Witches: The Powerful Side of Women

Photo Credit:  http://kelly2sim.blogspot.jp/

Patrick said I was a witch but I did not take offense. I thought, I’d rather be a witch who has powers and go after what she wants than a helpless princess waiting for her prince to rescue her. I think witches are the ancient “women-power” incarnate.  And I realize that they’re not necessarily evil just like how those fairy tales portray them. They’re just people who know their powers and are not afraid to use them. Unlike with princesses, witches don’t wait for things to happen. They make things happen not only for themselves but also for a lot of people. In Snow White, the stepmother used her powers to get what she wanted- to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Maybe it didn’t really happen because Snow White did not die but at least she tried. I’d rather be her than Snow White who seems idiotic singing with the birds and the bees. She didn’t have a drive or a goal in her life. 

Photo Credit:  http://www.aroundcrownsville.com/category/for-children/

Witches are also products of how people treated them. They seem to be evil because the other people think of them as such. In Sleeping Beauty, the “evil” fairy put a curse on Princess Aurora because she was actually bullied. She was not invited in a very important event when all other fairies were invited. If I were her, I would also feel isolated. When you come to think about it, her curse was not that bad. She just put a sleeping curse and she made sure that her curse will happen. She showed up on Aurora’s 16^th or 18^th birthday sewing with a needle. If she didn’t show up in the story, Aurora’s life would be boring and she wouldn’t have met her Prince Charming. The witch in Beauty and the Beast had also the same issue. She was mauled by Beast so she retaliated. She wasn’t still that cruel. She still gave Beast a chance to find someone to love him no matter how ugly he was. He should be thankful because he met Belle who saw past his appearance.

Photo Credit:  http://www.fanpop.com/spots/beauty-and-the-beast/images/6260125/title/beauty-beast-wallpaper-wallpaper 

And then there’s Ursula in the Little Mermaid. She wanted to be the ruler of the sea and I think she was pretty straightforward about it for a woman. She did not try to seduce or manipulate the king. She has always been open about her ambitions which the king did not like. Maybe she would not be a good ruler because she seems cruel. But I think the king is afraid of her because she has powers that he didn’t have. He should have placated her and won her support or at least try. The thing is the king is not exactly decisive about her. If Ursula is that evil, she should have been banished. But for some reason, the king kept her in a forbidden place of the sea which is stupid I think.

Photo Credit:  http://www.fanpop.com/spots/disney-villains/images/9586464/title/ursula-wallpaper 

These things about witches and princesses make me realize that when I’ll have a daughter in the future, I won’t encourage her to be a fairy tale princess. Sure I would encourage beauty, elegance and finesse but not helplessness and passiveness. Women should be beautiful but strong, elegant but firm. Women should be able to take care of themselves and be able to help their men. Women should make things happen not only in their lives but also to the lives of others- in a good way.