Natalie Portman criticized rumors that she is pregnant and asked the media to “do better” than speculate about her private life.
Earlier this week, Page Six published a story with the title, “Natalie Portman apparently comes out with a baby tummy in Sydney”, showing pictures of the actress in Australia during filming Thor: Love and thunder. The article suggested that Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied could be expecting their third child together (the two share son Aleph, 8, and daughter Amalia, 3) and speculated that Portman’s loose sweatshirt “strengthens the case of a hidden pregnancy or lateral- steps completely. “
On Saturday, the 39-year-old Oscar-winning actress went to Instagram to clear the record, while also pointing out the underlying sexism that drives speculation about women’s bodies.
“Hey. So, I’m not totally pregnant …” wrote Portman, sharing an image of the headline. “But apparently, it’s still okay in 2021 for someone to speculate and comment on a woman’s body shape when they want to? Do it better @NYPost.”
It is a fair criticism, considering that the burden now falls on Portman to dispel rumors and the report conducts an unfair dialogue about her body without confirmation that she is, in fact, pregnant. And, of course, the media objectification of female bodies can have far-reaching consequences on mental health.
Portman recently expanded on this topic while moderating a virtual question and answer session on Saturday with Little Fires Everywhere stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, during which she commented that women’s bodies “are politicized in different ways” with regard to how women’s stories are told in cinema.
At the end of the day, Portman, who is notoriously private, should have space to reveal whatever information she feels comfortable sharing with the general public. The actress chose to keep her family out of the spotlight and social media, a limit that everyone should respect.
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