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Jyn Erso’s Acceptance Letter from The League of Female Film Heroines

Dear Jyn,

On behalf of myself and the rest of The League of Female Film Heroines, it is a pleasure to offer you admission to our (shockingly) small society. With your dark, brooding demeanor and kick-ass, take-action mentality, we are sure you will bring something original and extraordinary to our collective.

As you know, this has been a great time for our group. With the induction of Rey, the new Ghostbusters, and Furiosa, we really are expanding our influence on society. We even got Harley Quinn to play nice for a little while. And of course, we cannot forget long-time holdout Wonder Woman, who remained ineligible to join despite being around for 75 years. It really is insane how it took so long for her to be able to join, and yet Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man both have renewed their status with the League of Male Heroes at least 6 times each. It just shows that there still is so much work to do. I mean, COME ON, we are literally half of the population and yet we are treated as if we just landed here yesterday. But I digress, I write this letter to talk about you.

You, Jyn Erso, are about to enter a very prestigious, important, and divisive group. For your performance, characterization, and bravery, I have no doubt you will be lauded by the critics and fans alike. You will be told that you are putting forth a new role model to women, young and old, and that in doing so, are showing that the Star Wars universe, and films in general, are capable of much more than we once thought. You more than likely will be compared to recent inductee Rey far more than necessary, but people will quickly see that you are an original in this world. Strong, skilled, intelligent, and takes charge in dire situations; that’s what people will say when they think of Jyn Erso.

But be warned Jyn, not all is sunshine and rainbows in the League of Female Film Heroines. To be put simply: do not read the comments. I’m sure you have already experienced some of this, but know that nothing that those disgusting, mutant trolls type onto the computers in their parent’s basement can change who are you really are or what you are doing for society. They may try and call you a “Mary Sue” or “just a pandering attempt at pleasing everyone,” but none of that is true or matters. What matters is far beyond what you do on the screen. What matters is what you represent.  Remember that if only one girl watches you on the big screen and decides to be stronger, or starts to believe that they can do more than what they thought before, or decides to stand up for themselves, then you have changed the world for the better.

And now is the time we need that change. In a world that seems increasingly like the film world you are apart of, with a tyrant leading stubborn, backwards followers down a path of repression and destruction, we need your strength. We need the reminder, the call to action, to stand up against whatever force is trying to silence the voice of the rebellion.  We need to keep showing that there is no limit to what a woman can do. We need the hope that we can rise from these dark times.

We are all looking forward to seeing you shine in your initiation this December, and we have no doubt that everyone else is too. I look forward to a time when it isn’t mind blowing or newsworthy that a female can be the main protagonist in an action, sci-fi, or fantasy film film, but until then, we must stick together, champion the cause, and keep proving our detractors wrong. We can bring in the audiences, and make amazing films. Time and time again, it has been proven: just look at me.

Welcome, Jyn Erso, it is excellent to have you with us.

Sincerely,

League President Ellen Ripley

Are you excited for Jyn joining the League of Female Heroines? Let us know in the comments section below or send us a Tweet!

About the author

Dustin Molina