Lucy Jane Wood on 90’s witches and why they’re so loved
"Surely that’s the whole point of having magical powers at your finger tips—to find the joy in it."
This post was written by Lucy Jane Wood, author of Rewitched.
As a millennial who could not be more millennial if she tried, pretty much any and all popular culture that I’ve ever held close to my heart has revolved around witches. Witches, witches, witches—teenage ones, sister ones, Salem-based ones, margarita drinking ones… After all, the ‘90s, with all of their blow up furniture and sun-and-moon-covered glory, were the unrivalled season of the witch. And not just any old witch either—the ‘90s witch is arguably she in her coolest, most relatable, and most aesthetically pleasing form. They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.
Apart from (I hope) in my novel, Rewitched, which was inspired by a lifelong love for the ‘90s witch genre. It’s the story of Belle Blackthorn, a burnt out witch who’s lost her spark. She’s working at her precious Lunar Books and trying to protect its charm from her toxic boss, while also struggling to conceal her magical powers. But the day before her 30th birthday, she receives a summons from her coven for a trial that will test once and for all whether she’s worthy of keeping her magic, or whether it’s been neglected for too long and is doomed to be taken from her for good. Rewitched is a cosy, comforting, all-things-witchy story made for October nights with blankets and a cinnamon bun. Most importantly, the 90’s vibes are strong.
As a little girl who loved making mud potions and diving into magical books, witches caught me from an early age—in a good way, not in a sinister, Sarah Sanderson kind of way. It was love at first Halloween watch, but the ‘90s witch remained compelling and the obsession never left. Whether it was generation-spanning family secrets, talking cats with world domination tendencies, or slightly darker spell-speaking when I got older, the prospect of witches can set fire to an imagination like nothing else. Add in the fact that the 90’s witch could usually handle all of the above with an excellent wardrobe and a gorgeous love interest in place, and it’s no wonder that they’re still so beloved thirty years later.
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch was always my number one. The simplicity of the magic system for her and her wonderful aunts was everyday perfection yet highly covetable. It was a huge inspiration for the magic system in Rewitched. A simply point and ping that could do anything and everything from quickly changing a hairstyle, to manifesting Britney Spears, to conjuring a giant flan in the school canteen (I remain baffled by this). Flan aside, Sabrina’s magic was the answer to every ‘what if’ that an awkward, self conscious teenager could possibly worry herself with. Whether that girl is 13 or 33, it’s the type of magic that pushes on her imagination, and let’s her dare to dream how life could change for the better with that kind of power at her hands. It would bring confidence, and comfort. Magic would be on her side.
’90s witches like Sabrina Spellman, or Willow Rosenberg in Buffy, or the Charmed Halliwell sisters, are never the girls that have it all figured out, even with actual spells in their arsenal. Often, the tropes are the same across their stories. ‘90s witches make mistakes, they embarrass themselves, they manage to monumentally mess things up. They’re usually the ones that are a little quiet, a little peculiar, a little messy. The magic helps her to understand herself further, learn important lessons, and grow as a person. She is feminine, funny, and best of all, her powers are FUN. Surely that’s the whole point of having magical powers at your finger tips—to find the joy in it. Even the witches who are the baddies, like the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus, are snort-laugh funny, which is perhaps the key to rooting for any character. More often than not, it’s the magic which leads them down an even more chaotic path rather than neatly tying things up in a bow. In the end, their own determination and brightness is what solves things at the end of every book, movie or episode. That is a quiet but powerfully reassuring thing to see when you’re fifteen and feeling as though you keep messing everything up. It’s equally reassuring at 30, too.
I believe it was famous philosopher Nancy from The Craft who said, “We are the weirdos, mister…” (albeit discovered later in life because I was/am a big chicken). Pop culture witches like all of the above are for the girls who themselves have always felt similarly different, but couldn’t quite put their finger on how or why. The whole concept of magic and witches fully embraces that non-conformity, and puts the unlikely wallflower in the position of power. Witches are always empowering, but the ‘90s witch in particular had the unique, intoxicating combination of Spice Girls-era Girl Power with it. It’s legendary stuff. These witches are for the girls who have been able to identify a unique kind of magic in themselves, but maybe struggle to own it as much as they should, or need encouragement to do so; the girls who know that their potential is theirs to use as they see fit.
Inspired by those iconic ‘90s witches, this is a theme that seemed to write itself into Rewitched. Belle is desperately trying to keep that flame of potential alight for herself, after almost letting it disappear for good. Perhaps the ultimate, timeless lesson of the ‘90s witch is that believing in yourself really is its own kind of powerful magic.
Get your copy of Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood here.