Justin Theroux: Jennifer Aniston is Engaged, But She is Still an Iconic Single Woman

Culture

Could this be it? Could America’s best gal pal, Jennifer Aniston, finally be tying the knot? The answer is a resounding yes. According to Justin Theroux’s rep, his 41st birthday was made even sweeter when he received “an extraordinary gift when his girlfriend, Jennifer Aniston, accepted his proposal of marriage." Now that Aniston is getting married to her boyfriend, whom she has been dating since 2011, some wonder if she is doing so because she is following her heart or out of fear of “spinsterhood?”

Since her public divorce from Brad Pitt in 2005, Aniston has always celebrated her status as a single lady. Despite the scandalous origins of Pitt’s relationship to fiancée Angelina Jolie, Aniston has been relatively happy for the couple and with her own life. With her upbeat attitude and down-to-earth persona, Aniston has become a sort of poster child for independent women, especially those who are 40 and still fabulous.

Yet for years it seemed like Aniston hopped from one relationship to the next, each one fodder for the tabloids. With each new beau, it seemed less like she was looking for love than she was looking for companionship. She maintained that each guy was only a friend until evidence proved otherwise. By the end of each relationship, fans breathed a sigh of relief that she was no longer tied down to the scummy guy she was dating; female fans admired her for ability to be such a success and all on her own. 

Aniston’s poor choice in men and search for love made her more relatable to fans; it showed that she was human. That said, her intensely scrutinized love life undoubtedly made it harder for her to maintain relationships, causing this endless cycle of single-dom that was systematically praised.

Aniston now seems to be genuinely happy in her relationship with Theroux. For some fans, the idea of Aniston becoming Mrs. Theroux is little disheartening; they’re going to miss their “I-Am-Every-(single)-Woman” representative. However, Aniston is choosing the path that makes her happy, not the one people think she should take. Married or not, fans can rest assured that Aniston will still be a role model for strong women everywhere and still be their best “friend” … in theory.