a new hope - feminism in star wars

The fight for women is a rebellion built on hope. While our culture has come a long way toward equality between men and women, the movies and media of the culture always reveal where the money still is. But in an age of female subjugation, simplification, and objectification, where women in most action movies only serve as the sexual appeal, Star Wars has a history of rebellion.

(Spoiler alerts – tons of them.)

            Heroes shape us. Long before I knew of the need for feminism, I was a little girl who wanted to be Princess Leia. From the opening sequence of the first movie in 1977, “A New Hope,” Leia is central to the success of the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the dark Imperial forces. She saves the critical plans to the Death Star, takes down Storm Troopers, threatens Darth Vader to his face, stays loyal through torture, and takes over her own rescue – in the first thirty minutes! Throughout Episodes IV-VIII, Director George Lucas’ portrayal of Leia demands respect, even through costuming choices that prepare her for action, not objectification. In Episode VI, Leia is captured and forced into a sexualized costume by Jabba the Hut, which sends the message that anyone using women as objects is as gross as a giant drooling slug. Despite the oppression, Leia uses the very chain that enslaves her to finally choke and defeat Jabba. And then, as decades pass, Leia becomes the foundation upon which the Resistance continues, standing with the cause even when she stands alone.

            But Leia is not the only Star Wars woman who inspires. Padme remains faithful to her people, her convictions, and her lover all at once, while that lover slips into the dark side. Jyn leads the band of rebels that secure the Death Star plans, knowing it will cost them their lives. Rey faces her deepest inner fears, and discovers that she is far more powerful than she ever imagined. Rose rescues and reminds her violence-bent friend, “That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.”

            As a series full of strong women, perhaps there is something powerful to learn from Star Wars about feminism. Perhaps Leia demonstrates that women serve much more than a secondary role. Perhaps Rey reminds us that we must first know ourselves, and then choose not to hide but to embrace the power inside us. And perhaps Rose teaches us the best way forward as feminists: not by fighting, but by saving. We win not by tearing down and caving in to the same systems of oppression, but by choosing to celebrate every human being in the hope of being celebrated as well.

            As a feminist, I live and hope for equal respect, worth, and reverence toward all humans, male and female. This rebellion is built on that hope, and on the hope that each of us, male and female, will join this Rebel Alliance. May the Force be with us.

written for our school newspaper, Mars' Hill Volume 23 Issue 2.