Hollywood's Single Ladies: Why They Can't Put a Ring on It
Why are some of Hollywood's most beautiful women still single?
May 9, 2011— -- They seem to have everything: looks, fame, fortune. Yet when it comes to men, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Renee Zellweger keep striking out.
Hewitt recently called it quits with boyfriend, actor-director Alex Beh. They dated less than a year, but, according to reports, the "Ghost Whisperer" star was already picking out her engagement ring.
"She's made some obvious faux pas," said US Weekly deputy news editor Rebecca Bienstock, "some common sense things that girls trying to have a committed relationship shouldn't do."
Her rep told People, "She's doing fine," but then again, this is not the first romantic setback for the 32-year-old actress who has dated Carson Daly, John Mayer and Jamie Kennedy. In 2009, she ended her two-year engagement to Scottish actor Ross McCall.
Hewitt may not have given up on finding her forever love. But for now, she's in good company as a member of Hollywood's single ladies club.
"Whether by choice or not, there are a lot of powerful single women in Hollywood," Bienstock told ABCNews.com. "They are earning crazy amounts of money, they have friends, they have a career. ... It's probably emasculating for some men, because these women don't need a guy to live the life they're living."
These days, Zellweger is drawing comparisons with one of her best-known characters, famous singleton Bridget Jones. "You wonder if she's feeling the same sense of hopelessness," Bienstock said.
The 42-year-old actress, who was briefly married to country star Kenny Chesney, recently split with long-time boyfriend Bradley Cooper.
"It definitely seemed like she and Bradley were on the path to marriage," Bienstock said.
She said their relationship became strained after Cooper lost his father and his career started to pick up.
If Zellweger was upset by the breakup, she sure wasn't showing it. Soon after their split made news, she was out in public -- exercising, having dinner with friends and attending Reese Witherspoon's wedding.
Aniston, 42, is another Hollywood star who appears happy being single. Since her marriage to Brad Pitt ended in 2005, she's been linked to John Mayer, Gerard Butler and Vince Vaughn.
"People assume that she's lonely and sad," Bienstock said. "But it's possible it's a choice, that she'd rather focus on herself and her friends. She's always going on these amazing vacations with her girlfriends Laura Dern, Courteney Cox and Sheryl Crow."
It's interesting to note that all these women are currently single.
"It's difficult for people in that world to trust anyone," Bienstock said, referring to Hollywood. "Sometimes, it's just easier to focus on themselves. ... They don't need a man to complete them."
Nor, as Aniston pointed out while drawing the ire of conservatives like Bill O'Reilly, do they need a man to have a kid.
Crow, Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock have all gone the single mother route -- and they seem happy.
"They have their kids," Bienstock said. "Sometimes people are satisfied with that once they've had several failed relationships."
So should we feel bad for these single Hollywood ladies?
"People like to empathize with them and assume they are feeling the way a single 40-something noncelebrity would feel," Bienstock said. "But these people have so many resources. There's not much to feel sorry about."
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