We’re obsessed with Molly Ringwald now more than ever
It was easy to be obsessed with Molly Ringwald in the 1980’s. She starred in the holy trinity of John Hughes teen movies “Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty in Pink,” and that teen-movie-to-end-all-other-teen-movies “The Breakfast Club.” She played a huge part in creating such teen fantasies as “the popular guy falling in love with the invisible girl,” “the mean girl who turns out to be cool,” and “making your own prom dress and that actually not being the worst idea ever.” Every girl wanted to be Molly Ringwald in the 1980’s, heck I wanted to be Molly Ringwald and I was barely born yet.
It was easy to be obsessed with Molly Ringwald then and it’s even easier to be obsessed with her now. Girl has done SO MUCH with her life it borders on the ridic. I am super-convinced that Ringwald has access to a Harry Potter time-turner. Either that, or a Doctor Who TARDIS. She just gets so many cool things done on the regular! If you haven’t been keeping up with Ms. Molly’s career accomplishments and generally badassness of late, we’ll get you up to speed right now.
1.) She Just Became An Advice Columnist
For The Guardian! Every week she answers questions like “Should Parents Be Spying On Their Teenage Daughter” and “Is My Girlfriend Saying Goodbye”? with ALL the honesty and heart.
For those teenager-spying parents, Ringwald advocates for transparency, arguing:
“Do the unpleasant thing, and be honest about how you feel and why. They might be defensive, but if you express what you feel with genuine love, they’ll get over it. If the idea makes you too uncomfortable, direct them here. I’ll be the heavy.”
For the dude whose girlfriend wants a year-long break, Ringwald says:
“If you and your soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend (I know, that hurts, but get used to saying it) both choose each other after the year apart, and you feel you can reconnect without punishing her for the agony you feel now, you have a great opportunity to have a real, honest relationship, not the fairytale myth we’ve all been fed since birth. Or, then again, you might find yourself thanking her in your wedding toast to the new one. Only time will tell.”
Molly Ringwald, we worship at the altar of your wisdom.
2.) Her Long And Storied Jazz Career
So apparently Ringwald is also a bananas-accomplished jazz singer, and the New Yorker just did a piece all about how hard she rocks it onstage.
Are you, like, DYING to hear Ringwald do a jazzy cover of “Don’t You Forget About Me”? I know, me too, so here you go!
3.) She’s An Acclaimed Novelist
She’s the author of “When It Happens To You: A Novel In Stories,” which was published in 2012 and received rave reviews from Vanity Fair (“[. Her] stories ring with authenticity, voices so true and honest that we imagine she’s been eavesdropping on our conversations. Once again she connects us.”) and The Washington Post (“Ringwald’s storytelling succeeds as much on the page as her acting has done on screen. I look forward to her next literary performance.“)
4.) She Was Featured On One Of This Year’s Best “This American Life” Episodes
Her segment is about watching “The Breakfast Club” for the first time with her preadolescent daughter and, trust a girl, it is EVERYTHING.
5.) She Kills It All The Time On Twitter
She spends the majority of her Twitter time giving props to young ladies accomplishing big things (Shailene Woodley, Tavi Gevinson, and Emma Watson have all recently received the Ringwald Seal of Twitter Approval) and she’s also completely hilar when it comes to tweeting with her tongue firmly placed in her cheek. Here’s a sample of her loveliness:
You know who else understands? Molly Ringwald.