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Witch Riding on a Goat, by Albrecht Dürer (circa 1500). (Wikimedia Commons)

Why is it that we imagine an older woman when we think of a witch?

juliamartins99 January 31, 2023Posts

Close your eyes and imagine a witch. What do you see? In my case, perhaps unsurprisingly, I picture the Wicked Witch of the West as played by the wonderful Margaret Hamilton: stooped posture, hooked nose, hairy moles on a green face, slim body dressed in black robes, wispy hair covered by a hat, broom clutched menacingly in Dorothy’s direction. She’s …

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About the Author

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Dr Julia Martins is a historian of the body, an activist, and an unapologetic bookworm (she is the host of My Body, My Book Club - an online feminist book club). She is also an Activism Outreach Supporter with The Vavengers.

She writes about gender history and history of medicine, and how history can inform contemporary feminism.



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