If you've been wondering where two of the most famous sisters
in the world have been since they stopped making movies together,
you're probably not alone. Here's why you don't hear very much about the Olsen twins anymore.
If you grew up watching Full House, you're definitely familiar with the Olsen twins'
first big role, but you might not realize just how young they were when they got started.
After both Mary-Kate and Ashley were cast to play the family's most adorable member,
Michelle, at just six months old, they became stars thanks
to the show's enduring popularity and overwhelming affection for the character.
"I've been on Full House forever."
However, since the twins started so young, they didn't really get
to choose their careers. Full House was a great opportunity for Mary-Kate and Ashley,
but it makes sense that they eventually retired in favor of other pursuits.
Whether or not Mary-Kate and Ashley got the chance to choose their childhood profession,
there's no denying that their tenure as actresses was insanely lucrative.
"My favorite thing is eating a cake."
After they got older, Mary-Kate and Ashley launched Dualstar Entertainment, spawning a
fan club that served as a subscription site and as the backbone to the twins' growing media empire.
In 2007, the Olsens even joined powerhouses like talk show host
Oprah Winfrey on the Forbes ranking of the wealthiest women in entertainment,
with the publication estimating their net wealth at $100 million and noting that Dualstar sold,
quote, "$1 billion worth of merchandise worldwide in a year–everything from videos
to hair-care products." At the time, the twins were just 20 years old. Making their fortune
at a seriously young age enabled them to step out of the limelight fairly early.
It might seem a little crazy that Mary-Kate and Ashley were raking in literal billions before
they could legally drink, but when you consider just how hard the twins worked throughout their
acting career, you'll understand why. After Full House, the two embarked on a series of features,
television films, and direct-to-video releases throughout the 1990s. All told,
the twins appeared in 27 projects between 1992 and 2004.
However, 2004 brought an end to their joint acting careers with New York Minute,
their second theatrical release. Ultimately, the film performed poorly,
both critically and commercially - having one of the lowest openings of
all time - which wasn't exactly a favorable conclusion to the girls' acting career.
The Olsens were two of the most famous young women in the world throughout their childhood
and adolescence. However, it should come as no surprise that this fame came with some
serious drawbacks - specifically, some very gross objectification.
In June of 2019, writer Yomi Adegoke penned a piece about men in dark corners of the
internet who, quote, "count down" until young women turn 18 and become "legal,"
mentioning the Olsen twins as an example. Mary-Kate and Ashley had grown up on camera,
from their casting in Full House at just six months old onward. Adegoke wrote,
"Men patiently waiting until they hit puberty,
and their fantasies made the switch from perverse to pedestrian, made me feel queasy."
Adegoke spends the rest of her essay detailing the
seriously damaging implications of this upsetting trend, which was potentially
harmful to the Olsens and may have played a role in their decision to leave acting.
In the years since New York Minute flopped at the box office, the Olsens have found solace
and success in an entirely new venture in the world of high fashion. In 2006,
the twins launched The Row. The brand was the result of Ashley's goal to create the perfect
white t-shirt. However, the two preferred to let the clothes speak for themselves,
and didn't even do a public interview about The Row for several years after its debut.
"It's not a trend-based brand. It's really about what these women want to be wearing every day."
The Row - which the Olsens still own and manage alongside lines like Elizabeth & James, a
concept named for their siblings - has won several awards. It even took home the highest honor of the
Council of the Fashion Designers of America, the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award, two years
in a row. In 2018, the Olsens announced that the Row would launch a menswear line, complete
with knits, suits, and denim. Why return to acting when you've got a successful fashion collection?
In the absence of their acting career, both Mary-Kate and Ashley have been pretty focused
on becoming fashion mavens. However, throughout the years, Mary-Kate has struck out on her own
to debut a talent that she doesn't seem to share with her twin: horseback riding.
According to PopSugar, Mary-Kate was spotted in September of 2016
competing in the annual American Gold Cup, which is held at the Old Salem Farm in New
York. The publication reported that Mary-Kate rode three different horses during the event,
which is considered one of the most renowned show jumping events in the world. By that point,
Mary-Kate had been riding horses competitively for three years and had been photographed riding
recreationally in places like the Hamptons. It seems like this hobby holds more interest
for Mary-Kate than acting, and she's clearly talented if she made it into this famous event.
Though it might seem like the Olsens do just about everything together,
you might not realize that after one twin stopped acting entirely,
the other stayed on screen for just a little while longer. After Ashley stopped acting,
Mary-Kate continued, appearing in projects like the critically panned 2011 film Beastly.
However, in 2012, the twins told Elle UK that they
were out of the game for good. As Mary-Kate told the magazine,
"It just felt right to move away [from the spotlight]."
Meanwhile, Ashley said,
"I don't have to be a pretty face. I've done that, but now it's important and
liberating to be on the other side of the lens. I don't like to be the center of attention anymore."
She added that she's still interested in Hollywood,
but that if she ever returned, it wouldn't be as an actress. The two clearly found
their bliss elsewhere — and with each other. Mary-Kate told Elle,
"Nothing would ever split us up. Separate side projects are one thing,
but we work better as a team."
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