Danica McKellar Dresses as 'Slave Leia' for Halloween

It might not be obvious how a female character dressed in a bikini and bound in chains is a symbol of empowerment for women. But The Wonder Years star Danica McKellar sees the connection, and that's why she chose to be Slave Leia from Return of the Jedi for Halloween. Read on for details.

Via Decider.

Few costumes are as iconic as Carrie Fisher‘s “Slave Leia” costume in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Fisher has been open about how the costume made her “very nervous” and she “hated” wearing it, and as a result, most Star Wars fans come to see the costume as an unsavory element in the franchise’s long history.

But that negative association didn’t stop The Wonder Years star and mathematician Danica McKellar from trying out the “Slave Leia” costume, a two-piece number that she insisted is “empowering” and “sexy.”

View this post on Instagram

Ah... dreaming of warmer California weather...😎 And it's time for #WeekendGiveaways! 🎉 In this shot, I'm wearing a bathing suit by @albionfit, but they also have fitness gear, and this week I'm giving away a $100 @albionfit gift card! . . . 🎯 Here's how to win: 1. Make sure you are following me. 2. Comment on this post, *tag a friend,* and include the hashtag #WeekendGiveaways! 3. Bonus points: How do you stay fit? 🧘‍♀️ . . . You can enter as many times as you want; just be sure to tag a new friend each time. 😊 That's it! If you win, I will temporarily follow you so we can DM each other. Good luck!! . . . . The earlier you comment, the better, but you can enter anytime in the next 24 hours (Turn on post notifications for my account to get a better shot at winning next time - sometimes there are two winners!) And the best part about these weekend giveaways? You can win more than once! . . . #fitness #fitmom #bathingsuit #WeekendGiveaways #justbecause #iappreciateyouall 😘

A post shared by Danica McKellar (@danicamckellar) on Oct 21, 2018 at 1:54pm PDT

“Hi there, Halloween!!” McKellar wrote on Twitter. “Ah, the ‘Slave Leia’ outfit… representing the ultimate empowering victory of this strong (and sexy!) heroine who bests her bully and triumphs against all odds. Proud to celebrate her!!”

McKellar’s tweet directly contradicts Fisher’s statements about the costume — “It wasn’t my choice … I hated wearing that outfit,” Fisher told NPR in 2016 — Star Wars and The Wonder Years fans didn’t seem to mind. The vast majority of (male) commenters turned into total horn dogs, telling McKellar that her costume “is a treat” and that the outfit was “Kevin Arnold’s dream come true.”

Get the rest of the story at Decider.

Do you think Danica picked a good costume? Let us know in the comments below.