COVER_Hilary Duff_SHAPE May 2015

Single mom Hilary Duff covers the May issue of SHAPE and dishes on Hollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards, her role on Younger, and her 3-year-old son Luca.

On Hollywood’s obsession with post-baby bodies: “There’s so much pressure to always have it together, and I’m not falling for it. You see supermodels who have babies, and the next week they look as if they were never pregnant. That was not the case with me. Some days I feel great, others I feel pretty normal, and that’s acceptable.”

On why she’s loving her new role on Younger: “I embrace the mess. I had to be careful not to screw up in public as a child actor. So on my new show, Younger—which is written by Darren Star, who created Sex and the City—it’s really fun for me to play Kelsey, a 27-year-old book editor whose personal life is a hot mess. She always chooses the wrong guy, drinks way too much, and has to cover for herself the next morning.”

On her workout philosophy: “I don’t do auto-gym. I go three times a week and mix it up every time. I work out with weighted balls, battle ropes, and big rubber bands. I do this thing with a sledge-hammer where I swing it and hit a rubber block, and it get out all of my aggressions. Everyone is like, ‘Uh-oh, Hilary’s got the hammer—get out of the way! And I rely on real-life exercise. Carrying my son, for one. He weighs 35 pounds. The other day we went to Disneyland and he fell asleep in my arms, and I had to carry him back to my car, which was a 30-minute walk. I was dying.”

On her guilty pleasure: “The key to a happy life is cheese. It’s a real problem. I can’t say no to it! There’s a cheese shop in Beverly Hills, and my car is like a magnet to it. Luca is crazy about it, too. Love the cheese!”

For more from Hilary, go to SHAPE…

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