SLAVE LEIA OUTFITCarrie Fisher hated the metal bikini she had to wear as Jabba’s prisoner.
The famous “Slave Leia outfit” from Return of the Jedi was as uncomfortable as it was revealing. Parts of it were made of rigid metal, making it nearly impossible to move or sit normally. Every time Carrie leaned back, the costume would shift and expose more than intended, so the crew had to constantly fix it between takes.
Over time, the outfit—originally meant to sexualize the character—became an iconic (and very controversial) symbol of the saga. Carrie despised it, but with her signature biting humor, she took ownership of it and made sure everyone knew Leia was more than just a pretty face chained to a giant slug.
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, they began "cleaning up" the franchise’s image—and the golden bikini was one of the first things to go. For years, it had been a pop culture symbol (and a recurring fan fantasy), but Disney’s new direction wasn’t having it. In 2015, they stopped producing official figures, posters, and merch featuring the outfit, and many online stores pulled it from their shelves. The official line? They didn’t want to sexualize such an important female character… even though they’d been selling exactly that for decades.
The Slave Leia look even made it to Friends. In one of the show’s most iconic scenes, Ross tells Rachel that his biggest fantasy is seeing her dressed like Princess Leia—with the infamous bikini, of course. What starts as a punchline ends up confirming that the look had officially reached pop culture status, right up there with the most recognizable Halloween costumes.
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A beautiful moment from Bad Gyal making it easier for her deaf fans to read her lips.
Also—anyone out there who knows sign language and can help us figure out what this other girl is saying?
THE FUTURE OF MODELINGOne after another, they pose. Naked, stunning, flawless. They don’t sweat. They don’t move. They don’t exist.
These are models generated by artificial intelligence. And if you think this is just some aesthetic curiosity, you're already late.
For brands, marketers, and ad agencies, this is peak efficiency: no castings, no contracts, no complications.
No image rights to pay, no sessions to coordinate, no schedules, egos, or middlemen to deal with.
A junior with four hours of practice and access to an AI can generate a hundred images with a hundred different models—each one perfect, each one ready to sell whatever you need.
For a fraction of what it would cost to hire a single real model.
And it’s not just photos. We’re talking videos, ads, entire campaigns built on faces and bodies that don’t exist—but look just as real as the real ones.
Flawless skin, captivating eyes, a body that poses exactly how the client wants.
No retakes. No water breaks. No complaints.
All controlled. All optimized. All impersonal.
It’s not that real models will vanish overnight. But their space is shrinking.
Because if you can get what you want, whenever you want, and pay far less for it... the industry won’t think twice.
And for many professionals, that’s a real threat.
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Meanwhile, on the subway.