Alongside criticism of her actions, terms such as “Wicked Witch of the Left”, “devil”, and “evil witch” were used to describe her, which never would be used for a male public figure or politician.

A French Feminist Tells Us to Embrace Our Inner Hag

Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Désormais journaliste et chef d'édition au Monde diplomatique2, elle anime également le site de critique culturelle Périphéries3, en partenariat avec Thomas Lemahieu. Chollet is sharp and insightful, eloquently elaborating her ideas in accessible and robust arguments (wonderfully translated from the French by Sophie R. It starts off well, with a look at early artistic representations of witches, and goes on to link the witch-hunts with antisemitism.The vehement condemnation of the childless woman seems to be more about the women who dared to take control of their own lives than anything else. During the 2016 US election, Hillary Clinton was shown with a green face, riding a broomstick, and branded “the wicked witch of the left”. Ariel moves house in a panic the day that, arriving home with her daughter, she finds a doll pinned to the front door, daubed in red with the words: “Die, welfare slut. Il n'y parle pas "que" de sorcières, mais il en fait le point de départ de réflexions toutes intéressantes et liées par la même oppression systémique contre les femmes.

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why

Instead, their hatred is born out of a fear of women breaking free of patriarchal structures and believing that a woman’s value rests solely on her reproductive ability. Retkarčiais autorė per daug pasineria į filmų ar knygų atpasakojimą, tačiau šiuolaikinės istorijos aiškinimas raganų teismų kontekste į puikią perspektyvą sudėlioja dalykus, apie kuriuos daug girdime, bet retai iš tiesų galvojame: moterų padėtį medicinoje, grožio industrijoje, literatūroje, pop kultūroje, švietime, madoje. As a woman who chose not to have children, Chollet is particularly strong on the prejudice, and the fear, of a society that judges her deficient based on this decision. n'aurait pas desservi son propos, et puis ça aurait rendu aux sorcières queer qu'elle cite sans le dire un hommage tout de même.Since then, the recasting of witches as figures of power and wisdom has been seen in everything from popular television series such as Charmed and Sabrina, to the fantasy genre with Harry Potter, to the literary fiction of Madeleine Miller's Circe. Chollet looks at how ‘ men’s dominant positions in [society] allows them to be absolute subjects and to make women into absolute objects,’ and once a woman has passed a certain age she observes that society has deemed her less beautiful and therefore less valuable. Taking three archetypes from historic witch hunts – independent women, women who avoid having children and women who embrace ageing – Chollet examines how women today have the same charges levelled against them. This false renaissance of witches and villains may seem empowering, but it hides a deeper message - that women who put themselves first are villains in today's society, just as they were in the 1500s.