by Kristen Shalbinski
To celebrate its 25th anniversary issue, Elle magazine is profiling 25 women at 25, and featuring a handful of our girl crushes on its October cover, including Lauren Conrad, Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried and Gabourey Sidibe—all "25-somethings" as the magazine calls them. To round out the list, expect to see profiles of other amazing women, from actresses and singers to athletes and activists and even a blogger in between.
MTV's own former "Hills" star spoke with the magazine about what it's like to be in her twenties. "It’s your time to be selfish; you still have freedom," Lauren said. As a fashion designer and best-selling author, it sounds like the 24-year-old is exactly where she planned to be. "I was never that girl who just wanted babies. I wanted a career before all of that."

While Lauren gets to experience that freedom, Megan took the leap and tied the knot with longtime boyfriend Brian Austin Green. What does Mrs. Green think of being married? "When I talk about my husband, I feel as if people roll their eyes," she told the mag. "It's like when you’re 16 and order a martini, and the waiter says, 'Do you think I’m stupid?' They can't grasp that I'm old enough to be married." Well, Megan, we're sure no one will card you after taking a look at your revealing Elle shots.

The great thing about acting is that one can play characters that are years younger than she actually is. Case in point: "Precious" star Gabourey. She played a character that was a decade younger than her! So, what exactly did she do for her 25th birthday while filming "Precious"? "Part of me thought it would be weird if people knew I was a grown-up playing a teenager in "Precious," she recalled. "So I had a 21st birthday party. We had drinks and went to a strip club called Shotgun Willie's." Yep, that’ll definitely prove that you're not a teenager!

So what's the best and worst thing about turning 25? "The worst is that I'm scared; the scariest thing is that I know it can't be easy—the years to come," Amanda said. "The best thing is, I'm happy."
What do you think of the girls' looks in Elle?

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