What do you think about the female witch image popping up in the 1960s in American mass media?

Question

In 1960s, all of a sudden, female characters in TV shows were capable of magic as they were in "Bewitched". Why did the media feel a need to reproduce a certain myth of the past? Why did they also change "evil, devilry, wicked" image of a witch in fairy tales and in history into something "cute, harmless and entertaining" modern witch?How the word "witch" experince a transformation?Also, do you know if Bewitched is the first "magic" sit-com? What other sit-coms with female characters' having magical powers follow it in American TV (apart from "I dream of Jeannie" and more recently "Sabrina, The Female Witch")?What is the message these TV shows trying to deliver?Lastly, from feminist point of view, how could you interpret these witch sit-coms?

Thank you all who spare their time to answer these questions..

Answer 1

Hollywood is all about copying a successful show. It always has been, and always will be. I don't know what the first successful "witch" show was, but you can bet the other studios took notice and quickly came out with their own versions of the "witch" show.

Answer 2

I didn't like the bewitched series much. She decided to forsake who she really was for her husband. I know, I know, she never really stopped being a witch, but the concept and idea was ingrained in the series. Sabrina the teenage witch was a recent addition to the witch concept on t.v. It was a silly show, but at least they didn't decide to put her in a small box this time. There was Worse Witch...which may have been only on scattered stations. We are close to canada, so that might be the reason we got that show here. Not sure if it is an american contribution or not.
the message of any t.v. show is ratings, making money for the company. If the consumers watch, they will use the products sold on the commercials, and if the ratings are high, the show stays alive. It has nothing to do with plot or content.
Witches have never been evil or wicked. We are painted with that brush to make our lives seem so exotic and mysterious. And we have nothing to do with the devil. That is a christian concept, not a pagan one. The horned god was, in a way, kidnapped from our beliefs and was attributed to a representation of satan. But we do not hold with the devil at all. He, she, it is not in our fabric of beliefs at all. He is...trying to explain it simply and not get into big drawn out reasoning....a sort of lord of the forest. It would be best, if curious about pagan beliefs, to investigate real pagan sites that go into deep detail. And witches are not myths. We are real people; and the same as anyone else. We work, have kids, sing, dance, laugh, cry. We try to be more aware of our surroundings, of nature, of life if possible. And our 'god structures' are a bit more complex than christian ones. That is all. We do not harm anyone.
What do I think of the witch sitcoms? well, I would like to see one created that is more realistic than any that have been around yet. There have been a few movies that are not inaccurate. Practical Magic is nice, and kind to us.
And Bell, Book and Candle is close to what we are too in a way. But as long as there are THE CRAFT type of movies around, we will have some problems with the rest of society.
from a feminist viewpoint? I am in favor of anything that portrays women as equal to men, capable of doing what they set out to do, capable of thought, strength, and wisdom.
Give us equal benefits of what we can do in life. Don't make witches or any woman out to be someone who makes their life revolve around the whims and wants of their partner alone. Make us equal. Make us all able.

Answer 3

Dude, this has to be for a media class in college or something, you just cant be this personally curious about this topic.

Answer 4

If you'd like a "witches" insight to some part of your question, check out this link:

http://www.witchs-brew.org/wbasks/media.html