"Witches" were the ultimate outcasts. A majority of women - and some men - were hounded down in 17th century Massachusetts for the assumptions they were practicing witchcraft, 200 arrested and 19 found guilty and executed. What exactly drove society to fan the flames of these conspiracies to the point of orchestrated homicide? The first three women to be suspected of witchcraft in Salem were marginalised women - women making ends meet in an oppressive society that overlooked and dehumanised them.

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The concept of the witch from folklore to pop culture is still considered a symbol of danger and mystery, of threat and menace to this day. Even the most benevolent depictions in mass media will highlight a witch's potential capacity for darkness. So for a lack of better words, why is the witch "the witch"? Historically people who have been considered witches were either those who stepped outside of society's expectations for women in the 16th - 17th century to misunderstood healers in 931 - 721 B.C. The predominant factor was that the witch was an outsider, whether it be from race, class, social or marital status.

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To believe in witches is to identify with the outsider and connect with the marginalised. Re-contextualizing occult symbols and removing any specific identifying traits to each witch is an open invitation for the viewer to see themselves in the witch and to emotionally resonate with them. The subject of the witch is transcendent and powerful, opening the door to those alienated in society and allowing them free-reign to grab their broomsticks, grow their horns and soar.