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Hex Appeal: The Body of the Witch in Popular Culture

Stuever-Williford, Marley Katherine
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1610295587336417

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Popular Culture.
This thesis investigates the relationship between the body of the witch in popular culture and attitudes and assumptions about the female body. This study was conducted through textual analysis of several popular films and television shows about witches. This analysis is structured around three core archetypes of femininity: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone, examining how each of the three archetypes preserve stereotypes about women and how witches can subvert or reinforce those stereotypes. Using the theory of abjection as a foundation, this thesis argues that witches have a strong relationship to abject femininity and can therefore expose the anxieties and fears about female bodies in a patriarchal culture. This is not a comprehensive study of witches in popular culture, and further research into the intersections of gender and race, sexuality, and ability is needed to form any definite conclusions. This study is merely an exploration of female archetypes and how the female body is conceived through the witch’s body in popular culture.
Jeffrey Brown, Dr. (Advisor)
Angela Nelson, Dr. (Committee Member)
Esther Clinton, Dr. (Committee Member)
85 p.
American Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Religion; Womens Studies
witch; witchcraft; film; popular culture; pop culture; television; Rosemarys Baby; Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; feminism; abject; sexuality; female body; witches; female empowerment; body horror; horror; abjection; mythology; abortion; aging

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Stuever-Williford, M. K. (2021). Hex Appeal: The Body of the Witch in Popular Culture [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1610295587336417

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Stuever-Williford, Marley. Hex Appeal: The Body of the Witch in Popular Culture. 2021. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1610295587336417.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Stuever-Williford, Marley. "Hex Appeal: The Body of the Witch in Popular Culture." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1610295587336417

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1610295587336417
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© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.