THE RIGHT STUFF
Duff (at a Washington, D.C., event on June 10) and sister Haylie, 20, co-founded the nonprofit Kids with a Cause in 1997 to help children suffering from poverty and abuse. This summer, Duff will travel to India and Geneva, Switzerland, to help open new branches of the organization.
SISTER, SISTER
"She won't go anywhere without me and I won't go anywhere without her," Duff says of Haylie. The sisters (modeling at an L.A. fashion show in February) are coproducing and costarring in the upcoming film
Material Girls, in which they play wealthy siblings who lose their fortune.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST
Duff lives with her mom, Susan, in L.A., while dad Bob, a partner in a chain of convenience stores, visits from Houston every few weeks. "Hilary's just like every other child," says Susan. "The best grounding in the world is to give her chores and make her accountable." Among Duff's household duties: doing the dishes and cleaning the pool.
FINDING BALANCE
"Hilary's on this kick, and she's got me on it too now, of loving yourself and embracing your flaws," says sister Haylie. But Duff (with
Summerland star Jesse McCartney at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in April) admits even she has self-image struggles: "Some days I think I'm beautiful, and other days I think there is nothing that can help me."
LEASHING OUT
An animal lover, Duff (in Hollywood in May) is the youth ambassador for Return to Freedom, a 300-acre wild-horse sanctuary in Lompoc, Calif., and her family has several dogs, including Chihuahuas Little Dog and Lola and border collie Remington. "We take dogs in all the time in my house," says sister Haylie.
GROWING UP
Duff (in N.Y.C.), who's taken online Harvard courses since earning her high school diploma last year, turns 18 on Sept. 28. Next up: She'll film
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 in Toronto, and she's the new face of the Candie's clothing line for girls. What else lies ahead? "There may come a time when I do something that people might be shocked by," she says.
