Hilary Duff’s comeback is giving millennials a hefty dose of childhood nostalgia – but can revisiting the icons of our youth really bring healing? Lydia Jenkins reflects on seeing her childhood idol live and asks where Christians should ultimately turn for comfort and wholeness.
Hilary Duff wearing Rabanne arrives at the 52nd Annual American Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25, 2026 in Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency)
If you knew me well, it would be no secret that I had an unhealthy obsession with Hilary Duff as a pre-teen. Visiting my bedroom would have been something close to entering a shrine, with posters on the wall, her latest album blasting from my CD player and, finally, a tour around my DVD collection of her movies. But never had I thought I’d get the chance to see her live.
Yet here we are: me, at the ripe old age of thirty, travelling to London in my Lizzie McGuire T-shirt to be in the same room as her.
For those who don’t know, Hilary Duff is an American actress and singer from Texas who rose to fame in the early 2000s through her role in the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire. Since her Disney days, she has starred in several movies and TV series and released six studio albums, the latest of which, entitled Luck… or Something, came out earlier this year. Before her recent comeback, she took a long hiatus where family life took priority, but in 2026, she has been everywhere.
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Whatever her PR and social teams are doing, it’s worked. My Instagram and TikTok feeds have been awash with Hilary content and, as a hardcore fan, it was only natural for me to attend her concert a few weeks ago.
“I’m so here for the collective healing Hilary is giving us.”
Yet her return, and millennials’ response to it, has got me thinking. The overwhelming narrative in relation to Hilary’s recent work is that her return has been ‘healing’. I recently produced my own Instagram reel exploring this idea, and here are some of the comments I received: “I’m so here for the collective healing Hilary is giving us.”
“For me, going to the concert was a way to relive the years when I was a bit more carefree, watching Lizzie McGuire. And finally experience it with adult money. In a way, was like finally coming full circle.”
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“It’s also little me dreamed to see the faves of my childhood live… I’m doing things little me would of loved too, you bet at Hilary I was 8 years old again at the age of 31.”
There’s clearly something here about having the opportunity to ‘play’ again after years of hard adult graft, and that Hilary Duff represents a childhood that is now being reclaimed in a new light. After all the hardship of their twenties and whatever traumas they may have faced, this return has become a collective moment of ‘it’s time to move on’. And Hilary Duff isn’t the only one. This year has seen many favourites return, including Hannah Montana, The Devil Wears Prada and Freaky Friday.
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However, as Christians, we should be careful that these pop culture moments aren’t the things we turn to for comfort or as distractions from our brokenness.
However, as Christians, we should be careful that these pop culture moments aren’t the things we turn to for comfort or as distractions from our brokenness. We must remember that many of these things have been specifically curated to win us over in this attention economy. And actually, in reality, relying on these things to feel whole is like putting a plaster over a gaping wound.
The Bible constantly reminds us that the things of the world will never satisfy us. And they’ll never bring true healing because only the grace we are given through Jesus can fill that hole in our hearts. When we face the difficulties of adult life, it isn’t our celebrity icons we should look to first. It’s the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). It reminds me of the woman at the well. She was also seeking fulfilment in secondary places, but Jesus showed her the living water He provides and how He is the only source that ensures we will never go thirsty again (John 4:13-14).
So, while I had the best time at Hilary Duff’s concert and I enjoy these pop culture reunions, when indulging in them, we must always ask ourselves: am I relying on this for comfort before bringing my brokenness to God? We should always prioritise our walk with Him above celebrity narratives and offerings.
That doesn’t mean we can’t scream their lyrics at the top of our lungs and have a little dance, though, right?
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