This Girl’s Superhero Day Costume Got The Best Shoutout

An 8-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg super fan just got the ultimate shoutout in response to her “Superhero Day” costume honoring the 83-year-old Supreme Court justice. Michele Threefoot decided to dress up as the trailblazing justice for a recent theme day at her school. Her photo went viral, even catching the attention of Ginsburg, who wrote her mini-me a note that arrived this week. “You look just like me! May you continue to thrive on reading and learning,” the handwritten note read. Michele’s mom, Krista Threefoot, told Refinery29 that the envelope from SCOTUS arrived last night. When she told Michele about it this morning, the third grader “got ready for school at lightning speed so she could open it.”

“She loved the note and was really pumped to bring it to school to show her teacher,” Threefoot wrote in an email. “She also thought the paper clip that came with it looked like a barrette, so she is wearing it in her hair.” Along with the note, Ginsburg sent a printout of a quote about her own love of reading. “Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true," it read. That one made a lasting impression on Michele’s mom, too. “I think it should be in every school library,” Krista Threefoot said.

The following story was published on December 21, 2106. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...Ruth Bader Ginsburg? At 83, the Supreme Court justice might not be able to fly or boast X-ray vision (even with her signature glasses). And instead of a "cape," she wears a black robe. But the trailblazing crusader for equality is a superhero in the eyes of many, including one very adorable 8-year-old whose adoration for the "Notorious RBG" has gone viral. With the help of some oversized frames, a slicked-back coif, and a copy of the children's book I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, third-grader Michele Threefoot transformed into a miniature member of the SCOTUS bench in honor of her school's "superhero day." "Michele has been reading the heck out of I Dissent and decided to dress as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, because she fights prejudice and injustice," her mom, Krista Threefoot, wrote in a now-viral comment sharing a photo of the costume on Facebook.

The photo has since racked up hundreds of reactions and shares, thanks in part to a posting in Pantsuit Nation, the private Facebook group started by Hillary Clinton supporters. Threefoot told Refinery29 that while she was "completely overwhelmed by the response" to the photo, she wasn't surprised by the response her daughter had to Ginsburg and her story. When she discovered Dissent at a writing conference, Threefoot knew it was going to be a hit at home. "She has been dissenting and disagreeing since the day she was born. :-) The fact that [the book] was about RBG only made it more perfect," she wrote in an email. Michele has already read the book at least 10 times on her own, her mother said. Michele "was especially struck" by Ginsburg's support for the Fair Pay Act; the young activist had participated with a friend in a mock protest for "equal pay for equal work" as part of a Girl Scout activity. "That struck home," Threefoot said. Threefoot said she's tried to convey to her daughter that a lot of people have seen and loved her photo, "because they believe in the same things we do, like kindness, justice, and equality, and because they also admire Justice Ginsburg for fighting for those things." And perhaps more importantly, said she hopes the popularity of the post inspires more people to share the book — and Ginsburg's story — with young girls in their lives. "It's written in a way that makes Justice Ginsburg very identifiable for kids, and, more importantly, makes it clear how one girl who firmly rejects injustice even on the smallest scale can grow up to be someone who changes the world," she said. "My daughter now refers to her as Ruth, like she's a friend of hers, and has taken the message the book conveys to heart."

Editor's note: This post has been updated to clarify that Michele participated in the equal pay mock protest before learning about Ginsburg's legacy.