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Scary-ass Witches... Why?

Another thing that has been interesting for me to observe throughout the popular media presentations has been the transition from the stereotype of the good, mischievous witch in popular media to the evil, dark, and scary witch that seems to predominate popular culture in current times. Through observing this transition, I have been thinking more about why this trend is occurring and the things occurring in our culture that are causing this shift in the way that we see witches. 

In my second popular media presentation, I had the opportunity to learn more about the Bewitched series and movies. In the 1960’s series, Samantha is the mischievous fun witch trying to renounce her witch-y ways in pursuit of a more normal life with her mortal husband. This series was such a hit because of Samantha’s lovable character and this reflection of many of the issues and problems that people faced in everyday life and throughout society. Samantha would wiggle her nose and cause problems for others, fix her own issues, and get things done on her own accord. She is a lovable character with mainly positive intentions, and when she is mal-intentioned, she often learns quickly from her mistakes and promises to do better the next time. 

This witch character came in sharp contrast to some of the other popular media presentations that we heard about this week, including the movie called The Witch. This movie deals a lot with the Salem witch trials and the role that the devil played in these trials. In this dark, scary, and ominous movie, Phillip the goat represents the devil amidst the Puritan society of Salem. Learning of these two representations back-to-back only served to highlight the ways in which the image of the witch has changed over time. 

I wonder if this transition into darkness is the result of different aspects of society that have emerged in the 21st Century. With the worsening of various recessions, climate change, racial and gender inequalities, have we begun to rely on things darker than our own world to make ourselves feel better about what is happening around us? Does the fun, mischievous distraction no longer suffice? If the created entertainment world of the witch is darker than our own, we will feel better by comparison. Is that why we see such dark representations of the witch in films like The Witch? This is my thought, but feel free to reply with other theories on this. Personally, I hope that we see a resurgence of the light, mischievous witch. I am hopeful that witches like Samantha can serve as a fun distraction from the world around us, no matter how dark it may seem. 


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