Alicia Silverstone is pregnant! I could not be happier for her and her husband of five years, Christopher Jarecki. Here’s why she’s so great:
1. She helped a generation of girls find their place.
I was in my teens when I saw Aerosmith‘s “Cryin’” video for the first time. When you’re a teenager and you see another young woman throw her cheating boyfriend out of a car, get a tattoo and a navel ring (ultimate ’90s pseudo-rebellion!), thwart a would-be purse snatcher (Lost‘s Josh Holloway!), and go bungee jumping whilst giving the finger, there’s a certain power in that. Did I mention she does it all wearing a baggy flannel shirt, boy jeans, and black work boots?
When Clueless was released on VHS, I immediately purchased it and watched it probably 3,724 times, partly because the movie is just so freaking well done, but also because for all the talk of shopping and dieting, Silverstone’s sincere performance nails what it means to have great friends and a supportive boyfriend. (Plus, it made reading Jane Austen’s Emma even more fun.)
2. She takes the high road in relationships.
People magazine interviewed Silverstone in 2003, when her TV show Miss Match premiered, and tried to get her to dish some dirt on her love life (she had been dating Jarecki for five years then). In one sentence, she shot down the question with both grace and dignity: “I like who I have.” We should all strive to be so poised and respectful of our partners.
3. Her body is real.
I love this Seventeen magazine cover that she did. This cover would never fly these days, but everything about it was cool then. Even those pants. The best part about Silverstone’s career is that no matter what role she played, she was never a size 0, but she was always beautiful. I look back at Clueless and compare Cher’s and Dionne’s shapely bodies to the stick-thin waifs in, say, the new 90210 cast, and I can’t even imagine the way girls must feel about today’s beauty standards. Silverstone is vegan now — her 2009 book, The Kind Diet, was a best-seller.
Congratulations, Alicia! All the best to you and your family.
[People]
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Terrific little article – enjoyed the read.