From body-shaming to relationship speculation to baby-bump expectations, it’s all too common for actresses to be treated as objects and harshly examined for anything but their work.
That’s what had Jennifer Aniston so “fed up” that she penned a powerful essay for the Huffington Post Tuesday, pushing back against “the sport-like scrutiny” she’s faced. And her message is what Melissa McCarthy and other stars are cheering today.
“I agree one-hundred-thousand-billion percent with that,” the “Ghostbusters” star told Entertainment Tonight of Aniston’s op-ed. “It’s always about how a woman looks. It’s like, ‘He’s very interesting,’ ‘He’s a good writer,’ ‘She’s looking older than she did last time I saw her.'”
Both Aniston and McCarthy see the problem as something that extends beyond the entertainment industry and tabloid culture — women all over are facing some version of the same expectations and scrutiny.
“I think everybody needs to stop tearing down women,” McCarthy said.
And she’s in good company with that thought. On Wednesday, other stars — including Reese Witherspoon, Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Aniston’s husband, Justin Theroux — rallied behind Aniston and added their voices to the discussion.
As for McCarthy, she wants to see the practice of judging women based on their bodies end — and she hopes that end is an easy one.
“I just hope it gets to the point where it’s embarrassing for people to have such a shallow thought,” she said.
