Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon

by Lona Bailey

An empowering look at one of pop culture's most enduring feminist icons, The Wicked Witch of the West.

More than 125 years after her introduction, the Wicked Witch of the West remains an icon of popular culture. Known by many names-from “The Wicked Witch of the West” to Evillene, Elphaba, and Theodora-she consistently defies expectations and wields her power unapologetically. At the heart of her everlasting appeal is her embodiment of feminist ideals that resonate today.

In Wicked Witch of the The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon, Lona Bailey explores the radical feministic undertones of one of the most enduring characters in popular culture. Introduced in 1900 through L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch has captivated generations as both a symbol of fear and empowerment. More than just a villain, she embodies rebellion and resistance, refusing to conform to the roles historically assigned to women. This book traces her transformation over the past century, highlighting how she has evolved through countless adaptations from The Wizard of Oz to the film adaptation of Wicked while maintaining her core identity as a powerful, defiant figure.

To understand why the Witch remains captivating more than a century after her creation, Bailey delves into the radical feminism underlying her character and examines how she has been reinterpreted since her debut. From the suffrage movement to the fight for reproductive rights, and from the #MeToo movement to ongoing battles against gender stereotypes, the Witch symbolizes the struggles and triumphs women face. Her presence transcends mere performance; she serves as a reminder that the fight for justice, equality, and autonomy continues. By exploring the Witch's feminist evolution, readers will gain insight into why her character resonates with generations of women.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Audiobook, Witches

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 2, 2025

About the author

Dr. Lona Bailey is a Golden Age of Hollywood researcher and writer of Uncredited: The Life and Career of Actress Virginia Gregg, Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story, and Mrs. Radio: The Cathy Lewis Story. As a PhD and former therapist, Lona is passionate about telling the untold stories of women who perhaps weren’t finished using their own voices during their earthly journeys. Lona’s biographic works offer a balanced perspective on the multidimensional elements involved in feministic legacy-maintenance with particular interest in the preservation efforts of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Lona and her books have been featured on The Wolfe Den Show, in Film Daily, and in The Los Angeles Tribune.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

This is an amazing book, not only about the Wicked Witch but about feminism and how women and witches are treated as a whole. I love the in-depth breakdown of the differences between the book and movie. It's been probably 20 years since I've read them and barely remember anything about them. If only I had unlimited time to read all the books I wanted to . . .

I still haven't watched Wicked; I really don't know why. So I did skip those parts in the books because I didn't want to get spoilers!

Definitely would recommend!

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wicked Witch of the West yes, touches on the iconic role and how it impacted feminism and the portrayal of scorn women in media, but it also leans into how witches are treated as a whole.
I liked hearing about L. Frank Baum's family involvement in the suffrage movement and the chapter on Margaret Hamiltons depiction of the Wicked Witch, how it impacted perception of her for decades after.
This book is timely given the resurgence of Wicked and interest in the Wicked Witch, but I think it could have easily been done twenty years ago as well as the Wicked Witch has been a historically misunderstood character that we eventually come to understand (I'm also looking at Maleficent when I say this)

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had incredibly mixed feelings after finishing this book, so let’s start with what I really enjoyed!

The insight into the women and feminist ideas behind the creation of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West were fascinating. It had never occurred to me (although it seems obvious now that it’s been pointed out) that everyone with real power in Oz is a woman, and that the only man with real political power is exposed to be a charlatan. I had no idea about L. Frank Baum’s family and their involvement with the women’s suffrage movement, and it was fascinating to have these links explained.

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I also really enjoyed the chapter about Margaret Hamilton’s depiction of the Wicked Witch, and how it fed into gender roles of the time both in front of and behind the camera. I thought these early chapters were the strongest, as well as some of the discussion on how Elphaba has become a modern icon.

Structurally, I think this book needed a bit of an overhaul. The chronological approach worked well, but about two-thirds of the way through, suddenly we had a side-quest into the way different cultures around the world have perceived witches through history. While I appreciate the research the author has done on this, I think it would have worked much better either earlier on in the book, or woven in to the rest of the chapters. The continent-by-continent approach also felt a little juvenile, and prevented any serious discussion on how these ideas and concepts came to be.

It’s rare that a few individual lines put me off a book, but I think in non-fiction especially, where the trust between the reader and the writer is so important, a bit of poor phrasing here and there does a lot to undermine the integrity of the book. I had three main issues: first, Bailey refers to the ‘Civil Rights Era’, which is not only inaccurate but demonstrates a misunderstanding of the term “civil rights”. Another instance was in the introduction (which I generally found to be overly-apologetic, as if pre-empting any and all issue the reader might have), where she clarified that despite ‘respecting’ Brexit, she would consider the UK to be part of Europe for the purposes of the book. Again, this shows a wild misunderstanding of what Brexit is, and unless you’re planning on pitching this book to the Daily Mail comments section, an unnecessary clarification. Finally, I took issue with the use of the word ‘unalives’ instead of ‘kills’. If your book is serious enough to include citations, it is DEFINITELY serious enough not to use TikTok-style censorship. They’re minor gripes, but in non-fiction especially, it is so important to be accurate in everything you’re saying, not just the details of the main thesis of the book.

I think with a couple of edits, this could be an excellent book, but for now it doesn’t quite reach the mark.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lona Bailey, Wicked Witch of the West The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon, Bloomsbury Academic, October 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Lona Bailey has produced a tremendously readable account of the feminist underpinnings of the wicked witch of the west, and more. This is not to suggest that the book is not an academic exercise; it has all the accoutrements of academic work – citations, an index, a bibliography, and of course is based on an immense amount of research. Where enthusiasm for a topic meets academic excellence and engaging writing, a reader is fortunate. I felt more than fortunate when reading Wicked Witch of the West The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon. Bailey combines such academic excellence and engaging writing around a topic that has been an enduring interest. Popular culture, feminism, the Wicked Witch of the West in her various manifestations, from The Wizard of Oz to the musical, Wicked, further novels and television programs are gathered to produce an engrossing study. I read the book over a day and, happily woke during the night to continue to the end. This is a thoroughly enthralling read.

Bailey begins with Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which the wicked witch is not the green visaged apparition of the film fame. This is a particularly illuminating chapter, with its reflections on why villains may be appealing, and the powerful aspects of the wicked witch of the west. Baum’s witch becomes the source of analysis of the feminist aspects of the witch, the appearance of the original, the actor who played her years later and the changes to her appearance that took place, as well as events on the set of The Wizard of Oz. The latter is very illuminating indeed. So, too is the discussion of Baum’s background and speculation on his intentions on developing this character.

Further chapters cover the MGM adaption more fully; modernism and postmodernism; literature and popular culture; and the evolution of the concept of witch; and titles such as Witches’ Rights; The Witch’s Womb; and The Legacy that will Never Melt.

I have reservations about the concept of waves of feminism that Bailey refers to as I believe women have worked assiduously throughout history for equality. However, Bailey uses the concepts with skill so that the particular strengths associated with feminist ideas and movements are given their place in relation to the wicked witch and her strengths, as well as the ways in which she has been depicted, used, and abused. Again, it is Bailey’s ability to skilfully weave together the copious amounts of material that she has assembled into an engaging and authoritative academic text that makes this book a valuable resource. I feel not only gratified that I was able to read this uncorrected proof before publication but enjoyed every moment of doing so.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly History of the Wicked Witch of the West

Known for her books on film history and persons, Lona Bailey tackles the witchiest of them all in her newest, the Wicked Witch of the West. Part history, part thesis, this book attempts to outline the development of the Wicked Witch as a feminist character and a mirror to society in each reincarnation.
Through a Western feminist lens, Bailey outlines how our fascination with the evil, non-conformist character first sketched in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz can be traced back to the inherent struggle of women against patriarchal norms.

Lona Bailey uses related media from the time of the witch's conception until today to illustrate her points and follows her analysis with a brief summary of witches across cultures in a more global context. She occasionally uses TikTok-language, which really did not sit well with me (unalive..) and borrows from different strands of feminist theory while missing out on one (in my opinion crucial) strand that moves through the entire Western witch lore and the Oz-universe as well. I think her thesis is well-written but misses the last step to being a truly inspirational, thorough and groundbreaking work of feminist analysis.

While she matches the women of Baum's time (his wife and mother-in-law, both feminists) with his portrait of a woman defying Victorian and Edwardian gender norms, she misses a trick in linking all of the witch lore with the most dominant strain of hatred Western history has seen - apart from that against women, of course. And that is antisemitism. Not least because of the musical adaptation by a Jewish composer and producer, whose post-Holocaust life experiences might be recognisable in their witch's fight against fascist, racist oppressors. Only on page 50 (a quarter into the book) does she mention that Jews might have been seen as the wicked witch due to their mere existence challenging purity and white nationalism. She does not mention medieval antisemitic stereotypes (big nose, anyone?) and while she mentions the Malleus Maleficorium, she fails to identify it as the most influential antisemitic text of its time and an inspiration to antisemites for centuries (until today, really).
Bailey's lens is woefully American-centric, not least because she only begins investigating witch stereotypes from outside the Western world after her thesis is concluded.
All that could have been beautifully worked into her analysis and she would probably have been able to reach a vaster scope and a deeper truth. As it stands, her book is interesting, a good overview of the history of the character and an outline of the feminist surroundings of the original author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved watching The Wizard of Oz as a child at least once a year. I definitely grew up watching it. My children never got into it sadly as they were easily scared. I don’t remember being scared of the Wicked Witch of the West but I probably was when I was younger. I feel like everyone knows who the Wicked Witch of the West is and where she is from. I’m not as familiar with the other forms of it the author Lona Bailey talks about such as the Broadway Musicals or the original and added on books.

I really liked this book even though I don’t necessarily consider myself a feminist per say. I’m not talking about politics and such here though, let’s focus on the book.

The book is the most in depth analysis I’ve ever seen on one character. I kept getting blown away by how much Lona was able to say about her. I was never good at character analysis in school and couldn’t find the words. The author here knows what she is talking about and clearly did a lot of research and study to write this book (which is shown in her footnotes and bibliography.)

I have never thought of the Wicked Witch of the West in so many ways. She introduced me to the Wicked storyline too which I had heard about when the first movie came out but I didn’t know anything about it. She explains the books which made the musical which was turned into a movie and I guess there is another one coming out very soon. It makes me want to go check them out. I like the idea from Wicked and The Wiz that the Wicked Witch of the West has more to her than meets the eye. The different takes on her back story are interesting and bring depth.

I was also interested in all the talk about witches in media and in other cultures in various points of the book. She goes into different cultures around the world’s take on witches in one chapter. You usually hear about North American or Europe’s take on witches so it was interesting to see what the rest of the world thinks about witches.

She also talks about witches in media throughout the ages all the way up to Harry Potter including Bewitched, Escape to Witch Mountain, Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Witches of Eastwick, Practical Magic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed and HalloweenTown.

If you love The Wizard of Oz or the history of Witches you will love this book. If you’re a feminist you will triple love this book. There is lots of talk of course about how this character, who at first you probably don’t see what she has to do with feminism, tells the story of feminism and how it changes throughout history.

An Amazing Read.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self-proclaimed Wizard of Oz enthusiast, and as someone who went dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West for Halloween for the better part of a decade as a child, I was thrilled to receive a review copy of Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon by Lona Bailey. Thank you Net Galley and Bloomsbury Academic for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Described as an empowering look at one of pop culture’s most enduring feminist icons, this text explores several themes. It covers the Wicked Witch of the West across all her iterations, witches throughout history and across the world, and the intersections between witches and feminism. I learned a lot and I especially enjoyed learning about Matilda Joslyn Gage and her influence on her son-in-law, L. Frank Baum, and thus the Wicked Witch of the West we all know today.

This book has “dissertation” vibes and certainly brought me back to my university days while I was reading. Lona Bailey has clearly done a lot of research on this topic and presents her thesis well. Honestly, while I adore the Wizard of Oz (I even have an entire shelf of my bookcase dedicated to it), I’m not a sociology major, so some of the concepts went over my head.

Given the original Wizard of Oz was written 125 years ago, we can’t know L. Frank Baum’s intentions regarding whether he meant the Wicked Witch to be a feminist icon. However, based on all of Bailey’s research, I am inclined to believe she is. Her character, as well as all the portrayals of her in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, Wicked, etc. all show the cultural impact she has had by being a powerful, assertive, and multifaceted character.

Overall, this is a solid four star read and those who are really into academic literature and sociological deep dives will find this so informative, interesting, and revolutionary.

PS, I do have one main gripe, however. The use of the term “unalive” instead of “kill” in an academic, published work of nonfiction is baffling to me. This term is used typically on social media to get around the algorithms that punish or suppress content that uses violent words. Using it in a book is completely nonsensical and given it was used almost immediately upon starting the text, I felt a little judgmental of the author.

[Quilted.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this ARC sitting on my Kindle forever and with all the Wicked: For Good hype everywhere right now I finally jumped in and ZERO regrets. I loved every single minute of it. For all my Wicked musical girlies this one is absolutely for you.Wicked Witch of the West is an empowering deep dive into one of pop culture’s most enduring feminist icons. From her earliest days in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to her modern reimaginings like Wicked, the Wicked Witch has always been more than just a villain she’s rebellion, resistance, power, and the refusal to shrink for anyone. This book explores how she’s been reshaped over the last 125+ years through movies, books, musicals, and cultural movements, showing why she still resonates with generations of women today.it’s packed with feminist analysis, history, and the evolution of her character through everything from the suffrage era to the #MeToo movement. She’s a symbol of empowerment AND defiance, and this book really captures that beautifully.Do not sleep on this book. If you love Wicked, fierce women, or picking apart pop culture icons highly recommend. 💚🩷✨

[InMyNestaEra89 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely FASCINATING!! I can definitely see the modern day Wicked Witches (Elphaba, Theodora, etc) as feminist icons, but I was wondering where the author would take this in looping in the original novel and the classic MGM film that made The Wizard of Oz so famous and the Wicked Witch of the West herself so (in)famous.

I had NO idea that I would be discovering so many fascinating tidbits that I've never known about the Wizard of Oz, even being a huge fan, and a feminist. For example, I was shocked to discover that L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law was one of the original suffragette's. She worked right alongside Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton! Of course you don't hear much about her in history, and the author speculates that it was because she was not the "traditional" American housewife of the time. She was loud and spoke out against the church (even wrote a book about it!!)... I could go on for days about how incredible I found this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Wizard of Oz, or anyone who considers themselves a feminist! :)

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an insightful and amazing read. I had knowledge of some facts, like that the copper in the ink that covered the actress was poisonous, but I had no idea they didn't let her take the makeup, and the director insisted that she did a fire scene without instructions, which resulted in burns of severe degree... and no one checked out how she was doing at the hospital. It infuriates us how human beings thought these were "normal" procedures. Even today, I was told that "it's normal" I should get over it. No...

I will continue to recommend this book. We get access to information and facts not only of their lives as mothers, single mom (daily life), but also as actresses. There are aspects of the writing style I don't care for, maybe because I don't quite understand the TikTok generation, but I focused on what enriched me.

[Karianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book, so hopefully I can express them adequately. The parts this book did well of, I wanted more of and the parts this book didn’t do well on, I wanted less of. The background into Bain’s family was fascinating. That added so much depth up front to the case for feminism in the Wizard of Oz. I would’ve love more about Baum’s views on feminism and any social stances he took outside of Oz, although I don’t know if that information exists. There was a lot of history of feminism in general, which in some areas added explanation and depth but in other cases became repetitive. At times, the book read like a published thesis where points were all defined but not necessarily woven together. Definitely a thought provoking piece. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. I was more interested in learning about the original wizard of oz book author’s familial ties to the early suffragette movement and how possibly the wizard of oz may have some feminist ideologies, the wicked witch being one of them. The exploration of the wicked witch as a feminist icon was done well enough, I’ve learned a lot but it wasn’t very compelling. A lot of it was due to editing, there were a lot of repetition of ideas where the author rewrites the exact same idea sometimes right after in the next paragraph. And the second half of the book read like the author was trying to make word count to finish their essay. Overall it was an informative read.

This book was won in a Goodreads giveaway

[Martin Southard · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the upcoming second Wicked film on the horizon this book is perfectly timed. Bailey explores how the character has shifted from Baum’s original vision to the stage, screen and beyond, and she places the Witch within feminist and cultural debates in a way that feels both relevant and refreshing. There are definitely sections that read more like an academic text, but I still found it accessible and full of insights. It’s an ambitious and detailed book that adds real context to why the Witch continues to fascinate audiences today.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Academic, Lona Bailey and Netgalley for providing this advanced copy.

[Tiffany (areyoutellingstories) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Wicked Witch exhibits a defiance of traditional gender norms. She rejects the stereotypical attributes of femininity...she is fierce, commanding, and unapologetically ambitious. The broomstick came later, and it was never intended for tidying up."

I, as most American children, grew up watching The Wizard of Oz annually as it was broadcasted on cable TV. I enjoyed this thought-provoking look into how the Wicked Witch inspired and continues to inspire a desire and most importantly, a choice, to go against the mainstream.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the Salem Witch Trials... they didn't burn witches. They burned women.

Wicked Witch of the West: The Enduring Legacy of a Feminist Icon is a powerful essay illuminating how women are "othered" and the parallels between the Wicked Witch and feminism. 

As a rabid Wicked fan, I loved the deep dive into my favorite character and the discussion of the different ways Elphaba was portrayed between the original work from L.F. Baum to the MGM movie, to the book and musical Wicked, and now the movies.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz is everywhere at the moment with the release of the new Wicked for Good movie. Whether it be Baum's Oz or Maguire's Wicked series the green faced witch has always been a character both memorable and iconic.

Bailey's book bridges the history of women and witches through the years - political equality, the treatment of them, and the ways in which the media portrays them.

It's a thought provoking and absolutely fascinating insight into the wicked witch and feminism.

QOTD: Did you know Elphaba's name comes from L.F. Baum's initials? (El-Fuh-Buh).

[Kara (Books.and.salt) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a fascinating read! Not only highlighting our favorite witch, but also exploring a lot of other famous witches and how the impacted our societal view of feminism.