Hey Haters,

I want you to pull up a seat, crack open that bottle of wine, and read my lips: I don't care what you have to say about me. Please stop with your petty comments about how I'm "too much" and "dramatic." I am, and it's actually hilarious, thank you for noticing. I don't really care that you think I can't "rock" that lipstick shade (because honestly, I can). Or that my love of reading is "dorkish" and my desire for female equality is "butch." Truthfully, I do not care what you have to say about me or my beliefs, my love of Shakespeare, or my admiration for feminists like Dorothy Parker and Emma Watson. Nor do I give a flying petunia that you think I'm loud and "theatrical," because I know I am and it makes my life a lot more interesting.

I'm okay with myself, so please stop trying to make me feel differently. I cannot stand people whose only desire in life is to put others down. Why can't we all lift each other up and support one another? I don't understand the want to tear another person down for who they are as a person.

I'm only 20, but I've learned a lot in my years of living. Some people say I'm an old soul because I'm wise on topics such as you, the haters.

I had people who claimed to be my best friend yet wanted to change me, boys want to date me only if I could tame my hatred for the patriarchy and my independence from the need of a man, girls ridicule me and elders unwilling to understand me. At first, I thought that these people were right. My supposed best friend tried to change who I was and what I liked in order to fit into his definition of normal; I've silenced my voice in front of guys in fear that they would find me unattractive after I corrected them for their misogyny. I altered my likes to fit in with the "in-crowd" and I've even told white lies about who I was and who I wanted to be in order to fit into my elders' definition of a respectable woman. Like I said, at first I did that.

Obviously, I'm an outspoken person. If you look at any number of my articles, you'll know that I am not afraid to lay it all on the table. Therefore, suffocating who I was in order to fit in and impress people who didn't matter did not work for me. Silencing who I was for you, my haters, did not last for long.

Now, I don't care that I'm seen as "different" or "outspoken" or "confident." Not only do I think it's part of my charm, but I know those aren't bad things. So stop trying to act like they are. I love who I am and who I'm becoming. I'm excited for what my future holds. Some of you who hate me don't even know me, and others know all the parts of me. But I'm beginning to realize that my future is full of hope and happiness and therefore does not have room for every person I have met and loved or not gotten to know that well at all. I've lost a lot of people in my life, and most of them were people who did not love me, but loved the version of me they tried to create. Some of them still say hi to me when we see each other on the street, and others have blocked my number.

It took a specific moment of realization, when I was crying to my mom that that person no longer loved me, for me to understand the thing my mom had always wanted me to know. I had haters. I had people that would block my number and curse my name and sh*t talk me to their family. I had people that hated me. But so did Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., JK Rowling, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lawrence, and so much more. And it was then that I realized what my mom always wanted me to: the people who are the best versions of themselves, the people who had a vision and high expectations for themselves and were trying to better the world, they had haters. Everyone who was a someone had haters.

I want it to go on record that I love those people. I love the people that hate me. Their disgust and dislike has only further ignited the fire inside of me that I have to be me, and in order to be happy, I cannot pretend. I love every hater that has tried to change me and then left me once they realized I could not change; you broke me and I became stronger because of it. I love every hater who thinks I cannot and will not become a writer; I publish weekly articles, but I promise to give you an autographed book once it's on the shelves. I love every hater that has told me that I am not enough, not good enough or pretty enough or smart enough; you all have made me realize the only person I need to impress is myself.

So, people that dislike me, all I can say is: I don't care. I feel bad for you that you have to tear me down in order to feel good about yourself. I feel sad that you carry hate in your heart, because I can promise it is not hurting me, it is only hurting you. I pray for each of you, that you can find your own happiness and be the person I know you are really supposed to be, without the urge to shift and change to fit in. And above all else, I want you to understand that when my books are in print, my name is spoken by thousands of strangers and I am living the very life I have always dreamed for myself, I will not ignore you on the street or block your number or ignore your requests. I will respond, with love and careful compassion, because I know that hate only hurts its host. And because of that, I will never hate you. I can only love you.

Sincerely Yours,

The Girl Who Loves You.