Carrie Fisher- A Sumptuous Exemplar

The recent death of the famous Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher came as a shock to millions of Star Wars fans. Carrie Fisher, a pop culture icon played a dominant role as Princess Leia in Star Wars died at age 60 after having suffered a heart attack on a return journey to Los Angeles from London. Fisher has been popular since her age 19 with her debut role in Star Wars and others films like Charlie’s Angels, The Blue Brothers, Austin Powers and When Harry Met Sally, to name a few. She was not just an iconic star but she was also a popular writer releasing three hit books over the course of her life-Postcards from the Edge, Princess Diarist, and Wishful Drinking. Being born to two famous stars- her father Eddie Fisher, a singer and her mother, an award-winning actress Debbie Reynolds, Fisher was raised in celebrity. She entered the family business of entertainment and soon found herself in stardom right from her young age (Domonoske, 2016).

For an outsider, Fisher’s life is a- ‘dream come true’. Not many will know Fisher as a woman of a common share of struggles. Though she was born to famous Hollywood stars her parents’ divorce could have had a tragic effect on her life. Fisher reports having smoked pot at the age of 13. She had used LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) a hallucinogens drug before she turned 21. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age 24 for which she had to undergo electroconvulsive therapy and medication (Domonoske, 2016). Fisher narrates her battle to recover from drug addiction and struggle with bipolar disorder in her semi-autobiographical book Postcards from the Edge. In her one-woman show Wishful Drinking which later was released as a book, Fisher shares her approach to life where she believes in turning life’s tragedy with humor and positivity (Domonoske, 2016).

Many famous personalities like Fisher have had their share of struggles in life. At times the general tendency is to look at their positive side and presume that life is always at ease for the rich and the famous. Anyone can easily assume ‘so what’? She was born to popular stars. She was raised in celebrity. She entered Hollywood without a hassle and she was beautiful and charming to get into an iconic role. Only by going deep inside her life (by reading her autobiographies and/or her other books) can one get a glimpse of the reality.

Bipolar disorder is a debilitating mental disorder with uncontrollability as the chief symptom. An individual can have sudden mood swings or fluctuating feelings that appear without any external stimuli or provocation affecting relationships and daily functioning (Tartakovsky, 2016). The disorder also includes other symptoms like depression, hypomania, and risky behaviors often causing the loved ones and friends feel confused about the sufferer (Tartakovsky, 2016). The best part of Fisher is her personal awareness of her mental disorder. She is one star who openly spoke about her struggles with bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Above all, she played a key role in mental health awareness and the need for intervention/treatment. She asserted that being aware of her condition gave her a sense of being in control. She acknowledged that she was not the only one, but one among the many to face the challenges of mental illness (Gonzalez, 2016). For most of her fans Fisher was an iconic star, but more than anything else she was a fighter!

References

Domonoske, C. (2016). Carrie Fisher, Actress Beloved For Playing Princess Leia, Dies At 60. NPR. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/27/507109015/carrie-fisher-actress-beloved-for-playing-princess-leia-dies-at-60

Gonzalez, S. (2016). Carrie Fisher, ‘Star Wars”Princess Leia, dies at 60. CNN. Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/27/entertainment/carrie-fisher-obit-star-wars/index.html

Tartakovsky, M. (2016). 4 of the Biggest Barriers in Bipolar Disorder. Psych Central. Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/lib/4-of-the-biggest-barriers-in-bipolar-disorder/