Let me tell you why.

Mario, along with his brother Luigi, is a plumber. That fact might be lost on some fans because the video games don't have much to do with repairing leaks, clearing drains or installing showers, water heaters, and toilets. Mario is usually busy defeating Bowser, saving Princess Peach, and saving the day.

Yes, Mario and Luigi wear overalls. But so do farmers, construction workers, and factory workers. Nothing about their adventures really screams plumbing.

Until one line in the latest movie.

Mario is in love with Princess Peach. During one scene, a defeated Mario is sitting on a curb, face in his hands, venting to Luigi about Peach when he asks:

“How can a princess ever love a plumber?”

And my heart broke for sweet, sweet Mario.

Here is a fictional character who has battled villains, crossed worlds and galaxies to help save entire kingdoms, yet somehow, being a plumber is the thing he believes makes him unworthy of the woman he loves.

Ruminate on that for a moment. 

Even in a fictional world filled with talking mushrooms, fire-breathing turtles, magical power-ups, and pet dinosaurs, plumbers are still fighting stereotypes.

It doesn't matter that Mario and Luigi have defeated Bowser time and time again. In that moment, Mario doesn't think it's enough. He doesn't think he's enough. 

All because he's a plumber.

And that's when this job became more than a job to me. It became about righting the wrongs and, excuse me for saying this extremely cliché phrase, fighting the good fight. 

The men and women in this industry have overcome the stereotypes. They know what being a plumber actually means. 

It takes knowledge, skill, problem-solving, strength, and perseverance. Plumbers protect public health. They bring clean water into our homes and businesses and safely rid of waste. They build, repair, and maintain systems most people rarely think about until something goes wrong.

Yet the stereotypes persist. Meaning there’s still work to do.

And changing those perceptions won't happen overnight. It won’t happen because of one article, one magazine, or one little editor. This I know. 

But every story we tell about the people behind this profession — the work they do, the lives they save, the access to clean water they bring — does have the opportunity to push back against an outdated idea of what it means to be a plumber. 

We just need to keep growing awareness.  

And someday, maybe we’ll see a Mario movie where Mario realizes what being a plumber brings to the table.

Because saving a kingdom and defeating monsters is impressive.

But so is being a plumber.

And yes, plumbers deserve princesses, too. Or princes.