The day I watched Mickey Mouse and Minne Mouse go on a picnic date was the day I realized I found a formative part of my personality. I became a Disney adult even before I became an adult, and I will not be ashamed. I will continue to make annual trips to Disneyland without being hindered by feeble instances such as a pandemic, and I will do it with mouse ears.

To all the people on the internet who say I need to grow up, I have one thing to say: I WILL NOT TAKE MY MOUSE EARS OFF.

I have spent my whole life watching and rewatching Disney movies in my apartment, and my refrigerator tells the story of my trips to Disneyland, and so does the rest of my house. Photos taken on every single ride at Disney with my bawling, obnoxiously loud children and an endless array of fridge magnets are not a black hole for money or a waste of time. I work my miserable corporate job overtime so I can pay for overpriced tickets and take my frustrated husband and technologically dependent child to visit a place my wedding was themed on.

I have seen the tweets, calling me and my Disney princess backpack “a plague upon society” “stuck in my youth” and “an uncritical bubblehead”. I don’t care. I will continue to dream my little dreams of talking-animal sidekicks and happy endings. I am not afraid of being called cringe, and I will continue to throw myself into a subculture ostensibly aimed at children.

Leave me and my limited-edition Disney Crocs ALONE.

As we say in the Disney adult community, the more you put me down, the higher will be the octave at which I sing “Hakuna Matata”.

It is the sound of happiness and dreams.

We are stronger together. Like Moana said, “Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface … Far beneath, in some cases.” Our strength lies deep under our matching family sweaters, and the magic of Disney keeps us tied together as a family.

I have realized that some people are just not ready to let the magic of Disney take over.  They prefer to live in their empty, magicless lives that lack depth and meaning.

But what’s that I hear? It’s the sound of insulting memes on my feed gushing in like Gantu’s aircraft.

So what if my entire personality comes from a brand created by a man rumored to be racist? Like Ralph (From Wreck- It Ralph) said, “I’m bad, and that’s good! I will never be good, and that’s not bad!” I will continue to spend the rest of my time, money and patience towards Disney. I will not stop just to make society feel more comfortable. Disney is where I belong. Between printing labels for my Mickey-shaped containers and making itineraries on my Disney Princess notebook, my life purpose lies.

The truth is, I can’t stop loving Disney. I don’t know how. What people don’t understand is the struggle of loving something that is so strenuously hated. But I will live my life the only way I know how- With my Disney soundtrack in my ears and my distinct lack of empathy and self-awareness.

I am not ashamed.