I got a tattoo. Yes, I’m well aware that I’m 52 years old. If you have a problem with it, bite me. My tattoo is very special to me and millions of little girls everywhere. It is Princess Leia. It is a simple profile line drawing and yes, it has the iconic hair. Most everyone who has seen it thus far doesn’t know what it is. That’s okay. I know.
Why Leia? Well, other than she is the biggest badass in the galaxy, she means a great deal to me—both the character of Leia and also Carrie Fisher, who played her. Two epic women who both fought difficult battles and as far as I’m concerned, came out on top despite dealing with a lot of pain in the ass men.
Neither could be stopped or silenced. Both persevered despite the man (literally) trying to hold them down—or choke them out in the case of Lord Vader.
I had a recent experience in therapy some, including myself, would call a breakthrough. I don’t want to get too deep into it, let’s just say most of my life has consisted of men of power letting me know what I can’t do and how inadequate I am. This is true both personally and professionally. Fuck that. I’m done.
I got the Leia tattoo to remind me every damn day of how over I am with all the patriarchal horse shit. No one fought the patriarchy harder than Leia. Fuck, y’all. Her dad was Darth Vader. That actually makes all my dad’s nonsense look tame. Hell, even my dad didn’t freeze my boyfriend in carbonite.
I’m really beaten down by a lot of what is going on in the world today, but I can’t give in to it. I have a daughter. I must continue to fight. Being a woman is hard. It is necessary for women my age to help make things better for the next generation. That is what Leia did. Girlfriend didn’t become a General by not kicking some ass and taking some names—male names.
Listen y’all, I know I write a lot about Star Wars and mental health. That is probably not going to change. Some may consider that an unlikely combo, but it makes sense to me. Perhaps only because Carrie Fisher was so open about her mental health and I believe she helped countless people look at their own mental health and realize it was okay to struggle with it.
A lot can be learned from Star Wars. I was at a party this weekend and my tattoo sparked a whole Leia conversation. The woman I was speaking to was as passionate about Leia as I am. She told me she grew up in a neighborhood with a bunch of boys and it wasn’t until Star Wars came out that they allowed her to play with them and be Leia. She not only played with them. She was in charge. That is the power of Leia.
Star Wars has taught countless little girls they can kick ass and all the good roles don’t just go to men. Leia and Carrie were trailblazers. They changed the narrative. I’m grateful for that. I will continue their fight and have Leia on my arm to remind me never to stop.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
