In Manhattan, Whitney Bartol, a 17-year-old high school senior, can rattle off Jennifer Aniston’s entire career, from her television debut as Rachel on “Friends” through her series of failed relationships to her most recent role as a flinty yet flappable network anchor on “The Morning Show.”
The actress described her role as “a sympathetic figure, but also someone who you want to be” in the book.
Marina Bross, a 17-year-old high school student in Mexico City who admires Ms. Aniston for a variety of reasons, agrees. Her whole life has been chronicled in the media, which must have been difficult, but she coped with it, Ms. Bross said of the actress. “To me, she symbolises a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it.”
Nancy Eastman, 15, a sophomore high school student in New York City, stated that when celebrities are under pressure, they “break down and start making terrible choices.” When you find out they’re in rehab, you freak out. That was never the case when Jennifer Aniston was involved. Just trying to go on with her life and do what she enjoyed was all she could do.
It seems to be self-evident that she misidentifies the actor with her role. According to Leo Braudy, professor of literature, cinema history, and American culture at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, “fans are constantly attempting to figure out the link between the roles portrayed by the actresses and their actual lives.” As for Ms. Aniston, she believes that if she is a role model, it is because she is a survivor.
Not a single one of these young ladies was alive in 1994, when the first episode of “Friends” aired on television. Each, though, is a member of a loud group of school-age fans who look up to Ms. Aniston as a beacon of authenticity, accessible style, and limitless resilience.
Ms. Aniston, who has been all but ubiquitous in recent months, has maintained her influence as a cultural force, especially among the younger generation. She sobbed into a tissue at the “Friends Reunion” in May, in front of an audience of thousands of people. It was a trending topic on Instagram when she modelled a limited assortment of Friends logo caps, T-shirts, and sweatshirts for a short time.
