Here's the Story Behind the Princess Leia Signs You Saw at the Women's March

As the Women's March unfolded over several states, countries, and continents, demonstrators made their point with brilliant, witty, and to-the point signs. One sign that stood out was an image of Princess Leia with two different sayings: "A woman's place is in the resistance" and "We are the resistance." Created by two different female designers, the signs are incredibly meaningful to them.

Hayley Gilmore, the Mississippi-based designer behind "A woman's place is in the resistance," created and shared the poster design on Jan. 18 for free on her website, LadiesWhoDesign. She also created three other posters, but the Princess Leia one immediately started to resonate with people, and Gilmore tweeted herself that it was made "in memory of Carrie Fisher."

Gilmore told POPSUGAR that she wanted the Leia poster to be both a tribute to Fisher as well as an inspiration to anyone marching. "I think Carrie Fisher's portrayal as Leia in the Star Wars film franchise resonates with many women because she is a fierce, intelligent, charming and powerful woman," said Gilmore. "It's a way to honor a woman who stood up for her beliefs."

Gilmore has since seen her signs across the world. "People have sent me photos of the signs in London, Munich, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans and the list continues to grow," she said. "Women have shared so many personal stories with me about how this poster has inspired them and uplifted their spirits."

All of Gilmore's posters are still available on Dropbox, and she plans to give a percentage of any donations she receives to Black Girls Code and other women's organizations in Mississippi.

Vanessa Witter, an LA-based designer who designed the "We are the resistance" poster she is holding above, chose Princess Leia for several reasons. "For several decades now, Princess Leia has been an icon of female power and leadership, and she led the charge against the Empire," Witter said to POPSUGAR. "I thought that was a great symbol for a march led by strong women — against oppression, hate, and bigotry."

The design, which is also a tribute to Barbara Kruger, was seen on posters all over the country as well. Witter originally shared the image on her Facebook page and quickly received inquiries from people everywhere asking to use it. "It was really cool to see something I made connect with so many people," Witter said. "It's been really fun to see pictures of the poster in so many different places, it reminds me that we are really all connected." Her sign, carried by women everywhere, even made it into a tweet from Mark Hamill, who praised Fisher and the Women's March.

For Witter, she hopes her poster sends a bigger message of what people can do to take action. "When you put the power of a passionate community behind something, you can make a big impact," she said. "We saw that with the march too — this was just one woman's idea that became this huge global phenomenon that has energized and inspired so many into action." Witter is happy that she was able to be part of this movement. "I'm just glad I was able to contribute to the extraordinary moment in history in the small way I could," she said. Interested in the sign? You can download the poster at this link.

Meryl Streep's Cecil B. DeMille Award speech at the Golden Globes left us with several lessons, including one from Fisher: "Take your broken heart, make it into art." These two posters and the women who designed them are only the start of that.