Jennifer Aniston Says She Was 'Bullied' As a Kid: I Was 'a Little on the Chubby Side'

The 49-year-old actress graces the September cover of InStyle where she opened up about her past

Looks like not even Jennifer Aniston was spared from childhood bullies.

The 49-year-old actress graces the September cover of InStyle where she opened up about her past. In the midst of a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-head writer Molly McNearny about how social media affects kids now, Aniston admitted she had a rough go of it in middle school.

“I was one of those kids who got sort of bullied, and I don’t know why,” Aniston said. “I was one of the kids who the others would decide to make fun of. It was an odd period of time during fifth, sixth, seventh grades. I was a little on the chubby side, so I was just that kid.”

She continued, “Childhood is such a vulnerable time, and I’m sure a part of me believed all that they teased me about. Thankfully, I didn’t have a phone or social media to look at and think, ‘Oh, I’m not this, I’m not that.’ I just wanted to have fun and play capture the flag.’ ”

Courtesy InStyle

McNearny, who is married to Kimmel, brought up how social media raises the expectations for everyone to look good all the time, prompting Aniston to comment on how it shapes the younger generations.

“Our friends have 10- and 11-year-olds on Instagram,” Aniston said. “They’re starting way younger than when I even gave a crap about what I looked like or what makeup I wore or what guy I liked. I think iPhones and Snapchat and all this stuff is just fueling narcissism. People are using filters and all sorts of tools to mask who they really are.”

In the interview, Aniston also set the record straight about her personal life.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Aniston, 49, told the magazine. “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man,’ and ‘Jen refuses to have a baby because she’s selfish and committed to her career.’ Or that I’m sad and heartbroken. First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken.”

Courtesy InStyle

She continued, “And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. 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 a pressure on women to be mothers, and 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?”