A little less than a month ago, the world mourned the loss of a princess from a galaxy far, far away. No, we should not have been mourning the princess who wore the sexy bikini in Return of the Jedi, but the brilliantly empowering, fiercely unapologetic woman behind the princess, Carrie Fisher. Carrie’s death added to the long list of reasons 2016 seemed to suck, shocking and devastating millions who had found their strength through this remarkable woman. Quickly after her performance in Star Wars, Carrie Fisher became Hollywood royalty- but just being an on screen princess, as amazing as her performance was, isn’t why she matters.
Carrie matters because she dedicated her life to mental health awareness and created a strong platform to promote female empowerment. She was constantly open and honest about her battle with bipolar disorder and drug additions, tackling her mental battles and physical illnesses head on and fearlessly, motivating others to do the same. Carrie told Huffington Post, “At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of.” Carrie was a symbol of survival, an encouragement to keep up your fight, and an example of how to keep a side-aching sense of humor when you and the world around you is hurting.
Carrie strived to teach women to love themselves, and also gave Hollywood the middle finger when she was told to drop a couple pounds. She constantly dealt with body shaming and negativity, but handled attacks on her body with the perfect amount of grace and sass. She told her audience, “Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they’re the temporary happy by-products of time and/or DNA. Don’t hold your breath for either.” She also took to twitter to tell her shamers, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away … someone else might have given a…” (I’m sure you can fill in the blank).
Carrie was not quiet about the ever so present sexism in Hollywood, nor did she leave it untouched. As prevalent as her acting career was, many are unaware of Carrie’s legacy as a script doctor, making her unforgettable mark in a male dominated business, working on films such as Hook, The Wedding Singer, Lethal Weapon 3, as well as the Star Wars prequels; she remains uncredited on a plethora of films. Carrie became a feminist icon in an industry ruled by men. In addition to her screenplay achievements, she was able to use her suffering and pain to channel some remarkable writing through her novel, Postcards from the Edge, which was followed by a film of the same name, and ultimately the bestselling and gripping memoir The Princess Diarist.
But of course, we have to talk about the feminist princess herself, the unforgettable Princess Leia. In a cinematic age when male protagonists did all the rescuing and got all the cool action scenes, enter Leia- the independent, bold heroine oozing of courage. Leia showed Star Wars audiences how powerful females really could be, and that not all princesses need saving. She proved you can fall in love with a man without losing yourself, that you can be strong yet vulnerable. In The Force Awakens, Leia retires her princess title and becomes General Organa, who led the Rebellion with a strong compassion even after losing her son and husband. Pretty princesses in sparkly dresses who sing to animals are great and all, but nothing quite beats a woman who fearlessly speaks her mind and fights relentlessly through suffering for what shes believes in. Carrie often defined herself and Leia as one, neither would exist without the other- one must thank Carrie for manifesting herself in Leia, providing young girls with a truly bad ass role model, on and off screen.
Carrie matters because there will never be another Princess Leia, or another Carrie Fisher. Two unstoppable, fearless women who shattered glass ceilings time and time again. Carrie Fisher does not matter because she stared in a highly successful film franchise, but because of her unceasing effort to shine a light on mental illness, feminism, and to project a strong female figure for little girls to look up to. Carrie’s legacy holds strong in Hollywood film, but possibly her greatest legacy is inspiring generations of girls to take the bull by the horns, and be their own heroes, no matter what trouble comes their way. Carrie Fisher matters because she is an undying, universal symbol of hope for all.