The Uncommon James founder and erstwhile reality TV star is already planning her exit from public life.
Kristin Cavallari is looking down on me.
Its not her fault, exactly; thats just the way her computer is set up.
Im at my desk in Los Angeles, background blurred.
Current seating arrangements notwithstanding, Cavallari insists that she has no interest in being placed on a pedestal.
I think people can tell there’s an authenticity with me, she says.
I just am doing what I’m doing.
Her podcast is calledLets Be Honest, and her Instagram loudly advertises the fact thatshe doesnt apologize.
No really,she doesnt.
), well, she said what she said.
Its just girl talk here.
And, apologies to the Bechdel test, there is no girl talk like boy talk.
So, I ask if we can talk about her relationship with 24-year-old TikToker Mark Estes.
She responds to me coolly: What do you want to say?
Cavallari was 17 when she was introduced to the world in the opening voice-over ofLaguna Beach: That?
That would be Kristin, another junior.
Wherever Kristin went, drama followed.
She thinks shes hot.
The star was Lauren Conrad: the sweetheart in a headband, the girls girl, the best friend.
Kristin Cavallari was positioned as her foil: too loud, too confident, too rebellious.
Honestly, I still dont.
Twenty years afterLaguna Beachpremiered, the middle-schooler in me remains a little intimidated.
Was it an act?
But Cavallari knew how to make good TV, and she learned how to play the medias game.
In real life, a lots changed for Cavallari.
That year, she married NFL quarterback Jay Cutler and moved to Chicago for his career.
reality showVery Cavallari(2018-2020).
A fresh start was what the goal-driven Capricorn needed.
Her friends have noticed.
Im eating the most carbs I ever have, she says.
There was a period of my life where I would not go near a carb.
Now this freedom with food has been really nice.
Complex carbs, simple priorities.
My life is centered around my kids.
I dont have any help with my kids.
Which is good, because people are mad at her again.
For dating a boy, again.
And again, no one cheated; again, no one lied.
Two single people found that they clicked.
Estes is a TikTok Zoomer, Cavallari an MTV millennial.
If youre wearing pearls, nows the time to clutch.
Cavallaris not unaware of the optics; she just doesnt give them much weight.
Everyones like, I get it.
Or no pressure coming from her end, at least.
I own my own house.
I dont need a man for anything other than just pure happiness, she says.
And though he may be young, Cavallari certainly has the wisdom and experience to spot a good one.
(And hegave her his shoeswhen her feet hurt!
Plenty of men twice his age probably wouldnt do that.)
It helps that Cavallaris skin is thick enough for the both of them.
Ive had 20 years of people b*tching about something Im doing.
I feel like my whole career has led me to this moment, she says.
I think if people are upset about it, that has nothing to do with me.
You dont know me.
My life doesnt affect you in the slightest.
If thats triggering for someone, they need to take a look in the mirror and figure out why.
Things get misconstrued, and that drives me crazy.
Like thats not what I f*cking said!
But for those contestants, thats what they knowingly signed up for.
Cavallari, on the other hand, was a teenager at the dawn of the genre.
… We were very young to have our lives manipulated like that.
Im not complaining about it.
Im so thankful for the show.
So maybe it actually was a blessing in disguise and made me be a nicer person in general.
WatchingLaguna Beachnow, Im struck by how openly misogynistic it is.
Stephen Colletti, our boy hero, gets drunk and calls Kristin a slut to her face.
Her reckoning is all reckoned out, and she doesnt need or want your compassionate re-evaluation.
So no, I wouldnt change a thing.
Whats more: As her peers vie for longevity in the biz, Cavallarihopesshes on the way out.
My celebrity could go away tomorrow and I would be really happy.
Once her kids graduate high school, Im not going to be in Hollywood.
I have a set amount of money in my mind, and then Im done working.
I just want to live a chill life.
Ive been grinding since I was 17, and Im tired.
I ask if she has anything else to add, but no, shes good.
What do you want her to say?
