While I must admit that I crushed on her brother (damn you, Reese Witherspoon) long before discovering my love for her, I am currently in a serious Maggie Gyllenhaal phase.

Like our previous girl crush, Natalie Portman, Maggie really does seem to have it all: beauty, brains, an impressive list of roles and award nominations, and a totally cute daughter named Ramona who took no toll on her model-like, 5 foot 9 inch body.

Whenever I’m discussing my female loves with friends, she always comes up as the “cool, retro looking” actress, and you gotta love an alternative to all the Paris Hiltons out there (no Paris, I do not want to be your new BFF). Her unconventional beauty reminds me of the Hollywood starlets of the past, and this paired with her immense talent qualifies her as my girl crush of the week.

Other reasons why we love her?

She has managed to avoid a negative rep and is never caught by the paparazzi looking cracked out or overexposed, which is more than some Hollywood moms can say for themselves. (Britney… Britney’s private parts…). She has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and is very politically active, having spoken out against the Iraq war a number of times and campaigned on behalf of a number of political organizations. Read More »