This chapter contends that the star persona of American actor Jennifer Aniston constitutes one of the most fraught discursive sites in celebrity culture for anxieties relating to the reproductive body, or more specifically, the taboo status of the non-mother in contemporary society. Indeed, Aniston has become emblematic of the overwhelmingly negative way in which women without children are viewed, whether that be through the lens of pity (when non-motherhood is perceived as involuntary) or disdain (in the case of voluntary non-motherhood). Taking Aniston’s star text as a focal point, Rodgers examines the nefarious treatment of women without children and queries why womanhood and fulfilment continue to be conflated with motherhood. The chapter also carefully nuances the discussion of non-motherhood by using Aniston’s star text to illustrate shifting positions on the spectrum of non-motherhood which, in turn, problematises the tendency to split non-mothers into absolutely voluntary or non-voluntary categories.

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Interrogating Non-Motherhood through the Star Text of Jennifer Aniston

  • Julie Rodgers

摘要

This chapter contends that the star persona of American actor Jennifer Aniston constitutes one of the most fraught discursive sites in celebrity culture for anxieties relating to the reproductive body, or more specifically, the taboo status of the non-mother in contemporary society. Indeed, Aniston has become emblematic of the overwhelmingly negative way in which women without children are viewed, whether that be through the lens of pity (when non-motherhood is perceived as involuntary) or disdain (in the case of voluntary non-motherhood). Taking Aniston’s star text as a focal point, Rodgers examines the nefarious treatment of women without children and queries why womanhood and fulfilment continue to be conflated with motherhood. The chapter also carefully nuances the discussion of non-motherhood by using Aniston’s star text to illustrate shifting positions on the spectrum of non-motherhood which, in turn, problematises the tendency to split non-mothers into absolutely voluntary or non-voluntary categories.