s important to find closure. The same is true for both friendships and romances, “You should always have a sense of clarity at the end and know why it began and why it ended. You need that in your life to move cleanly into your next phase.”
It seems that Aniston doesn’t have any problems with that, and she can easily communicate with her ex-partners. During the SAG Awards in 2020, the actress met Brad Pitt, and they hugged each other. They also reunited a couple years ago to read a script for charity. Both actors were constantly smiling, and it was obvious they were in a great place with each other.
Aniston is also friends with her second husband, Justin Theroux.
They regularly congratulate each other on their birthdays and give each other compliments. For example, in one of his interviews, Theroux said about his ex-wife, “Like it or not, we didn’t have that dramatic split, and we love each other. I’m sincere when I say that I cherish our friendship. Also, she makes me laugh very, very hard. She’s a hilarious person. It would be a loss if we weren’t in contact, for me personally. And I’d like to think the same for her.”
She fights for women’s rights
In her interviews, Aniston has often talked about the pressure put on women that don’t have children. For many years, she’s been trying to explain to the audience that even if you are not a mother, it doesn’t make you less of a woman, “I don’t like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women—that you’ve failed yourself as a female because you haven’t procreated. I don’t think it’s fair. You may not have a child, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t mothering—dogs, friends, friends’ children.”
In a different interview, talking about not having children, she said, “No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don’t know what I’ve been through medically or emotionally. There is pressure on women to be mothers. If they are not, then they’re deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn’t to procreate. Maybe I have other things I’m supposed to do?”
Aniston also comments the importance of women supporting each other: “I think women need support of each other. I think we need more female screenwriters. I think we need to have more female stories. I mean, over half of the population are women, and they have incredible stories.”
She openly opposes the standards imposed by society
In 2016, when she was tired of all the rumors about her “pregnancy,” the star decided to publish an open letter with an important message for all women, “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.”
In another interview, she said that women don’t need to think what will be at the end, but just enjoy their lives and have fun the same way that men are allowed to have fun. And she also said that marriage only makes sense when both partners are happy. It is pointless to stay in a marriage only because you’re scared of being alone. “To stay in a marriage based on fear feels like you’re doing your one life a disservice.”
She teaches women to accept and love their looks
The comedy Dumplin’ was an important moment in Aniston’s career. She played an ex-beauty queen and mother of a teenage girl with a larger body. This story reminded Jennifer of her own complex relationship with her mother, model and actress Nancy Dow who was fixated on appearance.
It’s not surprising that the topics of discussing someone else’s appearance and body-shaming became very hot for Aniston, “The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The message that girls are not pretty unless they’re incredibly thin, that they’re not worthy of our attention.”
Aniston herself is in great shape but she is constantly explaining to other women, “I’m just a girl... Standing with hair and makeup. A stylist. A photographer. A lighting crew, wind machine, props, and a computer... I don’t wake up to this.”
According to Aniston, women should accept their appearance as it is instead of trying match the standards imposed by society, “If you’re going to walk out and have your nipples showing, or your belly is a little bloated, or you’re not at the weight you want to be—you are perfect no matter what you are and no matter where you are and who cares!”
53-year-old star says that she will never stop wearing bikini, “If I can be the first 80-year-old to go out there successfully in a bikini, then I’ll take that on. I don’t think anybody needs to rein in anything because of an age. That is absolute nonsense. To each their own.”
She has a good heart
For many years, Jennifer Aniston has been visiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help children with cancer. The little patients love her and wait for her not because she is a star but because she has a good heart.
The actress says that she started doing charity because all these children and little heroes, “You see these little miracles, these heroes, walking through something that no child should ever have to be walking through.” Aside from attending the hospital, Aniston takes part in the Stand Up to Cancer campaign, where she and other celebrities try to raise people’s awareness of this disease.
Besides, Aniston has donated around $1 million to several racial justice charities. She’s also helped raise more than $58 million for people in Haiti. This is not the entire list of the good things she does.
She helps people feel confident
In 2019, the star said something very inspiring: she shared that she never thought she was a strong person. When she was 11 years old, she was asked to leave the table because “there was nothing interesting she could add to the conversation.” That situation really hurt Jennifer, so in her speech, she said that it’s very important to understand what message we give to children, and especially girls. Because anything we say may have a very serious result in the future. Whatever we say or do can either make children stronger or destroy them.
Aniston says that all children have the right to sit at the table. Girls must know they are seen, loved, and they can make a difference. And she adds that true power is using your voice to support and unite people.
Once, Aniston was asked what she would tell her younger self if she could go back in time. Her answer was very wise: “Just wait till you’re 50. It’s going to be amazing.”
Jennifer Aniston really appreciates her age and accepts it. She inspires people and says at some point, she just chose to live a happy life, “Happiness is the big key. My dad is 100 per cent Greek, he barely has a wrinkle. Neither did my grandmother, who was 95 when she died. My life is a happy life. It’s a choice”.
What’s your favorite Jennifer Aniston movie?