Marina Monetti - Lila Monetti, Girl of the Year 2024
- Jan 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 11
Lila Monetti, Girl of the Year 2024, was released during an extremely difficult time for me. I had just lost my dad the month before and was still having a hard time navigating my family's new reality. I do vaguely remember seeing posts about Lila when she was released. With her amber eyes and caramel-brown hair, magenta attire, and palomino horse, I couldn't help but be drawn to her. I love magenta. I love palomino horses. I have light brown eyes and I had her same hair color as a kid -- highlights and all. I couldn't help but think she might've made a better first American Girl doll for me than the one I'd chosen.
Ten years earlier, swayed by the newness and excitement of the Girl of the Year line, I had chosen 2014's Isabelle Palmer. I told myself it was because we had a lot in common. She liked cats, enjoyed designing costumes and sewing, and was into ballet -- just like me! But after getting the doll and paying closer attention to her story, I realized that wasn't exactly the case.
The bulk of her story was not only difficult to relate to, it also felt a little too "elite." I know these stories are written for kids, and the idea of attending a prestigious ballet school is on the same level as becoming a princess to a child, but even as a kid, I think I'd be side-eyeing Isabelle. I don't think I would've been able to take her problems seriously, because at the end of the day, she was getting ballet lessons -- period! When I was a kid, my parents knew how much I loved ballet, and they would've given me lessons in a heartbeat if they'd been able to afford them. Instead, I did pretty well watching PBS and trying to emulate the movements, or reading ballet books. When I was much older and took my first real dance lessons (ballroom, in preparation for my husband's and my first dance), my teacher thought I'd actually taken ballet before by the way I moved. That made me feel so good!
Getting back to Lila, you'd think her story would be similar to Isabelle's. She goes from being the best at her home gym to struggling to keep up at her new, more competitive gym. She has a classmate who likes to point out all of her failures. She worries about messing up and having people be disappointed in her. But the way Lila's journal is written, she's much more down to earth. Being a gymnast and attending a horse camp are the backdrops to talking about her fears and anxieties, and how she's working through them. Those feelings are super relatable, whether you're a kid or an adult. Where Isabelle's story made me regret getting the doll, Lila's made me really happy to have her.
But I didn't actually read her story until I got the doll, so it wasn't the motivation for me to add her to my collection. Instagram was. I saw post after post of people's beautiful Lila dolls, and with each one, the little voice inside my head saying things like, "You don't need her," "You have too many Josefina molds anyway," "Your mini me is close enough" got quieter and quieter. As 2026 neared, I wondered if Lila would be retired soon, and I began to worry that I would miss out on her for sure if I didn't make up my mind once and for all.
My husband offered to drive my mom and I to the new American Girl store in Los Angeles as a sort of early Christmas present. Not only could we finally see the new location (I think the last time had been 2016, back when AGPLA was located at The Grove), but we could see Lila in person and decide if she was worth adding or not.
The new store doesn't have the warmth and charm (or space) of the old location, but it was really nice to finally see so many dolls in person that I'd only ever seen in photos online. That alone was a great gift.
After looking through every Lila on display, my mom and I picked out the ones we liked best and ultimately decided she would be coming home with us. There was only one thing I didn't like about her -- her name. If you're a fan of Miraculous Ladybug, the name "Lila" might be ruined for you, too. In the show, it's the name of a girl who is pretty darn evil. She's sly and manipulative, and almost feels inhuman at times. It's actually been awhile since I watched the show (they've been really drawing out seasons for the past ten years and I sort of gave up), but the character's evil actions have really stuck with me.
I thought about renaming my doll "Jacky" after the main character in one of my favorite books as a kid, Jumping Jacky. In the story, Jacky is also a gymnast who struggles with learning how to jump as high as her classmates. (Incidentally, she also has a terrible neighbor who reminds me a lot of Samantha's nemesis, Eddie Ryland.) But I wasn't completely sold on that name, either.
At the same time, I couldn't help but notice how much Lila looks like I did as a kid (minus the freckles). I even used to wear my hair the same way sometimes. I decided to give her one of my middle names, "Marina," and keep her last name the same. I like the idea of her initials being "MM." Maybe one of her nicknames is "M&M," like the candy (which was also a favorite of mine as a kid).
About a month after our visit to AGPLA, I finally opened Lila/Marina on Christmas Eve, when my husband and I exchanged gifts. She's so, so beautiful. She has so much detail in her face paint and the highlights in her hair. I really see her being as popular as Lea Clark or Kanani Akina in the long run.
My only (minor) complaint about the doll is her wig is not quite as nice as the older dolls. She has a TON of hair and it's really beautiful with all of its variegated color, but it does seem a little on the frizzy side compared to other wigs. Belle's seems pretty close with thick, loose curls, but it's a little smoother to me. But it's not a big deal and Marina's hair is still pretty easy to work with.
Welcome, Marina! Glad to have you! Let's tackle our anxiety together!
