Via bookriot.com:

It’s no secret that I love Star Wars. Despite growing up in the ’80s and having a white Princess Leia toothbrush, I don’t remember ever being a fan of that galaxy far, far away as a child. I remember liking the Ewoks, but I’m pretty sure I only had that toothbrush because my grandfather’s pharmacy sold them. I think my brother had an Ewok one, if I remember correctly. Anyway, toothbrush aside, Star Wars held no interest for me until late 2016, when my boss told me I should really see the movies, starting with Episode IV (which made NO sense to me at the time).

So after my then-5-month-old went to bed, I watched A New Hope, and the rest, as they say, is history. For those few hours, I got to be part of a different world. My exhaustion and weariness fell away, and I felt…hopeful, for the first time in a long time. At a time when I was struggling as a new parent, deeply exhausted, nervous about the upcoming election, and feeling very alone, Luke, Leia, and Han brought me into the fold. I could see why Leia was such a different female protagonist at that time, and how important that must have been. Only a few months later, her image would be everywhere during the Women’s March, and it struck me that I wasn’t the only one who looked to Leia for hope and inspiration.

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