*This post is broken up into two parts. The first is a message written by myself, the second....still myself but it's something you can participate in if you have any memories you'd like to share of Carrie Fisher. <3
FROM THE DESK OF THE GLITTER JEDI
I’m part of the initial waves of little girls that looked up to Carrie Fisher growing up. I made a Halloween costume out of a white sheet, completed with a belt, boots, and pretty sweet side buns. The simplest, quickest, and cheapest costume I’ve ever made also turned out to be the most recognizable.
Princess Leia is an icon that is burned into our brains and hearts thanks to Ms. Fisher. Outside of being part of the most recognizable piece of pop culture imaginable, Carrie leaves a legacy of strength and a hell of a lot of fight. She battled her demons publicly when she couldn’t keep them at bay and again when she told the stories after her recoveries. Because of her refusal to veil the problems she experienced, it cleared a path for those watching to recognize their own issues and to ask for help rather than hide.
Princess Leia was one of the very first female characters that I recognized as a leader and a fighter who wasn’t okay with leaving the heavy lifting to her male counterparts.
Carrie Fisher was the first celebrity that I remember publicly addressing mental illness for what it was and destigmatizing how we all believed it worked.
I grew up watching Princess Leia lead a band of Rebels to victory.
Her shamelessness when it came to writing about the moments she fought her mind allowed the world to view mental illness from a more humane scope with empathy and compassion.
Neither Leia nor Carrie were easy to understand or love. They didn’t always say or do the right (or preferred) things. Neither had all the answers and both carried a lot on their respective shoulders. What they both did do was become a beacon of hope, strength, and humanity in their own story line. Lucky for us, we had the opportunity to witness, learn from, and value both of them.
To General Organa: Thank you for showing 10-year-old Jaimie (and millions of others like her) what a badass female character looked like. What a leader looked like. What loyalty looked like.
To Carrie Fisher: Thank you for being unapologetic but accountable in your struggles. Thank you for providing us with unflinching, hilarious accounts of how things didn’t always go so well when you were battling your mind. Thank you for being loud, articulate, honest, sarcastic, and flawed.
Rest in peace.
PARTICIPATE - SHARING MEMORIES OF CARRIE
In her honor, I would love to start a chain of stories or memories you have with/of Carrie or Leia. Sharing stories about this story teller is a perfect way to honor her memory. Tell me about the time you met her in person. Tell me about your favorite passage in one of her books. Post a screenshot of the time she retweeted something you wrote, made, shared.
To start of the thread of memory sharing. Here is mine….
THE TIME I MET CARRIE IRL AND IT ALMOST MELTED MY BRAIN:
About 18 months ago I had the honor of not only meeting Carrie, but of having her shop with my company not once, but twice during a convention weekend. She and I had a HUGE thing in common: a love for glitter. I was wearing solid amount of it when we met. She pointed at my face then at our cosmetic glitters and said, “Make my eyes look like yours.”
The photo you see here is not exactly my most flattering. Honestly, Carrie and this memory are the only reason I let anyone see it. It’s just too good.
The reasons I have THE MOST ridiculous look on my face in this photo are:
1) I had just applied Espionage Cosmetics glitter to Carrie who had stopped by our booth for the second time that weekend to shop. It is during this application that I believe I legitimately earned my title as “Glitter Jedi”.
2) Right after I added sparkle to her makeup she immediately sprinkled at least of our glitters to her dog Gary while a crowd watched. (He looked fabulous btw)
3) When my friend Dawn snapped this photo, Carrie had just leaned over and put her head on my chest. PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA OF ALDARAAN ... GENERAL ORGANA! Cue my brain going into full overload and melting inside my head.
And that is the story of why I look like I am having a rough time processing the moment in this photo. It’s because I was. For obvious reasons. I’m a lucky nerd to have had that experience and it will remain one of my best no matter how old I get.
I’m looking forward to reading more memories from fellow nerds.
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FINAL NOTE: We all know that Carrie was a strong voice and advocate for mental health treatment and perception over the decades. You can find Mental Health Resources and support through links and information she has had listed on her site if you or someone you love needs such information http://carriefisher.com/mental-health-resources/
Divider from Weapon Replica
Original - Featured Image from StarWars.com (Edited for use)
