Well, we are prepping for Hurricane Matthew in my area so I will try to keep up the posts as best as I can. May we all be safe!
A favorite collection of mine is my images of vintage witches. We have average-looking women, real women, from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Later, the witch turns into a Playboy Barbie, which is what I see in a lot of modern artist's renditions - totally unrealistic and truly insulting to women. I'll go with these vintage images (and none of them were likely practicing witchcraft) anytime as opposed to the garter belts and stocking with the boobs hanging out.
Do I sound old-fashioned, bitter? I'm not. I just think that if you want the world to accept witchcraft as a religion (personally I don't care what the rest of the world thinks as long as they leave us be) and you use the following images to represent yourself, you lose credibility. People do see these as representations of what witches are. Of course, I'm a Dianic Feminist witch so my ideas are different than the average Wiccan or eclectic witch.
Or this:
Why would anyone take people who call themselves witches seriously when they portray themselves in this way? Fun images are fine, but a lot of the art out there doesn't help those who want witches taken seriously - IMO - and only my opinion.
And the word evil is used to describe the above green-skinned witch, of course. Then we have the nasty, old, evil witch image - yuck! Old women - disrespected and made the brunt of the worst depictions.
Here's my idea of a real witch:
How Witches Are Portrayed
A favorite collection of mine is my images of vintage witches. We have average-looking women, real women, from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Later, the witch turns into a Playboy Barbie, which is what I see in a lot of modern artist's renditions - totally unrealistic and truly insulting to women. I'll go with these vintage images (and none of them were likely practicing witchcraft) anytime as opposed to the garter belts and stocking with the boobs hanging out.
Do I sound old-fashioned, bitter? I'm not. I just think that if you want the world to accept witchcraft as a religion (personally I don't care what the rest of the world thinks as long as they leave us be) and you use the following images to represent yourself, you lose credibility. People do see these as representations of what witches are. Of course, I'm a Dianic Feminist witch so my ideas are different than the average Wiccan or eclectic witch.
Why would anyone take people who call themselves witches seriously when they portray themselves in this way? Fun images are fine, but a lot of the art out there doesn't help those who want witches taken seriously - IMO - and only my opinion.
And the word evil is used to describe the above green-skinned witch, of course. Then we have the nasty, old, evil witch image - yuck! Old women - disrespected and made the brunt of the worst depictions.
Here's my idea of a real witch:
Think about it - how do you want, if you care, others to see witches? Not that I am not up for a little fun with images, there is some great witchy art out there, humorous and loving. But... there are people out there who buy into the wicked witch as truth. So, just my two shekels.
Blessings dark and deep!
My opinion of a portrayal of a Witch runs about the same as yours just a regular person. As a witch for most of my life it does bug me when I see a witch portrayed as a pin-up, or green skin goblin or scary old hag.
ReplyDeleteSo true, I agree
ReplyDelete