How does an article on Carrie Fisher begin? She was whip-smart and funny, loving and painfully honest, excessively talented and strong. I miss her every day, and I know many of you do, too. Her death near the end of 2016 rattled me to my core, and I vowed on that day, and every day onward, to live my life like Carrie Fisher. Here are some ways you can channel her this year, because we’re all going to need some strength:
1. Carrie made huge strides in helping to end the stigma surrounding mental illness by being open about hers.
She told us all that battling a mental illness is heroic as hell. If you’re fighting this year, remember Carrie’s words from her book that validate what you’re going through and encourage you to keep going forward:
“Living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls … so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of. They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication.”
2. Carrie always stressed the importance of looking at your life with a sense of humor.
In her book Wishful Drinking, Carrie let us in on a conversation between her and her daughter, Billie Lourd, giving this amazing quote about the power of laughter. When life isn’t going your way this year, try looking at it with a little humor in your heart:
“My daughter, she tells me when she grows up she wants to be a singer or a comic. I said ‘Well, baby, if you wanna be a comic, you gotta be a writer. But don’t worry, you’ve got tons of material: Your mother is a manic depressive drug addict. Your father’s gay. Your grandmother tap dances and your grandfather eats hearing aids.’ And my daughter laughs and laughs and laughs and I said, ‘Baby, the fact that you know that’s funny is gonna save your whole life.’”
3. Whenever someone tries to tell you that you need rescuing, remember this line from the moment in A New Hope when Princess Leia literally takes charge over her own rescue mission.
She saves herself and the boys by taking action when it was needed, proving that women everywhere are perfectly capable of doing this sh*t themselves. She also reminded the boys just how garbage their rescue attempt was by forcing them into a giant trash can:
“Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, fly boy.”
4. Princess Leia (and Carrie herself) always called people out when they did something she didn’t approve of; because of it, we have this iconic insult that stands the tests of time and space.
Please use it often this year; you’ll need it:
5. Carrie got some flack from a parent for donning her infamous risque gold bikini in Return of the Jedi, but Carrie was real quick to shut the haters down with this quick reminder on what the bikini actually meant to her character–it was a slave uniform that she never wanted to wear, yet is immortalized for its sex appeal:
She said, “To the father who flipped out about it, ‘What am I going to tell my kid about why she’s in that outfit?’ Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn’t like it. And then I took it off. Backstage.”
In 2017, rest easy with the knowledge and the confidence that you can literally murder the patriarchy with the very chains it used to hold you captive, and you can do it while wearing a gold bikini, and then you can wear whatever you want while you lead the revolution.
And here’s one of her killing Jabba for good measure:
6. Carrie never hid from talking about her past.
In this iconic clapback, laden with the sass that’s so typical of Carrie, she corrects a reporter who claimed to notice a “coke nail” in the Star Wars movies. Honesty is often the best policy, and Carrie spoke her mind, even if it made her look bad. Own your mistakes this year, and don’t hesitate to correct a b*tch on how you do them:
7. Carrie has always been such an insight to the implications of fame and stressed how dangerous it is to have fame be an end goal in life.
In her book Postcards from the Edge, Carrie discusses the disconnect between having it all and being able to handle having it all. It’s a funny but potent reminder on the dark side of falling into fame. This year, you’ll inevitably fall into something you don’t think you can handle at first, but you’ll get the hang of it, even if it takes a little while, so don’t lose faith in yourself:
“The thing about having it all is, it should include having the ability to have it all. Maybe there are some people who know how to have it all. They’re probably off in a group somewhere, laughing at those of us who have it all but don’t know how to.”
8. Over the years, and especially later in her life, Carrie was constantly attacked by body shamers who commented on her weight and appearance, but she once again fired back with this tweet, emphasizing both how little she cares about their opinions and the difference between the body and the self.
It reads, “Please stop debating about whether or not I aged well. Unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings. My body hasn’t aged as well as I have. Blow us.”
This year, eat whatever you damn well please, just as young Carrie is eating whatever that thing is below, and don’t feel so bad about it. There’s a difference between who you are and what your body looks like; aging happens. Carrie even called the people behind The Force Awakens out for putting her on a strict diet to lose weight for the film. If she can do that, then you can tell that body shamer to shove it.
9. Carrie had an excellent relationship with her now late mother and starlet of classic Hollywood, Debbie Reynolds, as well as with her daughter, actress Billie Lourd.
Carrie and Debbie were inseparable, and it was clear that Carrie held her relationship with her own daughter as the most important part of her life. The idea of strong women raising strong women is ingrained into their family tree, and we can all learn something from the way they treat one another. Whether or not you have a good relationship or a relationship at all with your mother, we all have a female figure we look up to. Nurture that relationship with everything you have, and strive to be that person for someone else one day.
10. Last but not least, let’s all take a moment to celebrate Carrie’s best pal and French Bulldog, Gary Fisher.
Gary is famous for being Carrie’s interview buddy, and Carrie is all of us when she gushes about him whenever possible. Though it’s soul-crushing to think of Gary without Carrie, he is now happy under the care of Billie, though he’ll always miss his mom. Here is one of their best moments:
And in case anyone’s eyes are still dry, Gary “tweeted” after Carrie’s death, making us all wish were clone troopers beyond the realms of emotion:
This year, be like Carrie, and be like Gary. Love someone with all your heart, treasure the time you have together, and always promise to wait for them if they go away.
Related: Star Wars Fans Will Miss You, Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher is and was a light and an inspiration, the feminist hero we needed but will never deserve. In addition to her acting career, Carrie was a prolific and celebrated writer, authoring four novels: Postcards from the Edge (which was adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep), Surrender the Pink, Delusions of Grandma and The Best Awful There Is. She also penned three autobiographies/memoirs: Wishful Drinking, Shockaholic and The Princess Diarist — all of which have been hailed for their wit and honesty by critics.
Carrie was never afraid to be smart, honest, funny or demanding. When I’m feeling low and the news is scary and sad, I often find myself wondering what Carrie would have to say about everything and I find myself smiling with just the thought. The best thing you can do for yourself is this year, is be like Carrie. Be strong and outspoken, be honest and kind, love your dogs and the people around you. And just like Princess Leia said at the end of Rogue One, “hope.”