Club Jade

Can We Talk About Why We Really Love Princess Leia? By Emily Asher-Perrin.

When citing a slew of strong and/or important female characters in genre (or anywhere in pop culture), Princess Leia usually makes the list. It seems almost lazy, the easiest road to legitimacy because people love Star Wars, and Leia’s not perfect but without her you would’ve probably never gotten Korra or Xena or Ripley, and, you know… she’s got that doughnut hair! And carries a blaster! Right?

On the other hand, what we don’t discuss often enough is exactly why Princess Leia belongs on those lists. And she does, make no mistake — we just like to leave it at that. Maybe make a comment about how spunky she is. Or the fact that she happens to see good in everyone’s favorite smuggling rogue.

You know why we have such a hard time defining why Princess Leia is awesome? Because she was first introduced to us by her regal title: a princess. Read more…