Witches and slut-shaming
Accusations of witchcraft once fell on midwives, unmarried women and women with an active sex life. Centuries later, women's bodily autonomy is still contested.
Witches and slut-shaming
Purpur fights slut-shaming
Our magic friends from an esoteric shop told us about slut-shaming in the age of witches.
Centuries later, some things are, sadly, still relevant:
"And although many centuries have passed since the era of the witch hunts,
the autonomy of the female body is still a battleground."
Slut-shaming
Slut-shaming is the practice of criticising people, usually of the feminine gender, who openly show their sexuality or simply use elements in their appearance that society labels as signs of "promiscuous" behaviour.
A classic example: slut-shaming over a short skirt or a low neckline.
Why does this happen?
There are many reasons for this phenomenon; one of them is fear of active female sexuality.
And this is where we recall witchcraft.
At the height of the witch hunts, there were several grounds for accusing women of witchcraft. The accused could be midwives and folk healers, women without husbands ("old maids") or women with an active sex life.
The authors of the book Basic Witches, Jaya Saxena and Jess Zimmerman, write:
"Unshakable sexuality has always been part of the witch's frightening power. The witch danced naked. She controlled her own reproductive health and helped other women do the same. She 'mounted' the 'broomstick', if you know what we mean."
The broom is an important symbol of the witch. It is an allegory for masturbation.
"Modern Western society still feels awkward talking about masturbation. Imagine how great that awkwardness was back when a deeply religious society considered witch hunting a righteous deed! For many people, the very idea that a woman could be whole on her own, without a man, was shocking and shameful (and let's be honest, for some it still is). The broom symbolised a kind of heretical act in which a woman's physical pleasure was – literally! – in her own hands."
"A witch flying on a broomstick is proud of her body, not ashamed of it. She doesn't need to ask permission to explore her sexuality.
Orgasms are magic."
And although many centuries have passed since the era of the witch hunts, the autonomy of the female body is still a battleground.
Slut-shaming, victim-blaming, failure to understand the concept of active consent, and reproductive rights – all of this exists in our society. In this context, we see witchcraft as an idea of sexual liberation and independence.
