Coinciding well with the month of ghosts, witches and magic, this past week marked 20 years since the pilot of the WB show Charmed aired. If you are unfamiliar with the show, firstly, what have you been doing with your life? And secondly, you are missing out! And I say this knowing that while witches and hocus-pocus isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, there is so much to appreciate in this show.
Charmed tells the story of three sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell (originally played by Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano with the addition of Rose McGowan in Season 4) who, unbeknownst to them, are descendants of Wiccan witches. And not the spiritual, Mother Nature kind, the real thing (as real as fantasy can be) with spells, potions and enchantments galore. Except with all that also comes curses, demons and plenty of ghosts.
But what made this show so special was the representation of womanhood and femininity. I began watching this show in my early teens and it was the first time I had seen a show with an all female principal cast. It was wholly unapologetic and for that, it was brilliant. It was my first example of a feminist show and for that forever hold a special place in my heart.
Now this does not mean that Charmed qualifies as perfect, or representative of perfect feminism (if there even is such a thing)! In fact, at times it was down right problematic, lacking in racial and sexual diversity and cringe 90s acting. But it was a step in the right direction, and for young me, that mattered a lot. Because from that I learnt a lot about being a woman, such as:
It’s okay if you don’t know what to do with your life
When I was growing up I thought needing to always be put together and on point is one of those things that would make me a proper adult woman. And it was one thing that I never thought I could achieve, and because of that, I had a lot of insecurities about how I would be perceived. One of my favourite parts of the show was the fact that the three Halliwell sisters frequently struggled with getting their lives together. Undoubtedly a plot device to make the show more interesting, it also made the women themselves more interesting as they struggled to find their perfect career, their soulmate, or just their dreams (eventually figuring out that dreams are often not all they’re cracked up to be).
Now in my early twenties and trying to figure out what I want to do in life, it is so refreshing to see a show about women dealing with crappy bosses, and shitty pay while still kicking ass. Every time I watch the show back (which I do almost every year) I find new things that make me relate to the Halliwell sisters, and makes me feel more comfortable with being unsure about the direction my life is taking.
Never apologise for your ambition
When these women did figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, even if they changed their minds later, they went at it full force, working themselves to the bone to succeed. They would unapologetically put themselves and their careers before what others expected of them, and sometimes even before their relationships. While not always the best decisions, it showed how important it was to them, and how it was okay to make mistakes if it was what you thought was best.
We might be coming out of the generation where having ambition was considered a bad trait in women, but the threads of that old kind of thinking can still be found around some workplaces. Seeing strong women stand up to the misogynistic stereotypes of “career women” or “female bosses” was so incredible important. This show is a great reminder to ignore those backwards ideas and keeping pushing on.
Love others freely but most importantly love yourself unapologetically
As is probably expected in any show of eight seasons, the three sisters had their fair share of love interests and partners. And while it made for good entertainment, it was such good representation for the modern women. Someone who would not be shamed for wanting to explore their life and sensuality, or to remove themselves from that scene if they so chose to. Whatever the case was, it was about knowing when to put themselves first. This boundary can often become hazy in early adulthood, and it is masterfully explored in the show.
You are the star of your own life
Which leads into the amazingness of a show centred around women and about women’s issues. All the important male characters were brought on as love interests, sidekicks, or related to the main trio in some way. Having grown up seeing female characters always being secondary to their male counterparts, it was so refreshing and a strong reminder that women were the stars of their own life and world.
Life is better with a support system of strong women
And along with this was the nexus of the show, of having this female centric cast and plot. While you had the demons, ghosts and all manner of other creatures showing up every episode, the relationship between the Halliwell sisters was the real draw of the series. Though they fought and disagreed, they were always stronger together and better when they supported one another, helping each other succeed. Throughout the show, many other women were featured and the best episodes always celebrated strong women banding together to be better. And it’s something I will never tire of seeing.
Aside from their magic casting abilities, so much of the show focused on how these three women insisted on being able to live their lives, excel in their careers, have relationships, indulge after heartbreaks and make bad choices. They were allowed to be confused, determined, frustrated and sexual women, and that was an amazing thing to watch as a young adolescent and as a woman today. I hope this short tribute to the show encourages you to give it a chance!
~S~
