Why Are Witches Associated with the Female Gender?
Most people when asked to describe a witch will describe an image of an old, haggard, ugly, bent-nosed, green skinned nasty FEMALE on a broomstick? Female? Why? Why not a male?
I do not claim to be an expert on the history but I read somewhere that back in the 15th century, witchcraft was a crime in Europe. Each country had different laws to deal with these so called “witches†and one of the most prevalent punishments was execution. It is believed that during the period of the 15th to 17th centuries, almost 45,000 executions occurred. For some weird reason, women were the ones largely accused of these crimes. Witches were believed to be people who made a deal with the Devil in exchange for magical powers to commit evil acts, some acts being making men impotent and stealing their genitals (where are these witches, we need to find them and get some of these magical secrets ?).
During the 2016 US Presidential election, the American social media flooded images of Hilary Clinton wearing a black hat and riding a broom.. and let’s not forget the green skin. How come this was not done for some of the male counterparts?
Personally, I will consider the description of the word “witch†as a compliment…because it describes a women who does not submit to patriarchal power (patriarchal being a system of society or government controlled by men). A strong woman is an incredible woman who impacts the lives of so many other to include but not be limited to her family, her loved ones, her children, her workplace, her friends circle. Strong women are not about how pretty they look every day or how much money they can make or how popular they are. A confident woman is one who is happy in her own skin and will go the extra mile to share her “magical powers†of confidence with others. Mentally strong women will face their obstacles head on, winning the race slow and steady. Sometimes confident, mentally strong women have to show this “witchy†side of them no-one else has seen. So if being strong and confident, and living life on our terms, makes us confident women “ then, I am super proud to be called a “Witchâ€!
From the desk of RD
