To say witches are having a moment would be an understatement. They are literally everywhere, in film, series, and books. Like more general pagan and new age communities, witchy business has become so pervasive in mainstream culture that some of its transgressive spark has been dimmed. Some of that’s good—these lifestyles are no longer stigmatized. Some of it’s bad—everyone’s a witch, without understanding what that means beyond the performative.
It’s to the point to that cheesy witch-themed paraphernalia like “basic witch” t-shirts and “witch’s brew” mugs have gone beyond the realm of Halloween and into everyday life. No disrespect to CHEESE—I love these things and if that makes me a basic witch then so be it. I think, in fact, that it’s reasonable to measure the normalization of fringe communities by the number of items you can find in mainstream stores (online and face-to-face) that cater to those communities and those with a general interest in them. This normalization of all things witchy takes the line in Practical Magic, “there’s a little witch in all of us,” to a whole new level.
The recent resurgence of witchy romances novels is the perfect example of this issue. Sure, there have been plenty of paranormal romances and urban fantasy featuring witches, and a slew of cozy paranormal mysteries about quirky witches solving supernatural crimes, and tons of romantasy about time-traveling witches or magical folk healers, and…well, you get the idea. But witches in romance, starting a few years back, got more mainstream, meaning they had more mainstream appeal, which, as with most things, has mixed results.
The Politics of Witchcraft
It shouldn’t be surprising that we saw a rise in mainstream interest in all things witchy circa 2016. There were REASONS. Historically, we tend to get more liberal, more sexual, and, yes more spiritual, when we are in more politically conservative time periods. We’re also more drawn to fantasy as a way to both escape our lived reality and to imagine a more hopeful world. It’s FACTS. I mean, the 80s arguably produced some of the best fantasy movies of all time (fight me on this!), which is no surprise given what a politically conservative era it was.
This desire for magic and hope was magnified during the pandemic (big surprise). In the same way that we’re experiencing a romantic comedy resurgence—a common occurrence in times of strife—we’re seeing a pop culture resurgence in all things witchy, especially romantasy. This sub genre is a little different form the typical witchy paranormal romance and urban fantasy. For one thing, it’s usually lighter in tone, often a rom-com, and focused on the romance, versus fighting baddies (with a lot of sexy times mixed in, if it’s a paranormal romance).
It’s a compensatory energy. [include link wit supporting data]
There’s not a person I know that came out of the pandemic wanting more trauma and stress. Most of us are trying to figure out how to live more joyful, magical lives. Hence, more witchy romances.
A (Brief) History of Witchcraft in Pop Culture
Another reason we’re seeing a resurgence in witchy business is because of streaming. Shows like the original Charmed and movies like Practical Magic are now available to a new generation of viewers and made more accessible to rewatch for their original audience. Combine this with the normalization of fan-fic as a viable form of storytelling (a trend which me and my familiars fully support), and you have a generation of authors essentially writing love letters to their favorite witchy tales of yore.
It’s basic math:
Old witch stories + a generation raised on fan-fic + streaming = authors writing stories that give them that same sense of magic as those older texts.
It’s a pretty simple formula.
And that’s great! I personally think all authors write fan-fic, even if they don’t think they do. I mean, aren’t we all, in one way or another, writing the type of stories we love to read, or the kind of stories that shaped us as humans and readers? The issues arise when writers fail to update the narrative, often perpetuating toxic norms, however unintentionally, failing to move beyond the white feminism of the 90s, or worse, co-opting progressive rhetoric to reinforce outdated narratives and systemic oppression. That, my readers, is a big witchy no-no.
The Problems with (Small Town) Witchy Romances
Here’s the thing: I LOVE all things witchy. Here’s the other thing: A lot of this media has legitimate problems, many of which mirror the real life issues within pagan and witchy communities. It doesn’t mean you can’t find your own happy place within, or on the fringes of, those communities, and it doesn’t mean you can enjoy stories that are problematic AF.
We all have our kinks.
We’re all about joyful problematization here on The Bruja Professor, which means a thing can be both problematic and wonderful, depending on the lens through which you’re exploring it. And I’d be a big ol’ hypocrite if I said I never loved problematic AF stuff or have been meaningful informed by them as a human, writer, and bruja (see also: bodice rippers, classic occult detective stories, westerns…I could go on, but you get the point).
But the big problem with witches in romance is the same problem with small town witch romances. To quote AUTHOR in the stellar essay “The Problem with Small Town Witch Romances: https://www.tor.com/2023/08/08/the-problem-with-small-town-witch-romances: “They’re prone to sudden eruptions of boosterish nostalgia for girlboss settler colonialism.”
Or, as I like to say, 90s Witch Barbie or YK2 Girlboss.
Much of these stories haven’t taken the witch narrative beyond the white feminist of the 90s witchy subculture. Neither have many IRL witches in these communities, if we’re being honest. What was once radical representation in the 90s is now outdated. The other factor here, is that with streaming, social media, and the general prevalence of all things New Age, witches just aren’t as fringe as they used to be, so witchy stories need to change.
As character X says in, Ex Hex…everyone’s a witch these days. And it’s true!
Unpacking Problematic Narratives
Think of it this way: I LOVE a good historical romance and am not above enjoying a story that consists primarily of randy ultra-fit dukes, plucky virginal maids, and ballrooms that are as lavish as the ball gowns the heroines swan around in. But I’m also well aware that this visible luxury comes with the hidden history of Imperialism, Colonization, Classism…basically a ton of terrible isms that many historical romance readers and writers try not to think about when enjoying an escapist read. We have Georgette Heyer to thank for that, although many historical romance authors are trying more to tell inclusive stories about people other than dukes (so, so many dukes!) and fine ladies. Basically, she wrote a white supremacist fantasy world and fans of hers followed suit, without realizing that her version of history is, well, her version of a very narrow kind of history. We can still appreciate Heyer and the quality of her writing, while also not wanting to perpetuate the terrible aspects of her world building (ahem, antisemitism, ahem). So, at the end of the day, I’m not going to tell anyone their wrong to want to read about ballroom dancing, and swooning, and hot rich dudes, but I will say it’s important to be also want to be more aware of the stories we’re reading and writing, and the impact they have on storytelling.
Or take another closely related genre to both historical romance and the small town witch romance: the cozy small town mystery. Hallmark holiday movie, where Inadvertently, this subgenre can reinforce white supremeacy
link to cozy mysteries or hallmark movies—who gets to enjoy the coziness of a small town?
also to historical romance. a lot of people don’t realize when they are reading about dukes and ladies that…
but it is…they just want to read about ballroom dancing and rich dudes…which isn’t wrong in and of itself, but, we also want to be more aware of the stories we’re reading and writing.
Am I above enjoying a holiday romance movie or cozy mystery? No. Am I absolutely enjoying the way those narratives and small-town spaces are becoming more inclusive? ABSOLUTELY. But in order for writers to be more inclusive, we have to think about what…
Outline:
Conversation:
Historical Pop Culture Context:
Within IRL Witchy/Pagan Communities:
The Problem when things go mainstream:
lose the nuance and, ultimately, erase historically marginalized identities within those communities.
reduced to I lveo practical magic! and yes, yay, who doesn’t? who gets to be privilege? who is safe being othered?
The Problem with Small Town Witch Romances: https://www.tor.com/2023/08/08/the-problem-with-small-town-witch-romances: “They’re prone to sudden eruptions of boosterish nostalgia for girlboss settler colonialism.”
small town and white supremacy
witches burning and slem—misinfo and Tituba, black witch
Part of the issue when anyone
A Very Witchy Yuletide by D. Lieber:
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/a-very-witchy-yuletide-by-d-lieber/
issues of worrying about being discriminated against being pagan
It's Not All Love & Light: The Dark Side of Witchcraft & Pagan Communities
https://enchantmentlearning.squarespace.com/config/?frameUrl=%2Fbruja-professor-blog%2F2022%2F10%2F26%2Fits-not-all-love-amp-light-the-dark-side-of-witchcraft-amp-pagan-communities
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