Dear Lilo,

You listen to Elvis on your green record player, take photographs of chubby men at the beach eating ice-cream, make your own toy doll, and fight with your sister. You love pizza, and your "dog" Stitch is your best friend. On Thursdays, you take Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich because he controls the weather and Thursday is sandwich day.

You may not know this, but in addition to the above activities, you also serve as a role model to multiple generations of girls. I wanted to write you this letter to say thank you for everything that you have done for girls who look up to you, including me.

While I love Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, and the rest of the Disney princesses, there is something about you that just makes you special. I love how you realize that you are not like other girls your age and embrace it. I really admire that you never try to conform to be like Mertle Edmonds and her posse of clones. Even at a young age, you already realize that there is only one you in this world and that you do not need to spend your life trying to be someone you aren't. In a world where girls often feel pressured to dress and act a certain way, you show us that it is okay to be different. You show us that it is okay to have to mood swings, fight with our older sisters, photograph random things, and be best friends with our dog. I think you represent a wide population of college girls in those aspects. You also show us that Ohana is the most important thing and that although you fight with Nani, you still love her at the end of the day and she will never be left behind or forgotten. Thank you for reminding me that it is normal for little sisters to fight with their older sisters and that it is important to always forgive your family and makeup after an argument. I know it's our job to annoy our older sisters, but I love that you take the time to apologize to Nani and show that Ohana is the most important thing.

I also love when you stand up for yourself when Mertle is mean to you. While other Disney females peacefully sleep or wait in a castle to be rescued, you stand up for yourself and make sure that no one tries to change the sweet, quirky person that you are. Thank you for standing up for yourself and showing young girls that they do not need a boyfriend or a prince to rescue them.

Mostly, I just want to thank you for being quirky and for being yourself. At 21, I realize that many of the people around me have tried so hard to become someone they aren't, that they have lost who they really are in the process. When we spend all of our time trying to fit in with those around us, we stop listening to our hearts and forget what is important. When you stand up for yourself and for Ohana, you show us the importance of standing up for what you believe in. It is hard sometimes to defend ourselves and the things that matter to us, but you show us that standing up for yourself is important no matter how old you are and no matter what situation you may be in.

Thank you for showing us the importance of being ourselves and standing up for what we believe in.

Love,

The Lilo Fans of the World