Hilary grows up to be a role model

At 19, she’s worth an estimated $25 million. But if her name means nothing to you, you’re probably the wrong side of 20; Duff is the original US Tween-Teen Queen.

Forget Britney or Jessica Simpson or any of the other pretenders; thanks to her embodiment of the Every-Tween title character in the Disney Channel’s hit series Lizzie McGuire, Duff became an icon for the new breed of adolescent girl; media-savvy and street-smart, but still subject to the same old growing pains.

On growing up:

‘As I become more mature, my tastes and interests change. Like, so many people have watched me grow up, and I find it really weird when they say to me ‘tell us about your new look.’ I’m, like, what new look? It’s just me growing and getting more confident about my style.’

These manifestations of maturity are also coming through in Duff’s music. ‘It was cool to experiment with different sounds,’ avers Duff, ‘because my music was pretty light before, and that’s just not where music is right now. I’ve put some electro and some 80s-influenced stuff in there, and I’m also writing more. I mean, I never knew that I could write before, because when I first got my record deal, I was like, I get to sing! That was all I cared about. But now I’m older,’ she concludes, incontrovertibly. ‘I think it’s definitely time to stretch my wings a little more.’

On her weight loss:

‘I did get skinny,’ she concedes. ‘I’ve felt that pressure like everyone else in my position has. When a paper comes out that says ‘Duff Puff - she must have gained 15 pounds,’ or something like that, how would any normal person react? It’s so mean, but everyone keeps buying that stuff and talking about it, so it’s not going to go away.’

On her shopping habit:

‘I can’t go more than about 72 hours without shopping, but I don’t think I’m excessive.’

On continuing to be a role model:

‘Know what? That’s (refering to Britney and Paris’ knicker-less stunts) not really my style,’ she says forcefully. ‘I’m going to work really hard to stay successful and appeal to as many different people as I can, but I know there’s always going to be someone younger and cooler coming after me, just like I took over from the one before me. And if it doesn’t work,’ she shrugs, ‘I guess I’m going to have to think harder and maybe try something else.’

[Source & Photo Credit: You Magazine]

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