Jennifer Aniston: Reaction to essay shows actress is not alone in feeling 'fed up' with being objectified

Jennifer Aniston is not alone in feeling tremendously “fed up” with being reduced to her relationship status or fertility as the reaction to her essay on the matter demonstrates.

Aniston, 47, took tabloid culture to task in a powerful essay where she blasted gossip sites and magazines for perpetuating the “warped” view of women as incomplete because they have not had a child or married, while their self-fulfilment is wilfully ignored.

Writing in the Huffington Post, Aniston criticised aggressive and intrusive celebrity “news” for the way in which it seeks to portray her as lacking.

The Cake actress, who is on the cover of tabloids either “pregnant” or “divorced” at least once a month, also attacked the “absurd” body-shaming and objectification that sees women scrutinised for the way they look instead of for their achievements.

“For the record, I am not pregnant,” she writes. “What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of ‘journalism’, the ‘First Amendment’ and ‘celebrity news’.”

Her essay called for women to engender a change within tabloid culture to prevent it from damaging younger generations, and it has struck a chord.

Melissa McCarthy addressed how strongly women in Hollywood can identify with the essay when asked for her reaction by Entertainment Tonight.

“It’s always about how a woman looks,” said McCarthy. “‘He's very interesting’, ‘He’s a good writer’, ‘She's looking older than she was last time we saw her’.

“It’s a ridiculous thing. I just hope it gets to the point where it’s embarrassing for people to have such a shallow thought.”

It remains to be seen how the tabloids will report on Aniston's essay and whether any will take heed of her message.