Why Carrie Fisher Was So Important to Women Like Us

A thread of tweets posted by a Twitter user @ppyajunebug perfectly captures the role Carrie Fisher played in the lives of so many women.

As word of the death of Carrie Fisher spread, fans took to social media to express their sorrow. Many wrote about the impact that her character, Princess Leia, had on them when they were just girls. Others talked about how inspired they were by her role as General Organa.

Equally important to fans of Leia Organa was Carrie Fisher’s real-life role as an unofficial spokesperson for people living with mental illness. Obviously, she was very open with her experiences of living with bipolar disorder and addiction, and fought to remove the stigma of mental illness. Using her signature blend of humor and brutal honesty, she wrote several candid memoirs.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 11: Carrie Fisher signs copies of her new book ‘The Princess Diarist’ at Waterstones, Piccadilly, on December 11, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

But a series of tweets, posted by Twitter user @ppyajunebug, summarizes that intersection where Leia Organa and Carrie Fisher came to be equally important to countless numbers of women.

Now, she starts off by pointing out that there was more to Princess Leia than the infamous gold bikini scene.

But this is where we start to nod along. Of course, Leia was not your average princess. She didn’t live in a castle and she wasn’t waiting for a prince to rescue her. She, along with Wonder Woman, was a princess for little girls who weren’t interested in the fairy tale.

Then, this self-proclaimed #nastywoman goes on to talk about how we came to know Carrie Fisher as Carrie Fisher, not just Princess Leia. She refers to Fisher’s struggles with her mental health and battling addiction. The girls who once idolized (and still do) Princess Leia are now growing into women who are facing some of these same issues.

"We lead rebellions. We fight our demons. We are fierce and funny and fucked up. We are Carrie Fisher and you will not take that from us. We drown in moonlight, strangled by our own bras, our own words, our own legacies. Carrie Fisher is for us, is us, will always be us. – @ppyajunebug"

By this point, she is in tears. And people are responding to her tweets saying that they are, too. And then @ppyajunebug sums it all up as follows:

Yes, we are! We are the women who have lost our worlds and still pulled up our boots to fight another day. Moreover, we are the women with broken hearts who locked the pain away long enough to take charge and do what had to be done. We are the princesses, the rebels, the generals; we are the daughters, sisters, mothers, and lovers. And Carrie Fisher was one of us.

Related Story: Remembering Carrie Fisher: What She Meant to Me

May the Force forever be with you, Carrie.