Dear Mary-Kate Olsen And Ashley Olsen Critics
I've been a supporter, lover and fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley ever since I was a month away from being 14. Say hello to the 15 best years of my life. And I'm here to share my story, to talk about the hate the media puts on them and their "look" lately, youtube and my thoughts on them not re-joining the Full House Reunion "Fuller House".
Dear Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen critics
hi, welcome, my name is Jackie, I'm from Germany and just recently turned 29 years old.
I've been a supporter, lover and fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley ever since I was a month away from being 14. Say hello to the 15 best years of my life. And I'm here to share my story, to talk about the hate the media puts on them and their "look" lately, youtube and my thoughts on them not re-joining the Full House Reunion "Fuller House".
So lean back, enjoy and remember all those times, when you were young and your heart was free of judgement...
"How have you been a fan over all these years, even today when they aren't even that much in public anymore or produce high class fashion that "normal" people can't even afford" you ask?
"Simple - by, through and with them."
"How is that working - do you know them in person?!"
"No."
"So you never talked to them, met them, took a picture with them or even saw them from a far?"
"No."
"Okay silly, then how?"
Let me start from the beginning. When I was 13, on my way to 14 back in April 2000, I was about to be a freshman in High-School. I had great friends, ok grades and was not giving a damn about what was going on. I wore whatever was there, didn't care about how I looked or if I wore "boyish" or "girlish" clothes. All I cared about was my new computer and playing "The Sims" on it, that just had launched back then; as well as reading and playing with my friends.
So you were a normal then-teen? Yes, basically.
But I also started to feel a bit sad and lonely. Lonely, because my best friend just moved away from one day to another and the schoolyear was about to be over, so I wouldn't really see my friends all summer. And I also started to feel weird about my body (the typical teen issue), but I was indeed a bit too chubby and the clothes I wore didn't make it any better.
So I was sitting in my room one day and there was a show on tv I remembered watching when I was one digit old... let's say 8 or 9 and I LOVED it. This show was Full House. And there was this girl, my age, at least on the show, called Michelle who was just one of the funniest kids around. And I started to wonder whatever happend to her... where she is now, what she is doing etc.
LUCKILY for me.....AOL rolled around and we finally got internet access at home. A true improvement! I started searching for everything and everyone I remembered liking in movies or somewhere else and as movies were shown here AGES after they premiered in the states, I was bummed finding out that everyone I looked up to was slighty older than me - already in their 20s or about to be and the connection was lost. As being as old as they were, they already lived through the stages I was about to be in and I didn't have anything in common with them from my point of view.
And then I remembered "Michelle". This kid with the weirdest and longest name in the history of first names "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen" grabbed my attention again and I looked for her and her age. And was mindblown to find out, that it was not one girl, but two girls.... twins ...and they were Mary-Kate AND Ashley Olsen. Boy, was I happy that one person didn't have to carry 3 first names AND that they were born the same year I was and that I was actually FINALLY the older one, by 1 month and 1 day.
With simple facts like that, I was hooked. As good as Germany is now, as behind the moon living it was back in 2000. There was NOTHING available everywhere with or about them and the only thing I was able to hold onto was Full House. Now with paying full attention while watching it. Learning who is who by being able to tell who is playing Michelle in what scene. I started falling head over heels in love with this show. Sadly though, the re-runs went off air and I was lost...but no fear, AOL is here - I searched for a little and found ALOT. All in english though.
I liked english ever since we started that class in the 5th Grade, but was I really good enough to read about and even watch AND understand a whole american show in its mothertongue?!
Indeed, luckily, thank god, yes, I was. I'm beyond grateful for that, always and still growing to learn nowadays.
So I basically learned MY english through the way all the actors used it on Full House. Jokes that didn't even made sense the first time, started to make sense the 2nd or 3rd time and suddenly, it started to be even funnier than I already thought it was.
And there was Michelle, I mean, there was Mary-Kate and there was Ashley, always standing out. What could they possibly be doing now, in 2000? When Full House ended 5 years ago?!
I kept on searching and found "Two Of A Kind", Books, actual movies with them and their songs, along with clips of both of their video series "The Adventures of Mary-Kate&Ashley" and "You're invited to Mary-Kate&Ashley's". Dolls were in the making aswell... DANG. And also, a new TV-Show called "So little Time".
So much done and only also JUST about to be 14. WOW.
And their hair, and their eyes and also, they were just as short as me. YAY! Role-model wise without even realizing it at that point, I found my very own jackpot.
As a normal teen would, I started to copy their hairstyles, the way they dressed(not by buying any of their designed "especially for girls like them" clothes, which were never available here), the way they handle things, asking myself questions like "what would mary-kate&ashley do?" when I didn't know what to do and singing along to their songs. Which, by the way, were and still are, catchy as heck.
Without ever talking to them, I felt close with them. And strong through them. They were the best friends I was needing when I had just lost mine. They were the role models I always looked for to look up to, when everyone else was too old for me. They showed me that even with little effort as I like it and as natural as possible, you can find your own kind of pretty and beautiful - simply by just trying on looks,styles or haircuts to find out what works best for you - making you find.. well, yourself.
By doing that.... through all my high-school, as well as early study years, believe it or not, I found myself. And it was time to use what I've had learned in the "REAL" world. I started full time socializing, learning to become a physical therapist and going out with my new friends as much as possible. Experiencing love and life as I always wished for and saw in all of Mary-Kate&Ashley's movies.
They taught me the basics if you will and now it was on me to use what I've learned to really LIVE. And it worked. Perfectly. I met friends along the way, that I would never have met if it wasn't because of the equal love we share for Mary-Kate&Ashley. Again, I'm from Germany... but these friends I made are from California, Georgia, London, Norway, Scotland and even France! And they became and still to this day are (and as I wish as long as possible) my best friends in the entire universe and we go back between 7-11 years. We were even able to visit each other in well, each others countries and also learned something along the way. And I'm feeling SO grateful to have them in my life. A true blessing. Ghettos, you know who you are - I love you!
MKA went along to NYU, doing their college way, living their lives and experiencing everything new that came along with it without telling the whole world or letting everyone be part of it. As much as I was sad not being able to see Interviews or clips or new photoshoots about and with them, I was happy for them. I might have lost the ability to "see them every day" that way, but hey, they "helped" me when I needed it the most and that without me and especially them knowing and now it was time to part ways. I was ready to live and they were more than ready to recieve their well deserved privacy. The one they didn't totally have all these years.
Looking back it's kind of like the life of a today's youtuber....
They are all there, without knowing it, to help you through certain times, stages of age and problems you need to solve; yet you're and even they aren't aware of how long this is going to hold. And you know what? You're not thinking about that. You enjoy the moment and can be thankful it's there and especially grateful once it isn't anymore. They gave you so much private insight for years - why not being happy for them once they decide they want their privacy and quiet?!
I think not being happy for them and respecting their decision as it is, is the meanest thing you can do. You loved them when they were there for you, gave you something and entertained you - when it all was "good" for YOU - but then you put hate towards them when they decide to stop and they would need YOUR help to live free?
a) you're not the center of the world - neither are they, but if they are letting you be part of their world for a little while and you can actually learn and get something out of it - they do deserve some credit.
b) would you hate on your friend/parent/child when they found happiness and need to move/go worldtravel or work in a job thats good for them but you would've imagined something different for them? - no! - and why? - Because even though it's hard and sad on you, you know it's good for them and that after all they gave and did for you, it's time to cut back a bit on the "but what about me? whats going to happen to me now?" thought when you KNEW at some point it won't be exactly like that forever from the very beginning.
c) When you love them as much as you have always claimed to, you'll be happy for them even though it means leaving a comfort zone and a part of yourself behind. They taught you to be bigger, stronger and warm-hearted people and now it's time to let the teacher enjoy their... well... retirement if you will and show them what you've learned.
This all counts in for the Olsen women aswell.
Even though they haven't been much in public eye ever since 2008, and I wasn't as search-crazy as I was back in my /our teenage years, I still felt close to them and enjoyed seeing random things about them here and there and always felt happy when they found love or success in their business.
From age 13 on, they always wanted to be fashion-designers and seeing now, that they've made their dreams come true by working hard and giving it all it takes, I'm SO proud of them to see them as shiny-awarded-highclass-designers now. Who cares if they aren't doing too many photoshoots with themselves as models anymore? Who cares if they barely are seen on tv for interviews? I don't. Because I know even though I'd love it very much, I'm happy to see them being happy and to be exactly who and where they wanted to be in life.
They entertained us for so long and gave us SO much happiness, isn't it our time to gjve back by letting them be exactly who they are and want to be?!
For me, it's like I can "pay" them back a little of the huge happiness, they gave me, even though they had no clue (get it?:P) about it. I'd never question their decisions, because they are grown, strong women with amazingly good, smart and gorgeous heads on their shoulders, who know what they want and who know what they are doing. They found themselves. Isn't that what everyone is striving for in life? I know I did. And I can glady and grateful say, I found it, I found me. And I feel more than blessed and grateful for it.
So if they decide to do "behind-the-scenes" work for their company,decide to NOT show themselves in public too often, or not talk about it so much to each and everyone; love who they want to love, probably even marry who they want to marry even with people not understanding how they could, it's their own freaking business and totally fine. Is anyone judging you for loving who you love? Or would you let anyone do that? Of course you wouldn't, so why would they? Or better, why would you tell them to?
And if they decide not to put make-up on and NOT do their hair - it's their own thing, too. Imaging being make-up'ed ever since you were 7 months old, having your hair done 24/7, having the pressure of looking "oh so perfect" and "all so beautiful" ALL your life, each and every day; getting dissed or laughed at via internet or the media when you're having a bad hair day; getting called chubby or fat when you are in the middle of puberty and then starting to get anorexia and maybe even falling into depression due to all that pressure of ALWAYS being perfect and to look like you did when you were 17 forever and always; even though you're almost 30 - would you like that? Would you wear makeup now that you have the chance to decide on your own? I don't think so! Jinx!
They found people that love them for WHO they truly are, instead of who the world thinks they are and how much money they make or how much fame they have. They love them without high class dresses, makeup and modellooks all day every day - they decided to look over those stigmatas the society puts on each and everyone of us and love the beauty that lives inside and that to me, they still have on the outside. Even if the whole world claims that they "look oh so weird and different now". DUH!
Who in the world looks like they did with 17, now that they are 29? Almost noone, unless they are trapped in sort of a time machine or have surgeries or whatever done, to maintain the exact same look. Creepiness!
Personal speaking though, I'm more than glad that I don't look that way anymore... plus, remember all of those mistakes you made in life back then - and and also especially lookwise? Yeah....crazy.
Most of you reading this couldn't or wouldn't even dare to imagine that or are glad that never happend to you I bet. I know for sure that I wouldn't have been able to handle all the pressure as well as they did, no matter how often I wished to be able to be them.
What it really means to BE THEM, only they both know. So noone else has the right to judge.
If you don't want anyone judging you or putting their nose in your business, don't do it to others! Simple as that. And kind as that.
They have always been generous, sweet, kind and honest people. We all should be kind to them in return. They gave us what they could and wanted and now that they have the control to do that what they want, they have the freaking right to. So let them be. Who and how they want to be. And if you could care less about them, at least don't talk bad about them. Go play someone else and grow up!
Now for the part about them not re-joining "Fuller House" - as a Full House fan, I'm incredibly sad, of course. After all it all started for them there and they are a huge part of the show.
But I respect their decision. They have their reason for it, that only they know. And if the whole original cast and crew of Full House respects that and knows that they still are grateful for the start they got and know how much love they have for the show, we should do it too. As a respect tribute towards them.
Being actresses is their past. They made that clear years ago and said even then, that they wouldn't join a reunion, so they stick to their word and won't let the world going crazy about it change that. Just shows how true and real they are.
They found themselves, their lifes, their love and want to be and are respected and accepted exactly for that. They are them - without beautiful magazine photoshoots, without glammed up hair, without makeup, without fake attendings or doing something their hearts aren't really in - just by being normal professional grown up, 29 year old, Ms. Mary-Kate Olsen and Ms. Ashley Fuller Olsen.
I hope that trip back down memory lane made you remember that both of them brought true joy and happiness to you. Kind of like in their song "When I Grow Up" .... yeah, we all should be kids again...free of mean thoughts and judging attitude or cat fight likeness against each other...and just loving each other for who we truly are and empowering each other instead of putting the other one down. We all should feel like kids again...at least at heart and there... always. <3
Thank you for listening.
P.S.: Sorry for the essay - long "quick thought on things" - I always had troubles keeping stuff short. Which is ironic because I indeed AM pretty short. Ok now, cut it out. :D
P.P.S.: I know its still 2 days to go when I uploaded this, but it counts for June 13th 2015: Happy 29th Birthday Ashley! Happy 29th Birthday Mary-Kate! Much health,love,happiness,luck,success and joy to you! May all your wishes come true and may this new lifeyear be one of your bests. May you always have the power, creativity, mindset and strength to go after all your goals and reach them! I'm so proud of you - you can do it all, regardless of the dislike your getting. Keep going your way, its the rightest thing to do! And thank YOU both for literally EVERYTHING!
Love&Support always,
Jacqueline "Jackie" Neumann <3
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