Reclaim the Halloween Witch or not to Reclaim

Every October day I see the same disturbing image that makes me question whether calling myself a Witch is a good idea. In Paganism we celebrate something different but similar called Samhain (sow-ween). But that is a different post. Here I am talking about reclaiming the traditional/Halloween witch image. Where it came from I don't rightly know, but those green-faced wicked witches are always associated with Halloween. I am not sure what the origins of Halloween so I looked around and I found an interesting website by Issac Bonewitts, called the Origins of Halloween.



One of the reasons why I didn't put a fake witch image on my blog was because this blog is about disabling stereotypes, not enforcing them. And I also wanted to be taken seriously by other feminists. Surely having a big, green, nasty picture of a fake witch on your page is not being serious or creative. I can't help but notice that some images of the fake witch are images that are usually seen as negative in our society. Fake witches are always old, nasty, green, bent, or evil, some are beautiful, sexy, powerful femme fatale. It's weird this dichotomy. I am getting sick of this fake witch thing every October. Not only does it perpetuate the hate for older women, but it sexes up younger women. Hmmm, I smell misogyny.



So the question reminds, should I or shouldn't I reclaim the image of the fake witch? These images are based on the sexist attitudes towards women. As a pro-woman I am not going to take this image as an image of my own and of women because it does not represent all women and it shows that women are either sexy whores or cranky old hags a double standard I do not want to be a part of. It's funny to see that so many pictures of women with power under the search name "witch" it is also good to note that all this images are predominantly white women (or green if you're looking for Baum's vision of the witch). Where did this fake witch image come from? I do think that green-face image of the fake witch was from him. Unless I am mistaken. Think about it, Wizard of Oz is an American classic that has shaped our media and Pop Culture. The image must have come from somewhere.



And the association to Halloween? From my point of view, people think that witches are scary therefore they belong to Halloween. Seeing that the old pagan holy day was about respecting the dead and understanding death as a normal phenomena, I am not sure how witches fit in there. It could be that Samhain was the first Holy Day of the year. Perhaps when people of a different religion looked to pagans celebrating this day or night as the case may be, it was scary because they weren't worshipping something other than Christ. When modern civilization took up he flag to celebrate Halloween as a scary night for the kiddies, they perhaps incorporated the fake witches in there to make it more scary. People are most fearful when they don't understand something. Witches fit the bill.



Wherever these crazy images came from I resist them in any way I can for reasons that I have outlined above. The double-standard, either be sexy, young and powerful or old, cranky and evil. No thank you. Another reason that I have figured out is that I am a Witch, I consciously use spells and rituals to get a desired result. That is what a true witch is, not some green-skinned hag. Not only that but this image is entrenched in our Popular Culture, which can be a bad or good thing, but this is a way to get money. We have Halloween costumes because the companies that make them are making money. They will not let go of this disturbing fake witch image, only knowing where this image has come from and why it is soaked in commercialism. We are a sexist society, the fake witch image shows that and by supporting this image we are supporting that double-standard put upon women.



So should I or should I not reclaim the fake witch image?



Didn't I just say no? Wait, there is more. Since this image is has sprouted and grown roots in our American culture, perhaps reclaiming the image is not a bad idea. It may perpetrate the double-standard in our culture, but just like reclaiming the word 'witch' the image itself can be reclaimed. But what does reclaiming mean anyway? 'Reclaiming' means re-appropriating something that used to be harmful to people. Like the word, 'dyke' or 'fag' words that are meant to harm, but when people of that community reclaim the word it does not harm anymore.



How could we possibly reclaim this image? The funny thing is, when I began reading about Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, the first book I read was talking about this very thing. Not a book I would let my novices read if I had any because it wasn't the best book. It was from Silver Ravenwolf and it was titled Teen Witch. Beyond the misinformation she let me reclaim the fake witch image as my own and for other women.



All fake witches have a conical hat. In her book she outlines that the conical hat can mean the Cone of Power. Now, I have never read about this 'Cone of Power' thing in any other book, just hers, but just because something seems to be a crazy idea doesn't mean that it is a bad one. The Cone of Power is raised during ritual, it is energy that is directed at a particular goal. The witch's conical hat can mean the Cone of Power. The broom is meant to be used at Pagan Handfastings, it is a sign of fertility and prosperous harvest. The green skin? Well, I have always liked to believe that meant someone who was of the earth. The cauldron? I have explored this before with the Goddess Cerridwen. The cauldron is an ancient pagan symbol of embodiment, of bounty, or plenty, the cauldron means cooking up spells, potions and magic. The black color of dress? Well, black is mostly seen as something negative, but I liked to see it as something that represents the void. The beginning, remember this is a shade not a color, black can be used to deflect harm in magic. So I like to think that this fake witch image is trying to be herself and herself only.



Reclaim or to resist? I would say that we should resist that is sexist in our eyes, but reclaim the things that may help us. I always try to remember the magic in things, to see with eyes that see the unseen.