1/6 Hot Toys - MMS298 - Star Wars: Episode IV - Princess Leia Collectible Figure

[noisyrobot]

The metal bikini, like most of the Original Trilogy is Lucas at his pop-culture referencing best.
There's a long science-fiction history of it before 1983:





I think the original science fiction source (please correct me if I'm wrong) may be Dejah Thoris from the Martian novels- particularly Frank Frazetta's illustrations. Edgar Rice Burroughs had quite an influence on George Lucas

 

[TaliBane]

The slave gold bikini was also Star Wars delving into real-world relevancy yet again - Jabba is a gangster, but he's more clearly a Sultan (his architecture, choice of smoking device and the Lego Jabba scandal is the obvious giveaway) and ROTJ was written just after the Iran Hostage Crisis, which played heavily in the minds of the Western World in the early 80's.

Seeing our favorite feisty female icon held hostage by a Sultan - and later, Sally Field pulling a Jason Bourne for her daughter - just played into the fears of the era. Sultans did love their slave/harem girls.


And jeez - look at what fairly powerful women choose to wear in so many music videos of the past decade... you'd think the "women's liberation movement" never happened. It makes the gold bikini seem so very quaint and retro.

 

[Darth_Z]

The point is that in 1982-83, Carrie Fisher was not a victim. She was awesome...

Oh, wow. To suggest that a woman being gratuitously sexually objectified in mainstream media back in "1982-83" is both arrogant and ignorant. Yes, 'gratuitously', despite your carefully-constructed justification about Jabba being vile and intending to demean her - he could merely have put a chain around her neck to achieve that. Princess Leia being placed in bondage in a skimpy outfit was simply a cheap device to appeal to a heterosexual male audience and sadly, this low blow continues to appeal to this day.

Women's Rights continue to be a struggle for equality to this day, but when the original Star Wars trilogy was being made, the Women's Rights movement was still at its infancy - and Hollywood movies continue to this day to be very slow to reflect evolving social attitudes.

Back then, women were expected to "display the goods" (as you put it) and this expectation was (and sadly, still is) acceptable amongst the wider community. Using other photos from the same era does not prove your point, it backs mine up. The earlier sexploitation pictures that noisyrobot posted do not support your statements either - using blatantly sexist images to support a sexist attitude??? And the really funny thing is the idea of George Lucas homaging 1950's pop culture - which is the epitome of white patriarchal middle class conservatism - that America seems to be reeling back towards.

Carrie has, as you mentioned, spoken several times about her feelings about this outfit - as well as the lack of bra under her original white gown in A New Hope (a necessity that George Lucas apparently personally insisted upon). The fact that she has only done so in more recent times is because that at the time, it was more likely that for a female actress to draw attention to such things would be viewed as being trouble-making and "un-ladylike".

Carrie did what was expected and what she probably thought that she had to do in order to succeed. And while this suggests choice, acquiescing to a contemporary social more does not indicate agreement with the situation, but resignation.

So, Princess Leia being chained to Jabba in a skimpy bikini was, and still is sexist and offensive. And the fact that you gag at the thought of Finn being placed in a similar situation only proves my point and your bias.

 

[Sithblade]

Yet today women quite happily post pictures of themselves on social media wearing next to nothing.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[One-Figure-Collector]

Yet today women quite happily post pictures of themselves on social media wearing next to nothing. ��

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Who? Where???

 

[TaliBane]

Back then, women were expected to "display the goods" (as you put it) and this expectation was (and sadly, still is) acceptable amongst the wider community.

Yeah, and Mariah, J Lo, Pink, Kim K, Nicki M, Lady G, Rihanna, Beyonce and Miley - some of THE most powerful women in entertainment today (and in terms of their wealth, reach and influence, powerful in general) - are SUCH the positive post-feminist role models in their music videos and concerts (using "blatantly sexist images to support a sexist attitude"!).

And yup, I attribute it all to the "epitome of white patriarchal middle class conservatism."

Your high horse is lame, Lady Godiva.

 

[Sithblade]

George was a bit pervy, these are
AOTC cut scenes from Anakin's and Padme's honeymoon

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[jedijim3002]

Wow. I was just hoping to see more pics of this figure instead I stumbled into a political debate. Lecture

 

[chrisstbh]

The more I look at this figure the more I regret not buying it when I had the chance.

 

[Khev]

I don't think Leia's bikini is worth getting worked up over. It's an iconic moment in cinema and the least of ROTJ's narrative problems.

That said I do think that moments like that should remain in 1983 and that it would be inappropriate for the young heroines of today.

 

[pjam]

George was a bit pervy, these are
AOTC cut scenes from Anakin's and Padme's honeymoon


Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

George was quoted as saying he just as easily would have been a Porn King.

 

[QuiGonFishing]

Yes, and before we're all thrown out by the Mods for descending into endless (and pointless, because no one has ever admitted to having their minds changed on an internet post) diatribes on social issues, let me say this, just so I can sleep at night...

The entire point of the scene is that Jabba is in fact objectifying her. That's the point! And the entire point of this chapter of the movie is to show that Leia not only breaks free of it, but makes it clear what the consequences are in thinking you could possibly hold Princess Leia, of ALL people, in that position and hope to survive it.

But here's the larger point. The idea that there is no context for a woman to appear on screen in wardrobe which accentuates her natural beauty even when it fits the arc of the story, is the result of a Politically Correct world gone mad.

Why is it that in this supposedly enlightened, sensitive, open, inclusive, free identification society we're apparently building, that we seem to have fewer self-expression choices instead of more? It is the tyranny of the hyper Liberal, ultra Left which tolerates all view points, unless of course they conflict in any way with their own.

You need look no further than the phrase "white patriarchal middle class conservatism" being used as a de facto curse word. To prove the point.

Oh...and, uh...what a great figure that HT ANH Leia is, right!?

 

[DarthAlias]

Oh, wow. To suggest that a woman being gratuitously sexually objectified in mainstream media back in "1982-83" is both arrogant and ignorant. Yes, 'gratuitously', despite your carefully-constructed justification about Jabba being vile and intending to demean her - he could merely have put a chain around her neck to achieve that. Princess Leia being placed in bondage in a skimpy outfit was simply a cheap device to appeal to a heterosexual male audience and sadly, this low blow continues to appeal to this day.

Women's Rights continue to be a struggle for equality to this day, but when the original Star Wars trilogy was being made, the Women's Rights movement was still at its infancy - and Hollywood movies continue to this day to be very slow to reflect evolving social attitudes.

Back then, women were expected to "display the goods" (as you put it) and this expectation was (and sadly, still is) acceptable amongst the wider community. Using other photos from the same era does not prove your point, it backs mine up. The earlier sexploitation pictures that noisyrobot posted do not support your statements either - using blatantly sexist images to support a sexist attitude??? And the really funny thing is the idea of George Lucas homaging 1950's pop culture - which is the epitome of white patriarchal middle class conservatism - that America seems to be reeling back towards.

Carrie has, as you mentioned, spoken several times about her feelings about this outfit - as well as the lack of bra under her original white gown in A New Hope (a necessity that George Lucas apparently personally insisted upon). The fact that she has only done so in more recent times is because that at the time, it was more likely that for a female actress to draw attention to such things would be viewed as being trouble-making and "un-ladylike".

Carrie did what was expected and what she probably thought that she had to do in order to succeed. And while this suggests choice, acquiescing to a contemporary social more does not indicate agreement with the situation, but resignation.

So, Princess Leia being chained to Jabba in a skimpy bikini was, and still is sexist and offensive. And the fact that you gag at the thought of Finn being placed in a similar situation only proves my point and your bias.

People like you are the reason why Disney may not ever produce Slave Leia merchandise. Can't we just leave it that Jabba is horny and wants eye candy around? No one offers to be bound and enslaved, hence Leia was forced. Fisher agreed to it and the movie's demographics are for men. Plus, sex sells.

 

[Comatoast]

I will refrain from the bikini debate except to say that, although I'm fairly liberal, I think too many people have elevated being offended to an art form. There are things that should change and evolve from earlier periods of time or we would still be burning people as witches, etc. However, our very existance is (currently) predicated on us having sex and sexuality is a part of our human culture. However it came about - maybe due to childbearing/nursing or a learned impulse to caregiving - women became the more sexualized human form. We're not getting rid of sex or sexualityand I think with more women in positions of power in entertainment, etc. and a more open, yes liberal, attitude towards women expressing thier sexuality - and projecting it on men (or women) - things are already swinging toward men being more sexualized in media. I mean do you think anyone be violently offended about a Magic Mike action figure??

Anyway, bringing it back to this great-looking figure, I picked up some of the Modal Nodes over the last couple weeks and they, along with the passing of Ms. Fisher inspired this shot...



"One last dance."

 

[pjam]

Great work, Coma.

 

[Robban]

Lovely photo Comatoast!

Here's my current set up.

 

[davejames]

Yes, and before we're all thrown out by the Mods for descending into endless (and pointless, because no one has ever admitted to having their minds changed on an internet post) diatribes on social issues, let me say this, just so I can sleep at night...

The entire point of the scene is that Jabba is in fact objectifying her. That's the point! And the entire point of this chapter of the movie is to show that Leia not only breaks free of it, but makes it clear what the consequences are in thinking you could possibly hold Princess Leia, of ALL people, in that position and hope to survive it.

But here's the larger point. The idea that there is no context for a woman to appear on screen in wardrobe which accentuates her natural beauty even when it fits the arc of the story, is the result of a Politically Correct world gone mad.

Why is it that in this supposedly enlightened, sensitive, open, inclusive, free identification society we're apparently building, that we seem to have fewer self-expression choices instead of more? It is the tyranny of the hyper Liberal, ultra Left which tolerates all view points, unless of course they conflict in any way with their own.

You need look no further than the phrase "white patriarchal middle class conservatism" being used as a de facto curse word. To prove the point.

Oh...and, uh...what a great figure that HT ANH Leia is, right!?

All us "ultra Lefties" want is just to have respect for other sexes, races and cultures that may have been oppressed in the past, and not demean or diminish them if at all possible. If there's anyone who seems to wildly overreact to that idea it's people on the right, with their hyperventilating about "political correctness" and "reverse discrimination" and the like (as if the white Christian majority have always had it soooo hard in this country).

In any case, for me Slave Leia is hardly something worth starting a march or protest over or anything (and I certainly have no problem with women showing lots of skin in old 80s movies). I just happen to not care as much for how ROTJ treats the strong character we saw in ANH in ESB is all. Lucas softened Leia up considerably in this movie for some reason and removed a great deal of the spark and edge she once had, and that was never more apparent than in the Jabba scenes.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Terrific pictures guys!!!

I think too many people have elevated being offended to an art form.

I have to agree with this. After spending the morning watching scantily-clad baton-twirlers in the Rose Parade and Bowl cheerleaders prance and writhe, I find this offense works on paper only.

 

[davejames]

View attachment 313903

"One last dance."

Amazing shot!

 

[Tom Day]

What should Carrie's costume in the scene have looked like?