Childhood with divorced parents is nothing new, not just in the US but across the world. Yet there is a general negative stigma surrounding it, making it a sort of taboo topic. It’s common, but few people openly talk about it compared to romance or breakups, particularly in the songwriter space. However, Lizzie McGuire star Hilary Duff expresses how, both through her music and a recent interview, it’s okay to be part of a broken home. It’s “devastating,” as she puts it, but her songs encourage people not to let their childhood past of divorce hold them back.
“In a family that your parents aren’t together, and you don’t have relationships with both your parents: It’s devastating, and it doesn’t matter what age you are,” Duff stated on the Jay Shetty Podcast. “You want your parents to feel like they care about you, and a big portion of my existence hasn’t felt like that. ” She refers to her song “The Optimist,” and its lyrics share her feelings of how her estranged father might not be a part of her life, but it’s still alright.
“We Don’t Talk” is another strong example of how the actress’s life goes without being able to connect with her sister, despite having grown up together. For some, it might not be as harsh as separated parents, but it is still sad and often heartbreaking family estrangement, nonetheless. It goes without saying that many of her fans and other online commenters connected deeply with both her songs and her words during her interview with Shetty.
Fans Adored Duff’s Courage to Open Up About Family Estrangement
“Honestly so glad to see this topic in mainstream music,” remarks a Redditor. “Family estrangement is way more common than people think and we need to stop acting like everyone has to stay connected to toxic relatives just bc they’re ‘family.’” Another added how broken homes across America has been higher than its ever been. A third chimed in, saying how placing distance between certain family members can actually be a huge relief.
While we might not hear about it as often from them, plenty more celebrities come from homes with divorced parents or broken homes. Justin Timberlake and Angelina Jolie are two notable examples, with Michael Jackson having estranged himself from his toxic father. The list goes on, but the message is clear: regardless of rough backgrounds, it’s still very possible to move on with one’s life from a harsh past and continue to do so by placing boundaries with those who hurt you. And Hilary Duff wished to express that in her “Luck… Or Something” album.
