Thoughtful Thursday: The End of the Icons
I have always loved both Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher and the last couple of days have been a bit rough - not just on me, but on many people who loved their work over the years. I have been a bit disbelieving of news stories and people conversing, but it is obvious that the news of their deaths has not been exaggerated but is true.
I don't know if I had seen any Debbie Reynolds movies before Carrie Fisher burst into my life in her iconic role, but knowing my family, probably. I remember the effect of the entire Star Wars universe on my life when I was 7, and Princess Leia was a big part of that effect. Here was a girl/woman who knew what needed to happen and did it! (I think my disdain for Padme Amidala is that she spent most of the third movie crying, not getting things done like Leia! - I'm kinda slipping into Stars Wars philosophy role here. I'll stop!) Let the men come up with an escape plan? That obviously wasn't working for her! She was the military strategist, so she took over that aspect of the partnership that they formed in that detention block. She was able to quickly assess what was needed and then act upon it with determination. She (and the rest of the universe presented to me) opened up my thoughts about people and how we work together.
The first movies that I remember watching that starred Debbie Reynolds were Tammy and the Bachelor, Singing In the Rain, and My Six Loves. They all satisfied my romantic heart and left me imagining what being in love would be like. I identified with awkward Tammy, being the backwards girl put in a new place that she didn't understand at first. I felt that way going into new situations. I loved that Janice Courtney was someone who threw herself into her work but really needed balance in her life and found that by being a mother to kids who needed her. Kathy Seldon, on the other hand, had a habit of running her mouth and it getting her into trouble - also something I can identify with both in my past and, well, now.
These women continued to be present in my life, outside of those initial encounters through the movie and television screens. I read Carrie Fisher's autobiography (speaking of which, I need to find it again) and eagerly watched everything I could find that included one or both of them. While they both had long careers and many roles to their names, they will always be Kathy/Tammy and Leia to me.
As I am thinking about these two icons, I am thinking about the things that they taught me through their roles. Be confident. Admit when you are wrong. Keep going after your end goal. Support the dreams of others. Never lose hope. Lead a rebellion to get what you know is right.
These are ideas that I think have helped me be a therapist and a strong, independent woman.
Thank you, Carrie and Debbie, for being present to affect the lives of so many of us who never met you in person but who remember the roles you played.
I will take the models that you offered and make them my own.
Rest in peace.
I don't know if I had seen any Debbie Reynolds movies before Carrie Fisher burst into my life in her iconic role, but knowing my family, probably. I remember the effect of the entire Star Wars universe on my life when I was 7, and Princess Leia was a big part of that effect. Here was a girl/woman who knew what needed to happen and did it! (I think my disdain for Padme Amidala is that she spent most of the third movie crying, not getting things done like Leia! - I'm kinda slipping into Stars Wars philosophy role here. I'll stop!) Let the men come up with an escape plan? That obviously wasn't working for her! She was the military strategist, so she took over that aspect of the partnership that they formed in that detention block. She was able to quickly assess what was needed and then act upon it with determination. She (and the rest of the universe presented to me) opened up my thoughts about people and how we work together.
The first movies that I remember watching that starred Debbie Reynolds were Tammy and the Bachelor, Singing In the Rain, and My Six Loves. They all satisfied my romantic heart and left me imagining what being in love would be like. I identified with awkward Tammy, being the backwards girl put in a new place that she didn't understand at first. I felt that way going into new situations. I loved that Janice Courtney was someone who threw herself into her work but really needed balance in her life and found that by being a mother to kids who needed her. Kathy Seldon, on the other hand, had a habit of running her mouth and it getting her into trouble - also something I can identify with both in my past and, well, now.
These women continued to be present in my life, outside of those initial encounters through the movie and television screens. I read Carrie Fisher's autobiography (speaking of which, I need to find it again) and eagerly watched everything I could find that included one or both of them. While they both had long careers and many roles to their names, they will always be Kathy/Tammy and Leia to me.
As I am thinking about these two icons, I am thinking about the things that they taught me through their roles. Be confident. Admit when you are wrong. Keep going after your end goal. Support the dreams of others. Never lose hope. Lead a rebellion to get what you know is right.
These are ideas that I think have helped me be a therapist and a strong, independent woman.
Thank you, Carrie and Debbie, for being present to affect the lives of so many of us who never met you in person but who remember the roles you played.
I will take the models that you offered and make them my own.
Rest in peace.
Comments
Post a Comment