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"\"Welcome home!\" a waitress exclaims, presenting Chiara de Blasio with a chocolate donut. This is the third person who's stopped to greet the 19-year-old in about as many minutes. Chiara may be a vegetarian who favors health food over sweets, but she can't resist the pull of her favorite neighborhood diner, 7th Avenue Donuts, whenever she's home. She's a regular.\n\nThe college sophomore is on winter break from her college in northern California, though instead of spending the next few weeks catching up on sleep and relaxing in her parents' house in Brooklyn's Park Slope, she's got a decidedly busier agenda: Just last month, her dad, Bill de Blasio, was elected mayor of New York City.\n\nBeing the first-daughter-to-be means Chiara's in a position to make some waves of her own, as evidenced by the powerfully candid video she just released about her struggles with depression and drug and alcohol abuse. \"It's part of my temperament to be very straightforward, very blunt, very honest,\" she tells us. \"My parents always stressed communication as a really important part of any relationship. When I was younger, I didn't want to tell them everything\u2014I have my teenage secrets\u2014but they taught me that honesty is the best policy in any situation.\"\n\nThis isn't the first we've seen of Chiara, who became a bit of an overnight sensation when she donned a flower crown from Urban Outfitters to celebrate her dad's primary win back in September. For many it was more than just an accessory: It was a refreshing departure from the playing-it-safe public personas we usually see from young women in the political spotlight. Chiara looks like someone you'd hang out with in real life\u2014and she's not going to change just because the whole world is watching her.\n\nToday she's traded in the much-discussed floral headpiece for a gold chain headband, which she scored on sale at Urban yesterday, along with a metallic-embroidered lace crop top and a gray-and-maroon varsity jacket she intends to cover with Grateful Dead patches. Her look is enviably and effortlessly cool, a mix of smart store-bought finds (Asos is another favorite), thrifted gems (L Train Vintage is her go-to), and a dash of DIY (it runs in the family, she says). The finishing touches are her piercings: gauges in her ears, a stud in her nose, an eyebrow ring, and one in her belly button that she's had since she was 15.\n\nWhile her style has won her accolades in the press, it's her (and her family's) substance that won over the city. Like her dad, Chiara's mother, Chirlane, has a background in politics and played a key role in the campaign; both of her parents consider themselves activists, and Chiara is no different.\n\n\"Seeing my parents be public servants has definitely given me this drive to help fix the planet,\" says the environmental studies major, who also counts women's rights, LGBT rights, and homelessness among the many causes she's passionate about. \"I definitely want to be an activist for all the issues I find righteous.\" And would that entail a move back to her hometown? \"Yeah, I'd like to return to New York City. Obviously with my dad being mayor, it's kind of something I want to be around for! I love California, but I think here is where I could potentially have the most impact.\"\n\nThis is why she spent her summer campaigning with her parents and 16-year-old brother Dante (who became a campaign star himself), doing everything from calling voters for hours on end to starring in a TV ad to attending events and press conferences. One of her more visible contributions was organizing the \"Smackdown,\" a now-famous dance break the family's grown accustomed to performing and Chiara promises we'll see more of in the future. It's one of the things that's made all manner of New Yorkers\u2014Jon Stewart included\u2014ask, \"Can they adopt me?\"\n\nHer be-my-best-friend appeal doesn't end there. Like a true city kid, Chiara doesn't have her driver's license (yet) and loves going to concerts. Her music of choice? All metal everything: \"Old school metal, thrash metal, death metal, the new wave of British heavy metal. In terms of more modern stuff, I've gotten into Scandinavian, folk, and Viking metal. Dante loves metal now too, thanks to me.\" No, she doesn't mosh (anymore, that is), and her taste only spreads out from there, from classic rock to the Wu-Tang Clan.\n\nBut if you're hoping to crib some notes from Chiara's playlist or wardrobe, don't bother trying to follow her on Twitter or Instagram. Though she's not averse to snapping the occasional selfie, you won't find her on social media. \"I think technology in general has brought a lot of positive things, but it's preventing people from really being in the moment, living the lives they would otherwise be living,\" she explains. \"It's good when it's utilized well. Obviously a lot of social justice issues have gotten more attention because of social media!\"\n\nCase-in-point? All the girl power that's swirling online. \"I think it's really cool how there's a new wave of teen feminism,\" she says, polishing off her egg and cheese sandwich with fries and a cappuccino freeze milkshake on the side. \"Women really need to focus more of their energy on building each other up instead of competing with one another. It's such a huge problem. And I've definitely noticed a lot more people identifying as feminists\u2014a feminist doesn't have to be any particular kind of person! You can officially count me in on that movement. I'm definitely there.\"\n\nThe waitress drops off the check, and Chiara gets a to-go bag for her donut at the counter\u2014she has some last-minute holiday shopping to do. As for her New Year's plans? Well, that's the night her dad's being sworn in, right at 12:01.\n\n\"My dad has this really grand, bold vision for change in the city,\" she says proudly. \"He's interested in changing things in a big way, rather than focusing in on narrow little issues. You can treat the symptoms or you can treat the actual problem, and my dad's treating the actual problems. As he says, New York City is a place where everybody should be able to have a chance. I think once we make changes, a lot of places will follow because other cities look to New York as a leader. This could have a huge impact on American society overall if done right.\"\n\nA new year in a new New York is indeed just around the corner, and come summer break, Chiara will be right back in the trenches with the rest of the de Blasios. And it's clear she wouldn't have it any other way."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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