“What I didn’t realize, back when I was this twenty-five-year-old pinup for geeks in that me myself and iconic metal bikini, was that I had signed an invisible contract to stay looking the exact same way for the next thirty to forty years. Well, clearly I’ve broken that contract. Partly because, in an effort to keep up my disguise as a human being, I had a child at some point. And then, in an effort to stay sane for said child, I took pounds and pounds of medications that have the dual effect of causing water retention (think ocean, not lake) while also creating a craving for salad—chocolate salad. So yes, in answer to your unexpressed question, sanity does turn out to come at a heavy price.” - Carrie Fisher
As a young woman in the middle of all kinds of changes in her life, finding guidance in contemporary pop culture can be difficult (not that anyone should be finding solace in pop culture idols anyhow). It just happens to be that Carrie Fisher exists and is an avid participant of Twitter and filled with all kinds of words of wisdom and Emoji's.
However, when I find myself in times of trouble, mother Carrie comes to me, singing words of wisdom "my new favorite word? Ball sack." Not the typical words expected from an intergalactic royalty know as Princess Leia Organa?
That is because the person I am talking about is Carrie Fisher. Although I have several women in my life that inspire me in everyday circumstances, it is always reassuring to know that someone like Carrie Fisher is out there Tweeting into the void. Tweeting away with as many Emojis as possible and with great wit.
I could never reach Carrie Fisher's height of quick humor and writing skills but in hopes of making others realize what a national treasure Carrie Fisher is, I will attempt to do so. Her celebrity status is not what makes her so approachable to others, especially to young women, but the fact that she's so open, fresh and human. A human being who is not afraid to recognize her mistakes and faults in a humorous way. If anyone is going to make of Carrie Fisher's past addictions, it is going to be Carrie Fisher.
"Now, I am not a stupid person. I’m a fairly intelligent person who does stupid things. Incredibly stupid things. I can’t defend it." — Carrie Fisher
Her sense of humor has to be the best attribute towards her personality. She has gone through so much in her life and still manages to laugh. It is far beyond her one role as Prince Leia that makes her such an icon. It is her quick sense of humor and ability to invoke thought and realness through it. A lot of her use of humor incorporates talking about mental illness (which she suffers from) and dealing with the crippling, sexist garbage everyday women have to deal with, including women aging in Hollywood. I think that by talking about her own personal struggles has led for a rise of awareness in mental illness and addiction. That it is OK to talk about it, seek help and realize that we are all dealing with something one way or another. Using her legacy in that way is perhaps the most incredible thing she has done for a lot of people.
Personally, I think Fisher has gotten to a point in her life that anything goes, and we can bask in that attitude. I would recommend you check out her Twitter feed and enjoy what Twitter and Emojis were made for https://twitter.com/carrieffisher. She wrote an entire tweet in Emoji with her picture of her dog Gary which translates to: "I saw Daniel Craig when he was a stormtrooper. Great hat + abs." Honestly, I am building the best case here.
I think a lot of what she says and does speaks for itself. Carrie Fisher hasn't just reached fans of "Star Wars" films but an entire group of young women who relate to what she says and how she calls out bullshit in a satirical way. I could go on and on about how amazing she is, but I will leave you with these:
