Lisa Simpson
Voiced by Yeardley Smith on FOX's "The Simpsons"
Lisa Simpson, the eternal eight-year-old girl, has always felt more deeply and thought more intellectually than her peers. Misunderstood by her schoolmates and her own family, Lisa forges her own path. She becomes a vegetarian, refuses to throw the national spelling bee, and always stands up for her principles, even when everyone around her says she is crazy. Because I came of age in the 1990s, I got to grow up alongside Lisa. I aspired to be a feminist, like Lisa, even before I knew what a feminist was. And even though I was never musically inclined, she made me--and millions of other little girls--want to play the saxophone. I may have moved beyond eight years old, but thankfully, Lisa has stayed the same.
--Lilit Marcus