A fun, sexy fan twist on an infamous Star Wars moment just went viral thanks to a shout-out from Luke Skywalker himself. Last November, actors America Young and Dove Meir posed for a series of photos sending up Carrie Fisher’s “slave” outfit in Return of the Jedi. Meir’s original Instagram post read: “What if Han Solo was cast as a woman and Leia a man?”
The shoot recently caught fire on Twitter, and it blew up on May 8 when Mark Hamill posted this to his Twitter:
Even 35 years ago, the “slave Leia” costume was controversial for its depiction of female objectification. These days it’s laughable, and a little sad. One of very few elements of the original trilogy that hasn’t aged well (this was a family film for goodness’ sake!).
Fisher was outspoken in her disdain for the costume. She told Daisy Ridley, “Don’t be a slave like I was. … You keep fighting against that slave outfit,” in a conversation with Interview before she passed away in late 2016.
The new shoot, on the other hand, is an impressive, edgy and hugely enjoyable display of good sportsmanship. As an added bonus, Meir has a washboard stomach and legs for days. These photos will age a lot better than Princess Leia’s first chunk of screen time in Return of the Jedi.
The Advocate recently tracked down Young and Meir for a conversation about the shoot. Check it out, along with the rest of the photos, here:
Shut up, Jin
Nothing sexy about this.. Kinda funny, dumb? Yeah, but not sexy.. Like if I were a lesbian, I can look at Leia in her slave outfit, and think it was hot and sexy, like many guys did.. I am gay though, attracted to men, masculinity.. Seeing a guy emulate a female…. Not sexy.
I’m also gay, attracted to men, and I think it’s sexy.
Trying to emasculate a man just for not sharing your clothing preference is just about as ignorant as homophobes who might emasculate you for not sharing their sexual preference.