When I tell her how much I love Kelsey and Quinn’s power clashes, she says, “I was worried about that at first. We try not to have women tearing down other women in the show. But Laura talked about how she wanted to play Quinn: just like a man. [Her fights with Kelsey] aren’t personal. It’s just: ‘I want what I want, and yes—I’ll screw you over to get it.’”
Kelsey’s aura is a little different; Zicklin describes her, in the hands of Duff, as “tough and driven but vulnerable and real.” Which leads me to the other thing I love about this season: Kelsey isn’t killing it. She’s functioning, as publisher, a lot like someone who was an assistant five years ago. When Quinn steamrolls Kelsey over the timing of her book’s release, Kelsey curses herself for failing to stand up to Quinn. She manages, after, to get a handle on her investor, but—I’ll avoid spoilers for those a few episodes behind—Kelsey’s end-of-season journey is far from smooth glass-ceiling shattering.
It’s exactly this—the failing and fuming—that guarantees Younger a special place in career-girl canon. Too much TV that purports to be about driven women breezes past the actual drive. Sometimes we meet women at the top—think every Sex and the City knockoff, like Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle—and get to marvel at their corner offices, lethally expensive coats, and icy one-liners. Sometimes we meet women at the bottom—think Girls, with all its short-lived jobs and endless introspection—and get to laugh at their chronic missteps, even as we scratch our heads over who or what is financing their hapless existence.
The characters on Younger are something rare on TV: the women in between. Their office isn’t exclusively a backdrop for gossiping about their love lives. They actually have to go to work and solve the problems waiting for them there. Liza had to lie her way around stereotypes to fit the publishing landscape. Diana has fretted over whether her senior status puts her at risk for restructuring. Maggie has dealt with being dropped by her gallery. Lauren went from being employed full-time to striking out on her own. They advance, hit obstacles, adapt.
And because Younger has paced itself thoughtfully, making each woman earn the next blurb on her resumé, I’m invested in them a way I couldn’t be if I’d met them at the unearned tops of their games. Because of its slow burn and its daring push into publishing wonkiness, Younger’s current setup actually reminds me most of Mad Men: a small circle of ambitious people jockeying for power, enduring mergers and triumphs and setbacks. The only difference is that whenever a woman on Younger succeeds, I feel like taking her out for a drink; whereas all the dudes on Mad Men give me the urge to move across the bar.
After five seasons of climbing their way up the ladder at Empirical, the women of Younger are finally getting their due. Liza (Sutton Foster) is no longer balancing coffee runs for Diana (Miriam Shor) with editing books on the side. Instead, she’s a full-on editor and co-leader of the Millennial imprint. And Kelsey (Hilary Duff) isn’t just a star publisher on the rise: She’s the head of Empirical, and the new Charles (Peter Hermann). Over the past five seasons, we’ve watched Liza and Kelsey fight for respect in the company, push to have more women’s-focused literature published, and for their imprint to be given higher status. And now they have it. All of it. They’re calling the shots and running the C-suite. “It felt weird at first. It’s just the three of us sitting in the conference rooms. It feels earned,” Sutton Foster tells Glamour. But just because it feels earned doesn’t mean the women of Younger are ready to celebrate.
The first episode of the season opens with Lauren (Molly Bernard) shooting social videos of Kelsey as she enters the office and telling her, “You are a role model for every young girl with an English degree who wants to believe she didn’t throw away four years of her life. You are the youngest publisher in New York right now, and you are defining a cultural moment.” But Kelsey, who’s normally the type to shout about her successes, seems nervous. Like, really nervous. Gone is the girl who fought to launch her own imprint and treated winning manuscripts out from other editors like a sport. At first, it seems like she just needs to get her sea legs and adjust to her new title—but about halfway through the episode, we find out why Kelsey isn’t displaying her usual confidence.
Miriam Shor, Sutton Foster, and Hilary Duff on Younger
When an author comes in to talk to Liza and Kelsey about a business book called The Glass Cliff, the issues stacked against Kelsey begin to crystalize. The author begins her pitch with, “Research shows when companies invite women into their C-suites, they experience a 27 percent decline in revenue. Why? Why are women underperforming? Or maybe we shouldn’t be blaming the women at all. Maybe they’re being set up to fail. Women inherit distressed companies far more often than their male counterparts. When an institution is in crisis, the next man up usually gets the axe, so why not make him a woman?”
This isn’t just a fictional premise. The term “glass cliff” was first coined in 2005, and according to research, is just as prevalent of a problem today. With Kelsey’s promotion coming on the heels of a new, risky stakeholder taking financial control of the company, her appointment feels like an opportunity to make her a scapegoat in case Empirical goes under. And it’s not lost on her.
Opening up about one’s experiences with mental health is far from an easy thing to do, especially when stigma is still very real. Many celebrities, however, have begun to break this barrier in years past, one of them being actor Troian Bellisario. The former Pretty Little Liars star has been vocal about her journey with mental health, sharing her experiences with anxiety and an eating disorder in order to help young fans who may be going through similar battles.
In a recent video, Troian opened up once again about what she has faced, joining the Child Mind Institute‘s #MyYoungerSelf campaign. In the clip, she gives useful advice to her younger self about how to do deal with and embrace her feelings, whether they be happy, sad, or painful. “It’s totally normal for you to feel like somedays you might be overwhelmingly sad, or some days you might be very angry,” she says in the clip. “Some days you might be really happy, and all of these [feelings] are real, and they’re legitimate, and they’re yours.
She adds: “Don’t hide them or push them away…. You’re an incredible person, you’re a sensitive person… You don’t have to take it out on yourself or hurt yourself in any way because you are loved; you are worthy of being loved.”
The #MyYoungerSelf campaign was created in order for actors, athletes, and others in the public eye to share hope with those who may be dealing with their own mental health journey. Others who have participated in the campaign are Isaac Mizrahi, Bo Burnham, and Alyson Stoner.
Troian has been very vocal about her eating disorder in the past. In 2017, while promoting her film Feed, she told Teen Vogue: “For somebody who’s experienced it, you know that when that voice speaks, you feel compelled to listen. You’re either trying to avoid its punishment, or avoid the pain that comes from not listening to it. For somebody who doesn’t experience an eating disorder, they have to understand why somebody would be motivated to follow its orders.” In an essay for Lenny Letter, she opened up further, explaining that that voice follows her every single day, even if her eating disorder itself has alleviated as she’s grown older and attained help.
Troian ends the video saying, “You will grow and you will experience different things and I’m really proud of you,” reminding us all that we are seen, worthy, and loved.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, NEDA‘s toll-free, confidential helpline (800-931-2237) is here to help: Monday-Thursday from 9AM to 9PM EST and Friday 9AM to 5PM. NEDA’s helpline volunteers offer support and basic information, locate treatment options in your area, and can help you find answers to any questions you may have.
Over the weekend Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale were spotted leaving a Los Angeles comedy club holding hands. In the paparazzi photo, seen above, Beckinsale, 45, with her open coat, knee-high boots, and sky-high ponytail, looks hot AF. Davidson, 25, leads the way in a graphic sweatshirt as a lollipop dangles from his mouth.
Nick Jonas, 26, put a ring on Priyanka Chopra, 36.
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The paparazzi shot called to mind another photo of Davidson, one from this summer that captured him with Ariana Grande as they left their then shared apartment. (This was before she said “Thank u, next” to their engagement.) In it, Grande wears an oversize sweatshirt with her signature thigh-high boots and sky-high ponytail, clasping hands with Davidson. They have matching lollipops. The photo spurred tons of memes, and quickly became one of 2018’s most popular Halloween costumes.
But it also signified something greater: The pic seemed to kick off a sea change in celebrity coupledom. Grande and Davidson had just announced their engagement, after only about a month of dating, and were happily flaunting their newfound love and commitment to the world. Soon after, their peers started following suit. Justin Bieber popped the question to Hailey Baldwin, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra made it official, and so on. As Glamour put it at the time, suddenly marriage and babies had become the new naked selfie.
Naomi Campbell, 48, isn’t the first older woman Liam Payne, 25, has dated. His ex, Cheryl Cole, was 10 years his senior.
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Davidson’s first boo’d up candy-coated pic might have kicked off the summer of love, but his latest shot with Beckinsale is announcing the current trend in celebrity relationships: More women in Hollywood are dating much younger men. There’s Beckinsale and Davidson and their 20-year age difference, of course. Meanwhile, Naomi Campbell, 48, is reportedly getting it on with One Direction–er Liam Payne, 25. This Is Us star Chrissy Metz, 38, is dating Hal Rosenfeld, a 25-year-old composer. Kourtney Kardashian, 39, may or may not be seeing Luka Sabbat, the 21-year-old Grown-ish star. And, as previously mentioned, Chopra, 36, and Jonas, 26, recently tied the knot.
Chrissy Metz, 38, and her boyfriend, Hal Rosenfeld, 25, tear up the red carpet.
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Older women with younger beaux is even becoming more normalized on television. In this season of Grace and Frankie, for example, Jane Fonda, 81, has a love interest in Peter Gallagher, 63. This is, of course, only a recent example—I have to hat-tip Golden Girls for pairing Blanche Devereaux with a much younger aerobics instructor all the way back in 1985. We’re breaking age barriers in politics too: French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, is 24 years his senior, and they’re nothing short of couple goals.
People on Twitter are here for all of it. “Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale hooking up is foreshadowing how dope 2019 is going to be. Let’s go,” said one user. Another said, “I was not aware of Priyanka and Nick Jonas’ age difference until today and while before I didn’t particularly care about this couple I am in full Shakira-Pique support. GET IT LADIES.”
What’s even more surprising, given the garbage fire of hate that often comes with social media commentary? There’s very little outrage about their age differences. In the past we might have seen countless tweets and think pieces questioning what these men could possibly see in an older woman. Now, though, the narrative has shifted: People are valuing these relationships for what they really are—a hot, successful woman at the top of her game getting her life. People may have criticized the overt spon-con of Chopra and Jonas’ wedding, but nobody batted an eye at their age gap. In all the fanfare around Beckinsale and Davidson, people are only questioning why she’d be into him.
Studies say women don’t hit their sexual peak until they turn 36—why the hell wouldn’t these dudes want to get in on that?
It hasn’t always been this way. In the past, society gave men like actor Jason Statham, 51, a pat on the back for dating Victoria Secret’s model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 31. Or praised Michael Douglas, 74, for landing Catherine Zeta-Jones, 49. But do you remember the backlash when the OGs of this trend, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, first began dating in 2009? It shocked the world. “People made such a fuss about it you would have thought the world had never seen it before,” Moore once said of the public fascination. “Age wasn’t what I was thinking about, but to the rest of the world, it was a very big deal.”
Kourtney Kardashian, 39, is the patron saint of dating below her age bracket. Luka Sabbat, her current fling, is 21. Scott Disick is 35. Her ex Younes Bendjima is 25.
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It’s 2019. Women are running for president in spades, taking back our power in Hollywood, and fully owning our sexuality. Isn’t it time to change the fact that women in Hollywood are told they’ve “peaked” at 30, while men age like a fine wine? Who knows, maybe more women dating a pretty young thing can change that mind-set. I mean, I’d love to watch a rom-com in which recent red-carpet BFFs Glenn Close and Timothée Chalamet (also known as Glennothée) fall madly in love. The more we honor these women as the sexy and powerful figures they are—whether it’s by respecting their desirability to younger men or simply validating their right to exist onscreen—the better off we’ll all be. In the meantime, I’ll just be here, setting my age limits on Bumble back by a few years.
Demi Lovato’s family continues to open up about the singer’s overdose and recovery. Late last month, Demi’s mother, Dianna De La Garza, commented on her daughter’s hospitalization for an apparent overdose and how, at the time, she wasn’t sure whether or not her daughter was going to survive. Now Demi’s sister Madison De La Garza is opening up about the ordeal as well.
“Demi’s doing, she’s doing really well,” De La Garza said during an appearance on the Millennial Hollywood with Dakota T. Jones podcast, per Perez Hilton. “She’s working really hard on her sobriety and we’re all so incredibly proud of her. It’s been crazy for our family.” The young actor also acknowledged that her family has been through a lot over the years, but that they “always come out on the other side a hundred times stronger than before.”
Madison was also asked what she plans on doing with Demi when she leaves the rehab facility where she’s receiving treatment. “I guess I’m really excited to…I mean there’s so many little things,” she said. “It sounds so small, but go to Menchie’s [Frozen Yogurt]. Honestly, I’m more of a Pinkberry person, but she likes Menchie’s, so we, like, we usually go there.”
There doesn’t yet seem to be a timetable for Demi’s release from the treatment facility, but according to her mom, she’s on the road to recovery. “She’s happy. She’s healthy. She’s working on her sobriety, and she’s getting the help she needs,” Dianna said last month. “And that, in itself, encourages me about her future and about the future of our family.”
You can listen to Madison’s full podcast appearance below, and skip to the 41:37 mark to hear her speak about her sister Demi.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of that, the Child Mind Institute has collaborated with celebrities and activists to share the kind of advice they could’ve used when they were younger. Kicking off this very special #MyYoungerSelf campaign is Kristen Bell, who has been open in the past about the anxiety and depression she’s experienced since she was 18 years old.
On Tuesday, the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and young adults with mental health and learning disorders, released a video in which Bell offers her past self a few pieces of very valuable advice about embracing every aspect of her personality and no longer comparing herself to others.
“Don’t be fooled by this game of perfection that humans play. Because Instagram and magazines and TV shows, they strive for a certain aesthetic, and everything looks so beautiful, and people seem like they don’t have any problems, but everyone’s human. Everyone has problems. Everyone feels yucky on the inside sometimes,” Bell says in the video. “You deserve to feel just as beautiful on the days you wear no makeup, and the days you don’t shower, and the days you feel like you’re depressed. And you have an obligation to take care of yourself from the inside out, because that’s how you can truly feel beautiful.”
The 37-year-old goes on to encourage her younger self (and all others watching) to seek help if they need it. “You are not alone,” Bell says. “Never feel embarrassed or ashamed about who you are. There are plenty of things to feel embarrassed or ashamed about. If you forget your mom’s birthday, feel embarrassed about that! If you are prone to gossiping, feel ashamed about that. But never feel embarrassed or ashamed about the uniqueness that is you.” She added, “Because there are people out there to help. And we’re all just human. And you can do it.”
“These actors, athletes, authors, and influencers are helping to eradicate the stigma that keeps the one in five young people who struggle with a mental health or learning disorder from getting help and reaching their potential,” Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, founder and president of the Child Mind Institute, said in a statement. “#MyYoungerSelf represents our society, whether you’re famous or not, coming together to get these kids the help they need.”
