After recovering from a long weekend of finding costumes, then ultimately losing them (you know, on the street) something about the Trump vs. Hillary costumes fell a little flat. Did JonBenét trending leave anyone else unsettled? Besides getting to act a fool and the opportunity to dress like your favorite Coen Brother’s character (again), there’s something about the holiday that had us wanting more.
Where was the spook? The mystery? The lost love tales? And do we still need to use Halloween as an excuse to dress provocative? Technically modern women should have 364 days a year to do this? Everything comes from something though and in the early 20th century Halloween was less gore and all flirt. And if you think the apple was just a seasonal fruit selection, that still might be correct but it was also a pivotal tool in the evening’s festivities, allowing
ladylike women an excuse to get close to a potential suitor … So sorta like a sexy-therapist costume?
Eventually, these traditions faded and the witch re-emerged. We’re not just talking about a costume. Women began to make their own decisions, to have a voice, to pursue their own romances, and one day even run for president. From doctors being afraid of women who could heal to exploring female sexuality, witchcraft allegations didn’t burn down in Salem. Bette Midler might’ve won Halloween by breaking out her
Hocus Pocus character, but this season it’s not just a costume: It’s a right our past sisters fought for. It’s a choice. Join us as we embrace something that will never go out of style, our inner witch.
“Witchcraft involves not only the belief that one can control the future via spells and rituals, but also faith in the balance between humans and the natural world, in the power of sexuality, in human equality and dignity, and in community over hierarchical power or authority.” — Jessa Crispin in Madam
Prescient: Raising the spirit of American radicalism
