Diversity of Portrayals

Before beginning this course, I will say that I didn’t really give modern media witch portrayals a second thought. Honestly, the first thing I personally would think of was Professor McGonagall or Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, not some old hag like we’ve discussed has been so widespread. It even seemed like the majority of the presentations we had contained a line similar to “this portrayal challenges the common stereotype of an ugly old woman being a witch.” All this begs me to consider, is there even a witch stereotype anymore? Surely it’s easiest to throw on a black dress with shredded bottoms and a pointy hat for Halloween, but someone just as well could put on a set of Hogwarts robes or dress like Glinda the Good and get their point across too. I think it’s interesting to consider the various depictions of witches we’ve already seen and compare them to this firmly held idea of what it means to look like a witch. 

I guess our basis should have a little bit more detail and description so as to accurately provide a foundation for comparison. Our stereotypical witch is ugly, sure, but particularly we think of wrinkled skin, grayed complexion, long warped nose, warts, moles, and unsightly hairs sticking out of her face. Her hair is long, black or gray, wiry, and frizzy, puffing out the sides of her hat like someone who has just had an electrical shock. Obviously, she has the iconic black, rimmed, pointed hat. Her hands are distorted like someone with arthritis, and her fingernails are long and discolored. She’s wearing black, flat toe, buckled shoes with black and green/orange striped socks - weird detail but I feel like it’s true haha. All this to say: she is haggard and malevolent.

In the face of this idea, I bring to you the case of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. In stark contrast to the above description, Sabrina is youthful and peppy with an aura of genuine excitement surrounding her. She isn’t anything like a hunched witch pouring over her book of dark, complicated spells, but she eagerly learns from her aunts and the naive mistakes she makes along the way. Following this type of depiction is the guile of Samantha of Bewitched. She is no more disheveled and cruel than Sabrina (or many other fictional witches for that matter), but she is simply attempting to blend into the suburban life around her, a task no stereotypical witch would be caught dead in the act of.

Beyond the innocent, youthful depiction of witches in media, there is also the clever, intelligent kind with subtle notes of sensuality mixed in. Think: the coven from The Witches of Eastwick, Wanda (aka the Scarlet Witch), or even Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter. Whether this witch utilizes her powers for a utilitarian greater good or her personal gain is no matter; she is intimidating and possibly even feared because of her wit and sharpness. Stylistically, these witches may have a more revealing wardrobe through which they can make use of their sexuality to gain power over others. 

Within these two categories, there are obviously very nuanced individuals, nonetheless, they continue to step outside the bounds of the typical notion of a witch. So, I guess, what is the point? Sure, anyone can notice that maybe the image of a witch that we have in our minds isn’t exactly the same image that is depicted throughout films and television, and it would be a waste of a blog post if this was just me describing the diversity of portrayals. All this is truly to bring up a theory of mine: these new representations are no better than the unsightly hag because they continue to undermine femininity in unique, and often subtle, manners. These witches are good but naive and clueless; unsuspecting but secretly manipulative; powerful but because of their sexual prowess; or even just like what we expect, ugly and malevolent. I would also argue that depictions are improving, definitely, as more and more women are involved in the creation process. However, if we can intelligently make these connections that associating these versions of femininity with witchcraft and in turn associating witchcraft with something bad pushes the overarching notion that women are something to take advantage of, mistrust, fear, or revile.  Such portrayals, whether truly stereotypical or not, overly simplify the female experience in my opinion, and artistic creators should continue their progress toward a harmony of successful storytelling and respect for the feminine dignity.