Princess Leia was my role model when I was little, so I was excited -like many other fans- to see her return to the big screen. Despite it being 32 years since we last saw Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, despite her continuing to be a woman in power in a popular franchise and despite her being a complete badass, people decided to make comments on her appearance of all things.
From the female character Altaira being manipulated and lusted after for her looks in "Forbidden Planet."
to how the cinematography and director's choices in the Transformers franchise reduces women to being viewed as objects of desire
it's no secret that the film industry cares more about how women look than who they are. In one study, it was found that women are five times more likely than men to be shown in sexually revealing clothes.
Women being subjected to hyper-sexualized clothing is an age old tale and is seen in the original Star Wars trilogy with Leia's slave costume.
"Nothing changes, it's an appearance thing," Fisher said. "I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up."
While Fisher's sentiments are true, there's a bright side. After watching "Star Wars: The Force of Awakens," I'm pleased to say that film focuses on developing the women's personalities as opposed to their looks. Also, the women are not subjected to objectifying costumes, and in the case of Leia, little makeup is used to make her look younger, which was Fisher's choice.
"I've seen pictures of myself with makeup on," Fisher said in an interview with "Time," "and I look like those women who look like they're wearing makeup so they can look young, and I don't think that's good."
It's great "The Force Awakens" focuses more on who the women are instead of making sure they are attractive, but that doesn't change the fact that some viewers took it upon themselves to make comments about Fisher's appearance.
I'm sick and tired of people thinking a woman's value is measured based on her appearance, and Fisher best articulates how absurd it is to judge a woman on her looks alone.
"My body is my brain bag," Fisher tweeted in response to comments on her appearance in the new film. "It hauls me around to those places and in front of faces where there's something to say or see."
Fisher is correct; it's the person's personality, mentality and intellect that reflects who they are, not their physical body.
Despite this being the case, women are still judged based on their looks, especially in the film industry. Amber Riley, actress from "Glee," recounts how she was offered roles based off of how she looked as opposed to who she is.
"I was being offered the girl who sits in the corner and...eats all day, the girl who wanted to commit suicide cause she was fat," Riley said. "I never wanted to play a character that hated herself. I wanted people to know those aren't the only kind of roles for women like me, normal girls."
Riley's advocacy for more inclusion for characters with diverse body types is greatly needed. It's been found that almost a quarter of female characters in film are depicted unrealistically thin.
The emphasis on sexual appeal and the limited depiction of physiques outside of thin are not only hurtful but also ridiculous because physical appearance does not last.
"Youth and beauty are not ACCOMPLISHMENTS," Fisher further responded on her Twitter. "They're the TEMPORARY happy byproducts of time and/or DNA. Don't hold your breath for either."
Other women in the spotlight share Fisher's thoughts, agreeing with the actress that physical appearance is not an accomplishment.
"I don't want to be on the cover of 'Playboy' or 'Vogue.' I want to be on the cover of 'Rolling Stone' or 'Q,'" Grammy winning artist Adele remarked. "I'd rather weigh a ton and make an amazing album."
Carrie Fisher is one of many talented women in Hollywood. Who she is and what she stands for is admirable, so please stop basing her value and the value of other women in the industry based on their appearance.
