Jennifer Aniston Talks About Being Single In The Next Issue Of Elle

Jennifer Aniston lets it all hang out in the September issue of Elle. The actress graces the cover of the mag in a fierce leather dress, looking as confident as ever. And she sounds that way, too. After being dubbed “the lonely girl” by pretty much every tabloid magazine and gossip show ever, Jen seems nothing but awesome as she speaks out about her single status, her childhood, and how she’d loved to have worked in microsurgery if you know, that whole acting thing hadn’t work out for her. The full interview with Jen will hit newsstands soon, but here are the best bits to tide you over. [Elle]

On her “lonely girl” image:

“I’m not going to ignore the pink elephant in the room. It’s fine. I can take it. If I’m the emblem for ‘this is what it looks like to be the lonely girl getting on with her life,’ so be it.”

On her mom’s “sheer” honesty:

“I remember being seven and asking my mom if I was as pretty as [my best friend] Monique. And with all the love in the world, my mom looked at me and said, ‘Oh, honey, you’re so funny.’ She doesn’t lie to me…she answers the question by not answering and instead tells me what she thinks is my greatest strength.”

On her parents’ comedic connection:

“They would make each other laugh like nobody’s business. So I put a lot of value in that at a very young age.”

On her own sense of humor:

“I can make fun of myself. And I’ll bring it up as long as the world is bringing it up.”

On the struggle of love:

“I support women, men, anybody who is in a place that’s not their strongest and who is ready to push forward.”

On her the hardest moment of her childhood:

“My dad walking out and not seeing him for a year and not knowing where he was. I was trying to understand, ‘Where did that person go?’ “

On her dream job if she weren’t an actress—microsurgery:

“The intense focus and detail . . . completely fascinate me.”

Is it just me, or do you like Jennifer Aniston a whole lot more now?