Noël Duan
Carrie Fisher: Youth and Beauty Aren't Accomplishments
·Assistant Editor
Star Wars star Carrie Fisher speaks out about aging and beauty. (Photo: Riccardo Ghilardi)
When Carrie Fisher appeared on screen as Princess Leia in a gold bikini in the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in 1983, she became every teenage boy's fantasy. Princess Leia posters plastered the walls of bedrooms and dorm rooms across the country. This year, the 59-year-old iconic star returned to Star Wars: The Force Awakens as General — not Princess — Leia, starring alongside 73-year-old Harrison Ford as Han Solo. But while Ford, reportedly paid 76 times more than his younger co-stars, was greeted with support (Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos Tweeted, "Star Wars review: Harrison Ford can still get it"), Fisher was subject to debates about whether she "aged well."
Carrie Fisher in the '70s. (Photo: Getty Images)
"Carrie Fisher did not age well though…. For context, Harrison Ford is 73 and she's 59. #TimeIsNotKind," Tweeted Matt Good. "Watching return of the jedi and man Carrie Fisher did not age well," Tweeted another Star Wars fan, Matt Kacar. "I think Carrie Fisher is amazing but it's weird seeing an actress age the way a 'commoner' does. Do y'all catch my drift?" wrote another man.
Fisher fired back at these criticisms with three Tweets:
This isn't the first time that Fisher has spoken out about aging women in Hollywood. In early December 2015, Good Housekeeping UK reported that Fisher was "pressured" to lose 35 pounds for the role, in which she commands an entire resistance movement while rocking immaculate braids. "They don't want to hire all of me — only about three-quarters!" Fisher told Good Housekeeping UK. "Nothing changes, it's an appearance-driven thing. I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that's how easy it is."
As reported by The Washington Post, the top-grossing 100 films of 2014 didn't star any woman over age 45 — and Fisher sees the obsession with youth and beauty as a problem beyond just visibility. "We treat beauty like an accomplishment, and that is insane," Fisher said. "Everyone in LA says, 'Oh you look good,' and you listen for them to say you've lost weight. It's never 'How are you?' or 'You seem happy!'"
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