Words: Ayla Bushell (she/they)
CW: discrimination, slavery.
In a world increasingly threatened by gross infringements on human rights, it is more vital than ever to continue to fight for autonomy and self-determination—each act of defiance is a thread in a greater tapestry.
‘Witch’. ‘Whore’. ‘Bitch’. The English language has no shortage of words used to degrade, condemn, and control women. This isn’t a singular occurrence, of course – if a society is built on fear and oppression, language is often used as a tool to debase and ostracise marginalised communities. The reclamation of the word is not unique, either. These words are ripped from the hands of oppressors and worn like a bloody badge of honour: a homage to those beaten down and erased by conventional narratives. ‘Witch’ is no longer, in much of public consciousness, the same vicious condemnation as it once was.
But, do we actually understand what this word means?
A cursory Google search will tell you the word is of Old English origin, from ‘wicce’, meaning a female magician. Early usage was not inherently negative, but with the gradual erasure of pagan traditions, the meaning of ‘witch’ became inextricably tied to female defiance by the late medieval period. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, around 100,000 people, mostly women, were accused of witchcraft in Europe and colonial America. The historical ‘witch’ was a manifestation of patriarchal oppression: an accusation lobbied against women who defied a social order that painted them as submissive, pious, and silent.
Although literal witch trials ended centuries ago, the pejorative use of ‘witch’ has persisted. In modern Western discourse, ‘witch’ often functions as a gendered insult, implying she is manipulative, threatening, or generally unappealing to the male gaze. This is seen in politics and media, deploying “witch-like” imagery to vilify powerful women. Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was branded a witch by actor Rupert Everett for supposedly ruining the arts. He claimed that under her, ‘everything had to be about being Scottish’ (a somewhat ironic label, given that it was Sturgeon who issued a formal apology to those accused of witchcraft during the Scottish witch trials). Sturgeon replied via Instagram: ‘What is it with [some] men who can’t disagree with a woman without resorting to deeply misogynistic tropes?’ Indeed, it seems any number of women in this tapestry woven of fear and persecution have been dubbed a ‘witch’ simply for daring to defy powerful men.
Yet, the same word that once condemned women to death has been reimagined as a token of strength and independence. The reclamation of ‘witch’ began in earnest during the second-wave feminist movement of the 60s and 70s. On Halloween in 1968, a group of feminists came together to form the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, or W.I.T.C.H. for short. Their 1968 manifesto proclaims, ‘If you are a woman and dare to look within yourself, you are a witch.’ To them, as it does for many today, ‘witch’ embodied everything the patriarchal culture feared: autonomy, sexuality, community among women, and an unapologetic display of female power.
This reclamation is not merely rhetorical. Feminists, artists, and neo-pagan practitioners revived and reinterpreted pre-Christian spiritual traditions, creating forms of modern witchcraft that emphasise empowerment, healing, and environmental balance. Over the past few decades, the ‘witch’ has become a feminist archetype: a woman who refuses to be silenced or owned.
In the decades since, ‘witch’ has continued to evolve as a cultural and spiritual identity. The rise of neo-pagan and Wiccan movements reframed witchcraft as a nature-based form of spirituality, emphasising intuition and the “sacred feminine”. Popular culture has redefined the ‘witch’ as someone not to be feared, but to be aspirational. Online spaces such as “WitchTok” and contemporary literature like Mona Chollet’s In Defence of Witches (2022) extend this reclamation, portraying the witch as an archetype for women who live on their own terms. In a world increasingly threatened by gross infringements on human rights, it is more vital than ever to continue to fight for autonomy and self-determination—each act of defiance is a thread in a greater tapestry.
However, the reclamation of ‘witch’ is not a wholly positive event. The modern “witch aesthetic” risks commodifying what was once a radical identity – as often happens with online trends spread by social media – transforming resistance into a marketable lifestyle to be consumed and then discarded. Moreover, modern-day neo-paganism and Wicca are not entirely blameless, with numerous issues regarding cultural appropriation and historical inaccuracies. This is an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of a practice developed mostly mechanically in the 19th and 20th centuries, and influenced by “ethnocentric” Nazi propaganda. Reclaiming ‘witch’ primarily through a white, Western, feminist lens often overlooks the intersectional nature of witch hunts. They were a product of misogyny, yes, but also a targeted attack of other marginalised communities: poor women, the elderly, and anyone else outside of traditional social power structures. The first person accused, for example, in the infamous Salem witch trials, was an enslaved woman, which is often overlooked and pushed to the side. True reclamation means remembering the historical violence hidden behind the word, and acknowledging how misogyny, classism, and colonialism are interwoven with the persecution of these so-called ‘witches’.
The story of the ‘witch’ is one of how the patriarchy polices female autonomy, and also the story of how women fight back. Once used to justify persecution, it now stands as a symbol of resistance and liberation. Reclaiming it is more than a matter of semantics – it represents a broader cultural shift towards embracing the autonomy, knowledge, and power women were once punished for seeking and possessing. The word has become an emblem of those who refuse to be burnt, suppressed, or defined by structures that seek to contain them. Calling yourself a ‘witch’ today is like picking up a thread that has been spun for centuries, and adding your own voice to the fabric of all those who came before you.
