Rest In Peace Michelle Trachtenberg

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead by her mother today at the age of 39, at her apartment in Manhattan. Autopsies have yet to determine the cause of her death, though she had recently undergone a liver transplant. Trachtenberg was known for her roles in Harriet the Spy, Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ice Princess, 17 Again, and EuroTrip. However, she got her start on Nickelodeon as a child actress, with shows like The Adventures of Pete & Pete, and I particularly remember her appearances on the game show, Figure It Out, with its iconic green slime. While greatly underrated as an actress, most of her film and television roles were as a teenager, with her career tapering off in adulthood. While a lot of millennial celebrity women had all sorts of tabloid drama, Trachtenberg was fairly private about her personal life.

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While many celebrities have died in their 20s and younger, Michelle Trachtenberg’s death was shocking and especially tragic, considering that 39 is relatively young. While I usually am not that emotionally invested in celebrity deaths, her death hits me personally, considering that I am also 39. She was born almost three weeks before me in October of 1985. I still think of myself as youthful and as a young adult, and despite being in good health and physical shape, I can’t cope with anyone thinking of me as close to middle age, which is the case for a lot of millennials. Since Trachtenberg was a millennial icon, her death was symbolic, as far as millennials dealing with their lost youth and holding onto nostalgia. A lot of her fans are saying that it feels like a piece of their childhood is gone. Despite her being my age, I will always remember her as a teenager.

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I had actually forgotten about Michelle Trachtenberg over the past decade, but then about two weeks ago, this video montage of her from EuroTrip went viral on Twitter, which was a bizarre coincidence. This rekindled memories of having a crush on her growing up, as did a lot of millennial men. I had a crush on her since Harriet the Spy, which came out when I was like in 6th grade, and probably earlier watching her on Nickelodeon when I was in Elementary School. I lost track of her for a while but then EuroTrip came out around the time I graduated from High School, which was one of her first more risque roles.

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Trachtenberg reminded me of a specific archetype of Jewish girls, particularly blonde Jewish girls, I had crushes on growing up on the Westside of LA. They just had this esoteric aura that only those on a heightened metaphysical level can comprehend. For some reason, the 90s and early 00s were this golden age for beautiful Jewish actresses like Natalie Portman, Alicia Silverstone, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who sadly you don’t see as many of today.

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Trachtenberg had this super cute and charming yet bratty demeanor that was endearing. She was stunningly gorgeous, with a very unique look, yet had more of a girl next door vibe than a movie star look. Thus a lot of guys saw her as their crush from adolescence. Risking sounding like too much of a simp, she came across as very likable and as a genuinely nice person, which is rare in vapid Hollywood. There are few Zoomer female celebrities today who can measure up to her, with not even Sydney Sweeney coming close to her beauty, charm, and superb talent.

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