As I am sure you have all heard, Carrie Fisher, an actress, and writer most famous for playing Princess Leia in the iconic "Star Wars" franchise, passed way on December 27, 2016. She experienced cardiac arrest a few days prior on a plane from London to Los Angeles. She died due to a relapse shortly after she returned to stable condition.
I could give you all of the details, talk about all of the celebrity reactions to her death, and how tragic it was that her mother, Debbie Reynolds, passed a day after. Although, I'm here to talk about my feelings towards the situation.
I grew up loving "Star Wars". Both of my parents were big fans as kids and I don't remember a time where the series wasn't playing in my living room. I was always a princess kind of girl. My favorite Disney movies growing up and right now are the princess movies. Some may find it a little weird that I'm a "Star Wars" fan. In fact, when I was in high school a guy friend of mine was talking about how girls were never into "Star Wars" if they even bothered to watch it. He was shocked when I told him I was a big fan. Well, "Star Wars" had a princess, which is probably what attracted me to it.
That brings me to my point. Princess Leia is a badass. I remember hearing once that a common argument against the franchise was that it was sexist. It made me laugh out loud due to how awesome and powerful Princess Leia is.
Princess Leia taught me many wonderful things. She told me you can be ladylike and have a bit of an attitude. She taught me life without a sense of humor is boring. She taught me that being beautiful, tough, and strong aren't mutually exclusive. She taught me that the best relationships are the ones where you can make fun of each other (she and Han Solo are #relationshipgoals). She taught me that kindness is valuable and more powerful than any power you can acquire yourself. She taught me that true beauty is in the kindness you show to others. She taught me how valuable loved ones are and to never give up on them. Most importantly, she taught me to always do what is right, even if it isn't easy.
Let's not forget how awesome Carrie Fisher was as a person outside of acting. She was an accomplished writer and mental health advocate who used her sense of humor to discuss her struggles with addiction and bipolar disorder. I honestly don't know how she did it. She went to hell and back and came back joking about it. She showed the world that sometimes laughter is just the best way to deal with things.
I was disheartened when I heard of her heart attack, relieved when I heard when she was stable, and absolutely heartbroken when I heard of her death. I was shocked at the news, and more shocked by how sad I was. Now that I think of it, it makes sense why I am so disheartened by her passing. Princess Leia, as well as the amazing woman behind her, taught me a lot of incredible lessons.
Rest in peace beautiful. May the force be with you.
