witches

Popaganda: The Feminist Beauty Secrets of Witches

four teenagers, three white and one Black, pose side by side against a graffitied wall in The Craft
by Carmen Rios
January 3, 2020 at 9:53am
Carmen learns about the closely connected histories of witchy feminist movements and patriarchy-smashing glamour magic, how to cast spells for self-love and social change, and what makes a bar of soap into a magically political self-care device.
a group of witches dance together in a black and white photo

Binding Harm: Generations of Witches Intertwine Rituals and Activism

by Jessica Jernigan
November 18, 2019 at 12:20pm
To be a witch is to have and to exercise agency on behalf of all. Read more »
weathered painting of a large tree hung with penises and surrounded by women

Dicks in a Box: The Enduring Fear of Penis-Snatching Witches

by Noa Azulai
October 30, 2019 at 10:57am
Castration anxiety is the unidentified main character in fantastical stories about penis-stealing witches. Read more »
Kiki, a young Asian animated girl with short hair, bangs, and a red ribbon, flies on a broom in Kiki's Delivery Service

30 Years Later, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” Is Still Inspiring Young Feminists

by Christine Jean-Baptiste
October 23, 2019 at 11:05am
Kiki’s Delivery Service offers a safe space that makes you feel connected to others, but most importantly a community of powerful women. Read more »
Baker, Joseph E. "The Witch No. 1," 1892.

What 17th Century Witch Burnings Teach Us About Evangelical Extremism

by Ann Foster
April 29, 2019 at 8:00am
The descendants of those brought up amid the height of the witch-burning craze who became among the first to colonize settlements like Salem, Massachusetts, continuing the misogynistic and prejudiced witch trials in the United States. Read more »
a photo of white woman, Erica Feldmann, with short brown hair and red lipstick smiling

Practical Magic: “HausMagick” Will Help You Cast a Spell on Your Home

by Caroline Reilly
April 2, 2019 at 4:44pm
Erica Feldmann’s first book, Hausmagick, is a compilation of spells, personal vignettes, and other ways to “transform your home with witchcraft.” Read more »
Felicity Jones, Kathy Bates, and Cailee Spaeny confront each other in a tense hallway scene

On Our Radar—Feminist News Roundup: What “On the Basis of Sex” Gets Wrong

by Bitch HQ
December 31, 2018 at 3:00am
Dorothy Kenyon was a crucial source of inspiration for Ginsburg—just not in the way the film depicts. Read more »
Pinrose witch kit

Break the Spell: Witchcraft Is Capitalism’s New Trick

by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal
November 23, 2018 at 7:00am
While many critiques of the Pinrose Witch Kit are valid and well-argued, most fail to address the bigger issue: Witchcraft and New Age spirituality have long been a site of cultural theft. Read more »
a white woman with blonde hair standing by a tree

Witch Please: “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” Puts the Magic in Teen Rebellion

by Dianca London Potts
October 26, 2018 at 9:00am
Sabrina is a force to be reckoned with. Read more »
a Brown-haired white woman looking at the camera

“Practical Magic” Travels Through the Realm of Outsiders

by Shannon Weber
October 16, 2018 at 12:14pm
“Practical Magic” withstands the test of time and reinvigorates interest in witchy feminist spirituality. Read more »
Walpurgis Night in Sweden

Untethered Women: Witches Are Celebrating the Resiliency of Spring

by Shannon Weber
April 30, 2018 at 8:36am
Why do modern witches celebrate a holiday that was initially associated with Christianity? Read more »

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