How weird is it that Julianne Hough is getting so much attention lately? I thought we had already proven that most people don’t give a crap about her unless she’s wearing blackface. But Julianne got the cover of Redbook for August, likely to promote her film Paradise, which was written and directed by Diablo Cody. Sidenote: I felt like I was the only person who enjoyed Diablo’s last effort, Young Adult. I thought it was really good/interesting. I’m surprised that Diablo and Julianne Hough joined forces. But there you go. To add another layer of weirdness, Julianne talked about her feminism and she managed to do it better than most of young pop stars and actresses out there. What the hell?

On how her current relationship is different from previous ones, especially the one with Ryan Seacrest: “Every relationship, there was nothing wrong or bad, but there was nothing right. I had one foot out because I didn’t want to get hurt. And I didn’t say what was on my mind because I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers. I needed to be perfect. Now I’m not holding anything back because I’d rather get my heart broken than never know what it is to be completely, madly in love. If I had been this open in my last relationship, who knows?”

On what changed her outlook on relationships: “I had this epiphany when my family went to a six-day seminar [last November] about creating your own destiny. I was not into it at first, but I learned so much about myself and why my relationships didn’t work that by the end I was on a high. I was seeing a couple people, but immediately [pretends to text guys], ‘You are nice, but this is going nowhere.’ The next day my Curve co-star introduced [Brooks and me]. It couldn’t have been a better time. We’ve been open and honest from day one.”

The negative experiences she had when she was younger: “I bullied in high school big-time. I had just come back from London (where she trained with professional ballroom dancers) and was the new kid. People looked at me like, she thinks she’s all that. And because I didn’t know how to talk to them, maybe I did come across that way? I don’t know. I got asked to prom by a guy, and he ended up ditching me that day because the girls had told him to do it.”

Why she bonded with Diablo Cody: “She might be a badass, but she’s also the biggest softie. I think that’s why we bonded, because we both felt like we have to [seem] tough. Today, girls have to be strong and powerful. I’m a feminist; I believe that we should all be equal. But there’s a difference between finding power in being feminine and putting on a fake masculine front.”

[From Redbook]

Is it wrong that I applaud what she says about feminism? It’s true – you can be a feminist and you can be a strong woman without “acting like a man.” Although… I mean, “feminine” and “masculine” are social constructs and everybody’s different. Just because a girl has “masculine” traits, doesn’t mean that she’s “putting on a fake masculine front.” But that’s just parsing. I’m just relieved that at least some of the younger girls self-identify as feminists and talk about equality.

Photos courtesy of Matt Jones/Redbook.