Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester shares rare details about toddler daughter
Gossip Girl fans could be forgiven for not even realising that Leighton Meester – aka princess of privilege and upper-east side It Girl Blair Waldorf – was a mum!
Play all Day
In a union that delighted 90’s and 00’s TV fans, Leighton married The OC star, Adam Brody, back in February 2014. The couple’s daughter Arlo Day was born in August 2015.
The newly platinum blonde Leighton says being a mum has been a delightful learning curve, getting her thinking about issues as varied as misogyny, gender roles – and the importance of play.
“I think getting out of the house is very important,” the mum-of-one told Us Weekly. “I’ve realized more than ever that playing is how they learn and work. When they play, that’s their work. That’s their job. As soon as they get up, they want to play. That’s how they grow, socialize, learn and develop.”
Read more about celebrity mums:
- Pippa Middleton reportedly pregnant with her first child
- You probably have the same alarm clock as Olivia Wilde
- Claire Danes’ exciting news: “I’m seriously preggo!”
In the wee hours
It seems that Adam’s into playtime too, noting that he’s particularly hands on when Arlo’s up with the sparrows.
“I do a nice morning hike with my daughter, that’s always a treat. It’s something to do in the wee hours of the morning when she’s up. It’s a good activity for both of us. We hike around our house … watching the sunrise with a kid is pretty fun.”
He also told a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) that the pair chose their daughter’s name with some help from a ouija board!
Private pair
Speaking on the radio silence when it comes to talking about her role as a mum, Leighton says she can do without the scrutiny – and the speedy stereotyping.
“I don’t talk about Arlo very much,” Leighton has previously told People. “I am very proud of that area of my life. But I’m also really proud … of the work I do. I think the perception is: You’re an ingenue, or you’re an icon, or you’re a mom. There’s no in between.”
“The excitement for a lot of people is: Man and woman meet, get married, then have a baby. But in the meantime, there’s so much more to women,” she says.
