Bewitched Again Supernaturally Powerful Women On TV

BEWITCHED AGAIN SUPERNATURALLY POWERFUL WOMEN ON TV

"Starting in 1996, U.S. television saw an influx of super human female characters who could materialize objects like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, defeat evil like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and have premonitions like Charmed Phoebe. The extraordinary abilities of these women showed resistance to traditional gender roles while the super women experienced infringements on their abilities in ways super powered men did not. As a result, superpowers become a narrative technique to diminish these characters, a technique that began with television's first super powered woman, Samantha (of Bewitched). The television superwomen have endured as a metaphor for women trying to 'have it all,' as their travails parallel those of their off-screen counterparts."