Photo courtesy of LucasFilms/ StarWars.com

Yesterday, the world lost an incredible actress, writer, mental health advocate, and an all around bad ass. Carrie Fisher was found drowned in moonlight, strangled by her bra at the age of 60.

As a little girl, I grew up with the usual Disney princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan, the list goes on. While Mulan was definitely my favorite Disney princess, my all time favorite princess came from a galaxy far far away.

I was three years old when I first watched Episode IV: A New Hope and man did Princess Leia inspire me. Here she was rocking her signature cinnamon bun hair do, talking smack to Darth Vader and Governor Tarkin. She was unafraid of a fight and stood by her morals.  What better role model for a three-year-old girl. I made my mom buy me the trilogy on VHS after that and I spent most of my days watching those tapes over and over again.  I wish I had the pictures of me dressed up as Princess Leia pretending to fight Storm Troopers and save the galaxy.

Weirdly enough, one of my favorite Leia moments is in The Return of the Jedi when she's captured  by Jabba the Hutt and has to wear that ridiculous metal bikini.Carrie Fisher hated that thing, and who could blame her. George Lucas had tried to shift the perception of Leia from fierce leader to a sex object and a helpless damsel in distress. But no, not Carrie/Leia, she was never a damsel in distress. Even then, completely exposed, she rises up and strangles Jabba, killing him. She didn't need anyone to save her, she saved herself. What was meant to degrade her truly showed how strong willed and powerful she was.

Fast forward to 2015, The Force Awakens comes out in theaters and audiences got to see a whole new side of Leia. She's no longer a princess, she's a general. Always a leader, General Leia moves forward, continuing the fight she has fought her entire life despite hardship- the loss of her planet, family, the list goes on. This Leia, was older and wiser but no less scrappy and hard working. To me, she aged with grace and dignity. She had evolved from a young bad-ass who I aspired to be like to a mature mentor role that comes with age and experience. She exuded wisdom in the Force Awakens and it made me look up to her more.

What was so powerful about Leia was her resiliency. She lost everything and yet, she still had hope, she still fought for what was right. Leia's final word in The Force Awakens was simply, "Hope."

While Carrie Fisher was best known for being Princess Leia, she struggled behind the scenes with Bipolar disorder. She was open about her illness and worked to normalize it and break the stigma behind it.Her beloved dog, Gary was always at her side, and she was very candid about his role in her life. He not only was a furry companion, he was her service dog, he helped calm her anxiety and helped her with her condition.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images via usmagazine.com

 Carrie Fisher also challenged the sexism in Hollywood throughout her career. Most recently refusing to be judged for not aging "well." I was particularly angry when people commented on this after The Force Awakens. Fisher was 19 when Episode IV hit the big screen and in her 50's by the time The Force Awakens rolled around. Like come on, people age, it's normal. Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill ( for the whole 8 seconds he was in the film) didn't get any flack for aging. But in normal Carrie Fisher fashion, she shut the critic down. On her twitter, she wrote "Please stop debating about whether or not I aged well. Unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings. My body hasn't aged as well as I have. Blow us," adding, " Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they're the temporary happy by-products of time and/or DNA. Don't hold your breath for either."

She, like Leia, gave so many hope and did so with a sense of humor. Thank you, Carrie Fisher. Thank you for your activism. Thank you for your wit. And from me personally, thank you for bringing Princess/General Leia to life and inspiring a little girl to be a bad ass, reach for the stars, and never be a damsel in distress. May the Force be with you Carrie, always.