More Than a Princess

Carrie Fisher, known worldwide for her iconic character Princess Leia Organa, was a woman with many stories behind the scenes. Her life was one full of different challenges, many ups, and downs. However, before leaving this world she was in charge of teaching us all very important things.                                        

She was born on October 21, 1956, and died, little over a year ago, on December 27, 2016, with only 60 years of life, due to an unexpected heart attack. Her mother was the famous actress Debbie Reynolds and her father, the singer Eddie Fisher. She had only one daughter, Billie Lourd, and an adorable dog, Gary Fisher. In addition to acting, she also wrote autobiographical books, some of which were adapted to script and taken to the big screen. Some of her books are Postcards from the Edge, Surrender the Pink,  Delusions of Grandma and her very last published book The Princess Diarist.                 

(From left to right, Billie Lourd, Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher. Picture by US Weekly)

Her emblematic character of Princess Leia of the Star Wars Saga was one of the few female characters who was given importance and relevance in the world of filmography by the 70s. Leia broke with certain paradigms with which perhaps a Princess should comply. The character could switch from a decisive leader to a rebel firing weapons. She was not the typical damsel in distress, not even for a minute. This caught the attention of many little girls who were part of the audience. Carrie projected to the girls of her generation, and to all of us, that we can all be equally amazing and determined with our goals.            

The actress also showed us that we can all overcome our demons and that we can all be strong. Carrie suffered from bipolarity, alcoholism, and addiction to drugs. She struggled to overcome everything by accepting her situation and receiving aid in rehabilitation. After that, she publicly opened up about her problems, giving talks and testimonies about how she accepted that she suffered from mental illnesses and that she was not ashamed because she was still fighting and, above all, surviving. It inspired many people to face similar situations and seek help. Carrie was undoubtedly a very important spokesperson to raise awareness about mental illness.

Carrie, in one of her interviews, confessed that she could not distinguish where “Princess Leia began and where Carrie Fisher ended”. In the same way, all her fans perceived it as two unique souls combined in one. That’s why when our beloved actress died, it was as if the princess had also left us. However, we know that “Nobody is really gone”; Carrie is still alive and present within our hearts.

Here are some of the many quotes by Carrie Fisher:

“Youth and beauty are not accomplishments.”

“Stay afraid, but do it anyway, what’s important is the action.”

“Sometimes you can only find Heaven by slowly backing away from Hell.”

“Screw beauty, it’s artificial anyway and my other attributes matter way more than my appearance.”

We miss you, Carrie. May you rest in peace forever.

(Carrie as General Leia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens gif by Giphy)

• Carrie Fisher
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