—
Carrie Fisher and her Star Wars character defined the type of woman I wanted to be with at an early age.
My first crush was Princess Leia in the first Star Wars movie. I wanted to be Han Solo and I wanted the princess. I remember going into the biggest theater in Anchorage, Alaska after a 45-minute drive because a family friend said we had to go see this movie. I was upset my parents dragged me out of my wilderness bubble and off to the city. I thought no movie was worth a 90-minute round trip car ride with my parents. Of course, a few seconds into the movie I was hooked. Thank you, Carrie Fisher, for making the trip worthwhile.
She was smart, attractive, had an opinion, and was willing to share it. She was not the Disney princess type worried about shoes. Why men want a woman that is superficial is beyond me.
Princess Leia and later General Leia Organa (rightly so) needed a strong man to be attracted to and Han Solo was just that. I knew if I found the right woman I could be that man I wanted to be. Leia and Han were the first role models, after my parents, that I recognized. It inspired me to look for strong women. Because I love strong women.
Carrie Fisher was her own person and I find that very attractive.
Thank you, Carrie Fisher, for helping me to define at an early age what I wanted: a smart, funny, knows-what-she-wants, deep woman. I found my Leia years later and am grateful that Carrie Fisher was for my generation, the first strong feminist.
May the force be with you Carrie Fisher, you will be missed.
__
Photo credit: Getty Images