Grab your witch hats and brooms, because we are looking at some of the most iconic feminist witches in pop culture. ‘Girl Power’ holds entirely new meaning when talking about these fierce pop culture figures.
Feminism and witches go perfectly together in pop culture. Over time we’ve seen some iconic portrayals of feminist witches who are not to be messed with. Many of them have been adapted from the literature whether classic or contemporary. Some are from comic books and movies, while others are from greek mythology.
Witches have long been linked to the image of femininity and the struggle women must overcome to take control of their bodies. There’s no hiding that the ‘Good Witch’ persona is becoming more and more integrated. The image of witches in literature and pop culture went from horrible and murderous to heroic examples of female empowerment. And we are absolutely here for it.
Here are six of the fiercest feminist witches in pop culture. You might see some very familiar faces!
1. Sabrina the Teenage Witch
“I’m not sure I could handle playing such a subservient character. It’s not really my style.”
Sabrina Spellman, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
We’ve seen Sabrina Spellman take on many forms since first appearing in the Archie comics dating back to October 1962. You might know her from the 1996 sitcom, the 1971 animated TV series, the Archie comics, or the Netflix adaptation Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Regardless of which Sabrina you know, one thing remains the same for all of them, and that is Sabrina is hands down an iconic feminist figure in pop culture. She stands up for herself and never lets the patriarchy get her down. The latest adaptation, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, gives a good look at the fight women have to go through to regain control of themselves.
2. Circe
“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment’s carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.”
Madeline Miller, Circe
Circe is a minor goddess in greek mythology, but a huge feminist witch icon. More recently she appeared in contemporary tellings of her story such as Madeline Miller’s 2018 novel Circe. Rick Riordan also includes her in his 2006 novel, The Sea of Monsters. She regularly lured sailors into her island, Aeaea, and turned them into pigs. She also possessed extensive knowledge of potions and herbs. Circe is definitely a powerful feminine image in pop culture as she appears more and more in contemporary works.
3. The Sanderson Sisters, Hocus Pocus
(Go to hell!) “Oh, I’ve been there, thank you. I found it quite lovely.”
Winifred Sanderson
How could I not include the iconic sister witch trio that had boys hanging in cages from their ceiling and did everything to protect one another? Now that we’ve all (hopefully) seen Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+, we saw some good backstory to the sister witches as they grow up in Salem. The Sanderson Sisters let us know to embrace who we are and not let society change us, which I think we all need as a reminder sometimes!
4. Bonnie Bennett, The Vampire Diaries
“There’s a very probable chance you’re digging your own grave and I’m not bothered.”
Bonnie Bennett
I think we can all agree Bonnie is one of the strongest feminist witches we’ve seen not only in pop culture, but also in an adaptation. She comes from a long line of powerful female Bennett witches and is, hands down, the strongest character in the show (and book). We all know she saves Mystic Falls and everyone in it from almost (if not all) every disaster that comes their way. She never compromises who she is or what she believes in regardless of who is asking.
5. Sally and Gillian Owens, Practical Magic
“There’s a little witch in all of us.”
Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic
The ‘Girl Power’ film rules among all ‘Girl Power’ films. It’s all-powerful women all the time in Practical Magic and we will never be upset over it. To them, men are accessory pieces and the truly important things lie within family, sisterhood, and magic. One thing this movie stays away from (that others sadly don’t) is pitting women against one another! Practical Magic empowers women to stand together and take what is theirs.
6. Literally every witch in The Craft
“We are the weirdos, mister.”
Nancy, The Craft
This movie came out the day I was born. Coincidence? Absolutely not. The cult classic features four of the most iconic feminist witches pop culture has ever seen. Just consider the scene shown above when the bus driver tells them to watch out for the weirdos and Nancy responds with the most popular quote from the movie. The powerful group takes what they want and leaves nothing behind. We do see a ‘good witch, bad witch’ scenario in this movie, but it doesn’t take away from the other feminist aspects.
Do you have a favorite feminist witch? Let us know on our social pages!
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