Which Witch? We Love Them All

Witches, we know and admire them, but it hasn’t always been that way. 

Learning about the Salem witch trials was a pivotal moment in my elementary years. It was my historical period obsession for many years to come, as it was for a lot of my friends. The idea that false claims could be thrown anywhere and everywhere, and you could be punished without a fair trial! Girls pitted against one another, mass hysteria, and the “devil’s magic.” Insanity! 

From Halloween costumes to my favorite shows and movies, witches were everywhere. We all love a good witch story, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996), and the many renditions of the show, Hocus Pocus (1993), American Horror Story’s Season Coven (2013), Charmed (1998), Practical Magic (1998).. the list goes on and on. Such essential movies this time of year. In the majority of the Westernized content we consume regarding witches, they are usually portrayed by women. For most of history, women were sought out and prosecuted for the accusation; if they were to practice their magic, they were a target. If someone simply accused them of being a witch and made up a wild account, they were pressured under torture to confess to being a witch. 

So, I wanted to dive into how women have reclaimed a title meant to silence or diminish their capabilities and converted it into an iconic figure. As we well know, the villainization of women runs rampant in our media and storytelling; this has bled into iconic tales like Hansel and Gretel, Snow White (1937), The Little Mermaid (1989), Sleeping Beauty (1959), etc. The portrayal of these older women through evil behavior and a frightening look gave way to the classic idea we have of a witch. Movies like The Craft (1996) and Maleficent (2014) allow space for a shift in thought and title reclamation in an empowered stance.

In the original story of Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent is simply a dark force interfering with the lives of the kingdom's sweetheart, Aurora. In the newer movie, Angelina Jolie plays a character that was a protector who was profoundly hurt, and her story about betrayal, revenge, and love takes form. These portrayals of women began as antagonistic and spiteful, but over time and with the evolution of thought, directors and society alike have given space for girls to look up to a powerful role model. Embracing the supernatural, disregarding the opinions of others, and standing up for themselves to fulfill their potential. The women in these roles are pop culture heroes and have highlighted the glamor of taking back a negative label. Positive iterations of witches, such as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz (1939) or the godmother in Cinderella (1950), where women use their magic for good and uplift other girls, are great lessons for little ones to look up to. 

Whether you idolize an iconic and vengeful witch or an ethereal and kind role model, the representation of witches in Western media has gone through many phases. It has given women of all ages a newfound power to claim something that was always there but that they were just shy of grasping. 

“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself” -Glinda from The Wizard of Oz.