The girl who played Stacy in the “Stacy's Mom” video is now older than Stacy's mom, and I feel so old

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The girl who played Stacy in the “Stacy's Mom” video is now older than Stacy's mom, and I feel so old

There are few more memorable music videos from the early '90s than the one for Wayne Sourcesis the anthem for lusty teenagers, "Stacy's Mom." Long reappraised by less forgiving modern audiences as... problematic, shall we say, the song was actually a deluded young man's empty fantasy imagining a dream scenario that played out in a video that channeled all the excesses of hair metal videos from the 1980s. It's safe to say that when Fountains of Youth told me Stacy's Mom was going on, we all believed them.

Fountains Of Wayne's only mainstream hit, some eight years after their formation - and as the lead song on their third album - "Stacy's Mom" ​​immediately captured the imagination of budding pop punk fans. The song peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. But its contemporary success pales in comparison to its legacy, as it is still widely played on rock stations.

In the spirit of nostalgia that keeps “Stacy's Mom” in the thoughts of many pop punk fans to this day, it's time to shatter their tenuous grasp on mortality and cause an existential crisis of sorts. Because if I have to, you have to too: and I just discovered something strangely uncomfortable. Stacy from the Fountains Of Wayne video is now older than her mother and the music video itself.

How old are Stacy and Stacy's mom from The Fountains Of Wayne music video

"Stacy's Mom" ​​at the center of the Fountains of Wayne music video of the same name was performed by Rachel Hunter. Meanwhile, Stacy herself was played by Gianna Distenca (now Dispenza). Hunter was born on September 8, 1969. Before playing the title character in the hit single, Hunter was an illustrious supermodel, having appeared everywhere from Harper's Bazaar, to Cosmopolitan, to Vogue, to Sports Illustrated, to Elle , a... well, to stop myself from beating a dead horse, let's just say she was everywhere you could imagine an aspiring supermodel would want to be.

Hunter even landed a few film and TV roles. As far as her acting career is concerned, "Stacy's Mom" ​​was not Hunter's first music video, as she previously appeared in her then-husband Rod Stewart's music video for "Broken Arrow." Meanwhile, the actress who played Stacy, born on May 8, 1989, made her screen debut after the release of “Stacy's Mom”. Not much is known about what the Rhode Island native was doing before, but playing Stacy could be considered an opportunity for the then-actor.

At the time of the release of the “Stacy's Mom's” music video, Gianna Dispenza was 13 years old, while Rachel Hunter was 34. That was 21 years ago. In 2024, Rachel Hunter is 55 years old while Dispenza is 35 years old. This means that the actor who played Stacy is officially older than the actor who played Stacy's mother at the time of the music video, and even older than the music video itself. Obviously the latter would be a given, but theoretically, if someone remade the video today, Stacy would be old enough to to play Stacy's mom!

What happened to the girl who played Stacy?

Gianna Dispenza went from acting to art

As already qualified, not much is known about Gianna Dispenza's life before the music video, but even after, Dispenza maintained a private life away from the cameras and spotlight. Other than providing the voice of Yay Bear in 2007's Señor Crab (about a crab who stumbles upon the world's most valuable diamond), Dispenza never had another acting credit after "Stacy's Mom." Instead, it appears she has quietly decided to leave Hollywood in an effort to pursue higher personal ambitions.

For Dispenza today, her current passions apply to art. Gianna Dispenza spends her modern life working as an artist, working on pieces where he applies oil to canvas and sometimes experimenting with sand and concrete on canvas. Her drawings and sculptures are available to see there Instagram and she websitethe latter being where his works of art can be purchased. Not all actors leave Hollywood and end up finding success after acting, but Dispenza has cultivated a successful career that is a complete departure from her appearance on “Stacy's Mom.”

This Fact About Stacy's Mom Shows the Power and Danger of Nostalgic Music

When nostalgia backfires

Learning that Stacy from “Stacy’s Mom” is old enough to, well, be Stacy’s mom today is fascinating to me on a level that goes beyond being just another fun fact. He talks to the idea of ​​nostalgia in the media, especially in music in this scenario. Nostalgia is all the rage these days, which is exactly why remakes and reboots are so common these days. When times get tough, someone can transport themselves to a time of old.

Music is the easiest way to feel transported to another time. A timeless song can make a listener feel ageless every time they hear it, especially a song like “Stacy's Mom” that perfectly echoes the 2000s. Any 2000s kid can tell you that, especially someone Stacy's age. I'm not there yet, but I can see how being that age and realizing, no, Stacy is a mother now, could plunge any older millennial into an existential crisis. Again, I'm not there yet, but man, that kind of thing music make me feel old.

Source: Instagram, giannadispenza.com