A Gallery of Pornified "shamans"

© 2011 Max Dashu

Last year I did a web search for images of "woman shaman," "medicine woman," etc., and this is some of what turned up. I had already noticed a strong trend on Pagan YouTube videos toward soft-porn imagery of witches, but it goes well beyond that. What's sad is that people think they are reaching for a more powerful image of women, while conforming to the same old tired, limited ideas. Nearly all are glamour girls of the same body size and (often impossible) proportions. Virtually none represent old or middle-aged women, few are muscular, none are fat or even husky. Their stance and expressions are predictably uniform and modeled on porn archetypes.

	So here's what I learned: "Shamans" always pout prettily and their hair is long and streams in all directions. Peekaboo!
"Shamanic Princess." Uh, no. This one pretty much speaks for itself. But note the innocent blonde vs. scary dark woman (in left corner).

Posing is a must, and the corset is a known attribute of "shamans." Gotta keep that Qi locked up real tight. How do I look?

Hello again, arched back and tense pose. At least for once the artist has refrained from the D cups.

Look! finally, it's an old woman, with drooping breasts! Oh wait, she's frowning and has all kinds of skulls. Uh-huh.

	OK, that was just a lapse. We're back to regular programming. Only one female type allowed, the kind that does not actually exist in nature.
This one shows that even when the artist keeps to the boilerplate of young, extremely slender, pretty, usually white, it is possible to make the "shaman" look like a real woman, one with an actual expression on her face and a bit of presence.

I protest!

Next: Phony "witches"

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