Happy Birthday Jennifer Lawrence: The Girl on Fire, personified

​Happy birthday, Jennifer. You are truly the girl on fire in person.

​Today, Jennifer Lawrence turns 35, and just like her character Katniss Everdeen, she has made a lasting impression on us. She sets herself apart with her authenticity, quick wit, and sense of self. She's not afraid to be her true self. Like Katniss, she is outspoken, ready to speak up against anyone or anything that makes her uncomfortable, and determined to keep her private life to herself. Sadly, she can also be self-deprecating, easily wounded by the opinions of others, and easily misunderstood.

​Yet, for those who truly see her—as much as we can without knowing her personally—she is a person full of life and wonderful idiosyncrasies. She is down-to-earth and can’t help but be honest in a world of pretense, where everyone is constantly being watched and expected to perform for applause. She never means any harm; she is simply carving her own path.

​I remember watching The Hunger Games for the first time as a teenager. I had no idea who she was, but from the minute Jennifer Lawrence appeared on screen, I was mesmerized. She is what Maya Angelou describes as a phenomenal woman. She made me obsessed with The Hunger Games because she made Katniss, the "girl on fire," the personification of a survivor, feel so real to me. The original four Hunger Games movies are still my favorite films.

​She inspired something else in me through her interviews, red carpet appearances, and the articles I read about her. She sparked a desire for extreme confidence, audacity, and an authentic representation of self. She showed me the freedom in speaking one's mind and knowing that who you are is enough. She was a fire, and I wanted to catch some of that fire.

​As I got older and dealt with my own mental health issues, I watched Silver Linings Playbook. Her Oscar was so well-deserved. It was an incredible performance as Tiffany, highlighting her battles with her mind while also bringing her humanity and loving heart to the forefront. Lawrence somehow manages to convey the stories of women bound by trauma and highlight their humanity. This was no small feat for an actress in her early twenties. From Katniss to Tiffany, Lawrence has, in her own way, been demystifying mental illness and making these women whole. She doesn’t seem to realize the effect she has on people.

​Her light is so bright, and unfortunately, I have watched people try to dim it. I have seen the criticisms and watched her leave the spotlight for a while to get away from it all. But if I could whisper one thing to the cool girl, it would be this: I want her to know she should be herself even more unapologetically. She touched a whole generation of women, encouraging us to be fully whole, unafraid of being both human and powerful. She doesn't have to fit into any mold—she is the mold.

​In some ways, she reminds me of my Great-Aunt Akua Asabea Ayisi, Ghana's first female journalist, an independence heroine, and a High Court judge. My great-aunt was wholly herself, outspoken, strong-willed, and not always friendly to the public, but a fierce lover of those she held dear. There is a reason I love Katniss so much; in some ways, I see my great-aunt in her. And I see her unyielding personality and courage in Jennifer Lawrence. Though my aunt was never apologetic and never cared what others thought, I pray Jennifer gets to that point one day.

​Jennifer is often criticized for not having a formal education. However, I see someone who reads scripts and books, who is extremely articulate and empathizes with characters, and who acts so naturally. She embodies the characters she becomes, making even difficult personalities effortlessly understood. As Benjamin Zephaniah wrote in Refugee Boy, "You can have an education without going to school," and she has.

​Frankly, a lot of the criticism comes from jealousy. Some people can’t stand someone who makes their own way in the world while remaining true to herself. She breaks social constructs. If a girl from Louisville, Kentucky, who left school early can be so on fire just by being herself, the hope it gives others is too blinding for some people.

​She has dazzled us with her unique fashion choices and made us laugh with endearment when she fell on the Oscar's stage, got back up, and joked about it. Her big heart is seen in her donations and support for charities, her fierceness in friendship, and the loving way she talks about her family, her husband, and her children. Jennifer Lawrence is real.

​We may know her as Katniss from The Hunger Games, Tiffany from Silver Linings Playbook, or Mystique from X-Men. We may recognize her from Winter's Bone, American Hustle, Causeway, No Hard Feelings, Don't Look Up, and many more. But she is always Jennifer Lawrence, the epitome of the cool girl, the personification of the girl on fire, and you can never take that away from her.

​Hopefully, her example will continue to teach the rest of us to live our own way. The world will adjust.

​Happy birthday, Jennifer Lawrence. Wife, mother, ultimate cool girl, and the personification of the girl on fire. The Actress. Oscar, Golden Globes, Bafta and Sag Award winner. The woman I fan-girl over and have a woman crush on. Thank you for being so loud about who you are, so we could feel we could be, too.

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