Zooey Deschanel: Not Every Woman Is 'Dying To Give Birth'

Zooey Deschanel: Not Every Woman Is 'Dying To Give Birth'
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 08: Actress Zooey Deschanel attends the 'New Girl' Season 3 Finale Screening and cast Q&A at Zanuck Theater at 20th Century Fox Lot on May 8, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 08: Actress Zooey Deschanel attends the 'New Girl' Season 3 Finale Screening and cast Q&A at Zanuck Theater at 20th Century Fox Lot on May 8, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

Lest the doe-eyes and vintage flair fool anyone, Zooey Deschanel has reminded us of one thing she is decidedly non-retro about.

In the August issue of InStyle, Deschanel tells writer Mike Albo that she's sick of the sexist double standard implicit in the "do you want kids" question:

'Like every woman is dying to give birth! I don’t think so. Nobody asks guys that,' she says, gaining steam. 'And you go into a supermarket and every tabloid is like, ‘Pregnant and Alone!’ Stuck in the 1950s ideal of how a woman should live her life. This brings out the fiery feminist in me,' she pronounces.

Deschanel's words ring true in a culture that tends to view childfree women of a certain age as sad victims of circumstance rather than individuals making a valid choice. But the 34-year-old "New Girl" star is in pretty good company: Cameron Diaz explained her childfree status to Esquire earlier this month, saying "I'm just what I am. I work on what I am. Right now, I think, things are good for me. I've done a lot."

Given all the perks of being childfree, it's confusing why anyone expects women to become pregnant before they are certain they'd like to birth a new human and raise it for 18 years. Comments like Deschanel's chip away at the antiquated notion that women are in a race to procreate.

With a hit television series, capsule collection for Tommy Hilfiger, an upcoming album, a successful website and three upcoming films, we'd say there's no room on Deschanel's plate for baby food. Perhaps, one fine day, people will stop asking when there might be.

Correction: An earlier version of this post referred to the magazine as the July issue. The interview was actually featured in the August issue of InStyle.

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