Comparing Female Villains within the Magical Realm

     After my Popular Media Presentation over Jennifer's Body, I couldn't stop thinking about the sexualization of female characters, particularly those who play the antagonist or 'evil' role. In Jennifer's Body, the evil character is Jennifer, a girl who becomes possessed by a succubus after a flawed satanic ritual and murders four boys. In this story, I think its the satanic rock band, "Low Shoulder," who are the real villains. They set off the entire chain reaction of the movie in murdering Jennifer during the satanic ritual. The band as villains are mildly sexualized by Jennifer, however, this is nothing compared to the sexualization of Jennifer throughout the entire movie.

    Another popular media example that portrays a female antagonist (a witch/otherworldly goddess figure) in a sexual nature is Enchantress in the film, Suicide Squad. In this film, a group of villains are forced to work for a secret government agency to form a defensive task force against extraterrestrial or supernatural threats. This film is unique in that the traditional villains are actually the protagonists, begrudgingly working together to save the planet. 

    The antagonist is Enchantress, an ancient and inter-dimensional mystical being who possessed the body of researcher, June Moone. After June inadvertently released Enchantress from her entrapment, June retained her original consciousness, unless she spoke the words, "Enchantress." After speaking the words, "Enchantress," June undergoes a physical and mental transformation. The possession allows Enchantress to surface within June Moone's body. One thing I found really interesting is how to Director chose to portray the 'switch' between June Moone and Enchantress. When in character as June Moone, the actress is dressed in business casual, sweatsuits, and other casual outfits. When she transforms into Enchantress, she is clothed in a barely existent top and bottom, more closely resembling a swimsuit than clothing. 

June Moone actively becoming possessed

Enchantress

    The decision to clothe Enchantress in this manner also differs from her portrayal in the DC Comics, from which her characters originates. In the DC Comics, Enchantress is clothed in a bright green jumpsuit with short-sleeves and full-length pants, a sharp contrast to the film's costume. For me at least, there is not an easily obvious correlation between the character in the comic and the character in the film. 

Enchantress in the DC Comics

I think that the difference in portrayal of magical beings/witches between various forms of popular culture media would also be an interesting topic. For example, we could compare how the Scarlet Witch is portrayed in the Marvel comics compared to the Marvel films. One interesting tidbit I found was that the actress who plays the Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen, changed her original costume to expose less chest. Clearly, not every actress wants to be sexualized, however, I think it takes a good deal of experience and authority to be able to influence the development of a costume. 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristenharris1/elizabeth-olsen-new-scarlet-witch-costume

    I think the difference in portrayal between comics, book, and films also speaks to what populations are targeted with each form of media. I think it would be extremely interesting to analyze the portrayal of witches across different forms of popular media with a special focus on who the intended audience is.