It’s difficult to find a girl whose childhood was not somewhat influenced by Hilary Duff. She was more than just the queen of Disney Channel—she was the girl we all wanted to grow up to be, beautiful and talented but also funny and relatable with her girl-next-door charm. Fourteen years after Lizzie McGuire first aired (yes, fourteen years—feel old yet?) she’s still killing the game by balancing a TV series and new album with being a mom.
In honor of the release of her new album Breathe In. Breathe Out, here are just a few reasons Hilary Duff will always be the best.
1. She perfectly captured all your everyday emotions in Lizzie McGuire.
Our Hilary Duff obsession definitely began with the amazingness that was Lizzie McGuire. Lizzie just got us, you know?
Perfectly captured pre-teen angst. She also probably heavily influenced your style. I mean, who wouldn’t want their hair to look like that?
2. Her music was INSPIRATIONAL.
This was definitely your fourth grade pump-up jam as you prepared to talk to your crush. And if the boy wasn’t as into you as you thought he was? No worries, he’s SO yesterday.
3. All her movies were on-point.
Moving past Lizzie McGuire, Hilary proved she could play any role and be fabulous! She starred in Cadet Kelly, Raise your Voice, a Cinderella Story, and so many more quality movies that proved her depth and ability as an actor.
4. As she grows older, she remains a role model for young girls and women.
With so much fame as a young girl, Hilary was set up to be a child-star-gone-bad, yet she uses her fame in a positive way to make a difference. Recently, Hilary has spoken out about her body image struggles as a teenager and is very open about her love-hate relationship with her body. She admits that growing up in the spotlight was not easy and took a toll on her self-esteem, so she chose to take time off from her career in order to live a more normal life. Now that she’s back as a singer and actress (her latest album was the first album she released in seven years!), she’s learning to balance motherhood and fame. Read about her positive outlook on her body and life in articles like this one.
It’s clear that Luca, her three-year-old son, is her number one priority in her life. He’s adorable!
Check out her new album with hits like Sparks (watch the Tinder-inspired music video here) and singles Chasing the Sun and All About You for a classic Hilary Duff sound but more mature themes than her past music.
We love you, Hilary!
The HCND application is now open! For more information contact Rebecca Rogalski at rebeccarogalski@hercampus.com or Katrina Linden at katrinalinden@hercampus.com