05/25/2026
Stripping away the rigid timelines that society pushes onto women takes a beautiful level of self-assurance, and speaking that truth out loud is giving a voice to a massive, quiet generation. 🪞🕊️✨
Pretty Little Liars alum Lucy Hale has left fans feeling incredibly seen, validated, and inspired following a deeply candid appearance on André Duqum's Know Thyself podcast. While the expansive, feature-length conversation dove into her powerful milestones with long-term sobriety and healing her childhood relationship with body image, it was her raw perspective on navigating her mid-30s entirely on her own terms that instantly went viral across TikTok and Instagram feeds:
“I’m 36. I’m not married, and I don’t have kids… I feel like there’s a lot of women who probably need to hear that it’s okay to not have that at this point in your life.”
Lucy beautifully addressed the quiet, sometimes heavy societal weight that comes with being an unmarried woman over 35, noting that she has recently been met with a lot of well-meaning but subtly intrusive "pity" or concerned looks from people within her social circles. Rather than viewing her independence as a missing piece or a delay, the The Hating Game actress reclaims her single era as a time of immense, targeted self-discovery:
The Artistic Perspective: Lucy firmly urged her listeners to completely stop comparing their personal life chapters to the curated timelines of everyone else around them.
The Lesson: While she notes that she absolutely hopes to welcome a partner and a family into her world in the future, she believes her current chapter is an active calling toward a deeper spiritual journey, adding: "There are big lessons within being alone at this time in your life. There’s nothing wrong with it."
By refusing to settle for the sake of checking a box, Lucy is single-handedly helping to dismantle the outdated myth that a woman's fulfillment depreciates if she hasn't met traditional milestones by a certain age. Her beautiful transparency serves as a comforting reminder that your worth is never measured by a ring on your finger or a specific family status - sometimes, building a rock-solid, loving relationship with yourself is the greatest milestone of all. Tune into your own timing, because your story is unfolding exactly the way it's supposed to! 🕯️❤️✨