Feminist icon: Princess Leia

Feminist icon: Princess Leia

Dear Princess Leia,

You know, sometimes doing the right thing is difficult. You really want to save the galaxy, but there’s all this other stuff and all those dodgy hairdo magazines to flip through and, really, can’t someone else do this? This is especially true when you are living the pampered luxury life of a princess.

Thankfully, your independent spirit was strong. Stronger than the Force. So you did fight and you did struggle and finally you saved the entire galaxy.

You’ve never avoided this duty and you’ve still managed to bag one of most eligible bachelors around.

Princess Leia, we salute you. Even if your hair looks a bit silly from time to time…

Love, Mookychick xxx

Best Princess Leia Quotes:

“I don’t know who you are or where you’ve come from, but from now on you’ll do as I say, okay?”

“Captain, being held by you isn’t quite enough to get me excited.”

“Some day you’re gonna be wrong, I just hope I’m there to see it.”

(All these quotes were directed towards Han Solo. Obviously, they were going to be getting it on later…)

Princess Leia Best Known For:

Besting the Empire and bringing peace to a troubled galaxy.

Princess Leia Least Known For:

Wearing her hair in sensible styles.

Princess Leia Links:

Official Star Wars site

Leia’s metal bikini
(this one is a bit worrying, really.)

Official Carrie Fisher site

Princess Leia’s Background:

Born in an asteroid field, your mother an elected Queen (who dies, for no reason, in child birth) and your father potentially the greatest Jedi who ever lived (who gets chopped into pieces, burnt to a crisp and then put in a big black leather suit), then being smuggled away to be raised by a senator on a peaceful planet is never going to be the greatest of starts in life. But Leia Organa Solo still managed to become a princess.

She was a figurehead for the Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire and was caught smuggling plans of the Empire’s new WMD by her father above his home planet. Yet he recognised neither. She was rescued by a farm boy and a scoundrel and was then pretty much instrumental in every one of the Rebellion’s major victories. And snogging her brother.

She was also played by Carrie Fisher, who, during the making of the Star Wars films, went from celebrity starlet daughter to drug addled junkie. But she overcame both of these to become an accomplished writer and fantastic talk show guest. She also, anonymously, re-writes a lot of movie scripts as a ‘script doctor’.

The last we saw of Princess Leia, she was snogging Han Solo on a planet full of teddy bears. Which, for Mookies of a certain age, is about as close to our dreams as possible.

Mooky Factor:

High. Very high, after all you’re really getting two icons for the price of one.

Princess Leia was a strong and fearless character, who stood by her beliefs and fought for them. Whether it was saving the galaxy or the man she loved. She was more than willing to risk her own life for the struggle and never demanded that others do the same. Though she appreciated it when they did.

And Carrie Fisher, the woman behind the character, is one of the most acerbic and witty people around. She has succeeded when everything was against her and kept her integrity and sense of humour intact.

by Deborah Taylor


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