Your typical witch?

[I wasn't sure whether to post this here or over at my other blog, but figured I'd annoy some people along the way anyway, so why bother... I can still link to myself all I want. ^^ Oh, and of course this is an unsorted rant coming right from my head and does not necessarily have to make sense.]

Take a moment and do a google image search. Search for "witches" or "Wicca" and see what turns up.

There are a lot of paintings and graphics out there depicting witches - the traditional ones, hat and warts and all, and the modern ones - tall slender women with long curly hair in revealing dresses and long cloaks, flawless features, very symmetrical. Which wouldn't bother me that much, if I hadn't seen a lot of this kind of images being used by other witches and Pagans who happen to participate in the "Get off your broom" challenge over at the Domestic Pagan.

Is this really the ideal image of witches, in our own heads? I've blogged before about how most witchling beginners' books will proclaim that "real witches" know the secrets to true beauty, and if you're powerful enough and know the right spells, you will loose all your flaws. On my reading journey, I have seen spells for clear skin, perfect hair, of course dozens of weight loss spells, ... and no, not only in books such as "Antara's guide to white magic perfection in 30 days", but in books that are recommended and read throughout the Pagan community. Somewhere in all this Pagan and witchy self-acceptance and "nature is beautiful" talk, there is still the spark of an idea that "beauty = superiority"

(It's another thing to epict the gods and goddesses as ideals, but even in those cases I find it - uhm, problematic to give them unnatural shapes just because someone somewhere thinks that this is what "ideal people" should look like. Does this look like a reasonable, tough goddess of the hunt? Those tiny arms should most certainly break any minute now that she has to handle this big bow, and - hello? Who in their right mind would go out hunting in that dress? And most pictures of Freya to be found online, unless they are from historic paintings, look as if they were taken from Viking porn. Don't get me started on all the gods to be found online... )

Having said that, a.m. graphics annoy me to no end. I know it is stupid, but seeing these pictures all over the net somehow promotes that this is what witches and witching are supposed to look like, and that anything short of that is a fail. And while so many people around the blogosphere have joined the GOYB challenge in an attempt to live healthier and more active lives, I am afraid that deep down inside their heads there is still this unattainable image of the tall beauty with the five-inch waist which they hope to become.

Okay, okay. I have been losing weight myself. And since I am at a healthy weight by now (having gone from 83.6kg = 185lbs to 67.7kg = 150lbs over the course of 15 months), I will readily admit that I am continuing this journey to look even better than I do now. Yes, of course I am vain, I am a woman. I want to wear short skirts and flimsy dresses and have guys turn their head to look at me. I want to be toned and fit. But I also know that no matter how much weight I lose, my boobs will always differ in size by about 1/2 cup. My face will always be asymmetrical, and I will tend to squint when not focusing. My teeth will remain crooked, and in addition I suspect there will always be that tummy bump that looks as if I am trying to digest a whole pumpkin. Admitted, the current pumpkin looks way smaller than the past pumpkin, but still... no flat tummy for me, I guess. Oh, and have I mentioned the first hint of varicose veins at the back of my left knee?

Does that make me a failure?

Nope. I am beautiful because I know and accept my "flaws", and make them the "de-fault" me. I try to do my best to take good care of my body and shape it to its best possible condition. After that, though... Being regarded as beautiful and making heads turn when walking down the street is mostly caused by your attitude. If you behave confident and self-loving, that will provide ten times the results than any crash diet or plastic surgery you could go for. And although this, too, is in every "witchcraft 101" out there, it is a lesson that is difficult to understand, and even more difficult to live.

"Remember that you're perfect, the gods make no mistakes."