10- Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan). Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
Every once in a while you encounter a television character who is so profound and iconic that she not only speaks for a generation, but gives voice and visibility to a population that, until her, was largely unrepresented in pop culture. One such character is unquestioningly Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a late 90s supernatural drama TV series. While there are several other witches in the Buffyverse, perhaps none are as filled to be brim with archetypical and allegorical significance as the young Willow Rosenberg.
From the beginning of the series, Willow is mousy, shy, and unconfident, serving as a mirror opposite to the outgoing and charismatic Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She has a natural proclivity towards magic, and as the series progresses, she becomes more and more adept in witchcraft and the ritual arts. In a way reminiscent of young witches like Kiki (#66) and Sabrina Spellman (#62), Willow’s self confidence and assertiveness builds in tandem with her increased magical abilities and proficiency with witchcraft—as her power builds, so does her self esteem and sense of self worth. In this way, Willow continues a long legacy of a primary function of witchcraft, namely to empower and encourage young women as they enter adulthood and come to terms with their femininity, strength, and autonomy.
As the series continued, and Willow’s strength and ability grew, she went from being a lackluster sidekick to an empowered sorceress. Even though Willow became more of a central figure in the show, her predisposition towards—and natural habitat in—the margins of society continued to be explored. Through various subplots and episodes, Willow’s characteristic and representation of Otherness became highlighted. Her role as “Other” was used in multiple ways aside from her witch-identity, with several plots illustrating how it feels for young folk who just don’t fit in to a small town high school.
Willow’s Other-identity and cultural significance can be seen through the fact that, in addition to being a witch, she was Jewish. At the time of the show, Willow showed a favorable portrayal of Jewish women, a characterization which is often seen through negative stereotypes and antisemitism. While some have criticized how the show utilized her Jewishness, functioning primarily as a juxtaposition to an understood Christonormativity, she nevertheless gives airtime to the history of Jews-as-others. This cultural identity contributes to Willow’s outsider perspective in the show, again giving visibility to those in the audience who may not always find representation in pop culture. Willow is only the second Jewish witch from film/TV in my series, with the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff #17) being her only sister in both Judaism and Witchcraft (You could make the argument for 2/3rds of the Sanderson Sisters #25, however it is the actors and -not- the character-witches themselves that are Jewish).
The most pertinent and groundbreaking aspect of Willow’s character, that perfectly illustrates the metaphorical significance of witchcraft in depicting those who reside in the margins, is her sexual awakening. In the fourth season of Buffy, Willow falls in love with another witch, Tara Maclay. Their relationship would go on to become, not only one of the most positive relationships in Buffy, but one of the first lesbian relationships on television in America. Willow and Tara had a groundbreaking televised kiss in the fifth season, which was depicted in a radically different way than had often been shown in pop culture. Willow’s lesbian relationships were not over sexualized, exploitive, or used in a manipulative way to gain a ratings boost. Instead, Willow’s relationships were honest, sensual, and meaningful expressions of true love. Instead of focusing on a formalized “coming out” story, Willow and Tara’s relationship itself was the focus, yielding a more natural and organic understanding of homosexuality. Willow illustrates the longstanding parallel between the coming out process and an LGBTQ+ identity with the process of coming out as a Witch/Pagan/Wiccan and one’s witch identity. Willow is one of the few outwardly lesbian witches in my series, which again reinforces how her character gave visibility to an underrepresented population that is often forced into the margins of society.
In addition to witchcraft and magic illustrating Willow’s increasing self-confidence, religious and cultural minority status, and mimicking her sexual awakening, the creators and writers of the show kept piling on her allegorical significance. By the sixth season, witchcraft becomes a metaphor for addiction. Her character takes a dark turn, and she becomes arrogant, reckless, and obsessed with magic. She begins to use magic thoughtlessly with little regard to consequence or her actions. Her magic is used overabundantly and superfluously, to the point where she must wean herself off of it in a way reminiscent of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. This process fails, however, when the aforementioned Tara dies tragically, and Willow spirals further out of control. Willow becomes Dark Willow, the surprise villain of the season. While witchcraft is typically used to portray the establishment of control and power, here it is used to illustrate the loss of control/power. The nature of addiction as a disease, and not a choice, is similarly exemplified through the fact that Willow is battling a psychotic break, yet another continuation of the longstanding relationship between witchcraft and mental health.
Finally, Willow manages to achieve a balance in her life. In the last allegorical use of witchcraft, Willow’s relationship with her magic becomes a symbol of temptation. She fears using magic again as it may lead her back down the lonely road of Dark Willow, however, she knows she can never deny her true self as a witch. Magic is an innate part of her life, and she cannot merely give it up or disregard it. Instead, she must learn how to establish an equilibrium with her powers, walking a tightrope between empowerment and control. This reinforces the parallels between witchcraft and queerness (you can’t just pretend you’re something you’re not) and witchcraft and the assertion of power.
Willow Rosenberg is a witch who is simultaneously unique and similar to so many others. On the one hand, she furthers common witch tropes, such as her acceptance of her witchcraft mirroring the acceptance of herself. What sets her apart, however, is her total amalgamation of the numerous aspects of witchcraft she represents. She isn’t just a witch who gains confidence through magic, she is also a representative of the Other, she’s Jewish, she’s a lesbian, she struggles with addiction, loss of love, and difficulty establishing balance. She’s a witch more relatable to the average human than not, as so many viewers are able to see themselves in her character. While couched in the supernatural and magical world, she deals with very real emotions, struggles, and issues that any viewer can understand. Her character gave visibility to many subsections of cultures that had little-to-no representation, and in this way joins the ranks of witches who further social justice causes and use their magic to help even the playing field and elevate the oppressed and subjugated.
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