I hear it so often, ”where is a woman’s place in magic” or why would you want to watch a woman do magic? The short version of the answers would be “at the front” and “because”.
Now let’s analyze this woman’s thing. Well, there has always been a woman behind every successful male magician, whether it’s his wife or assistant. So why would we want to bring them to the front. It is very simple, they are easier to look at and they tend to have a better persona than their counterparts. They have much more grace and appeal than do men. A woman’s hands are naturally slenderer and usually better manicured. They have a built in misdirection for most men. No, we are not talking about body assets; we are talking about their eyes. Men tend to look directly into woman’s eyes and that’s when they got you, that’s all the misdirection she needs.
Lets face it, men would rather watch a woman make fools out of them, than they would another man. I know I would rather see a woman do close-up magic, if done well, than a man. Women are natural talkers and that is one of the main ingredients in close-up magic. Their hands are usually suppler looking and a real eye pleaser; for a woman to do card flourishes and coin manipulations is a real treat. I have seen several women performers in magic (close-up) and I think they are better than most male performers of their quality. I will admit there are some bad women performers just like there are bad male performers.
There have been a few great women magicians in the past. Some of the first documented magicians were Victoria Berland and Miss Mariana de Lahaye in the 1890s. In the early 1900s there was Abigail Price, Mrs. Kellar, Adelaide Herrmann, Talma, the Marvelous Mohala, and Vonetta, all who were stage performers and did magic for a living.
Historically, women have always been thought of as “magician’s assistant”, bringing props to the magician on and off the stage, being the pin cushion for a million different illusions, and making the real magic work while you know who gets all the credit. It seems that there is definitely a “glass ceiling” for women in magic. The same career issues that effect women in business also effect female magicians. It is very tough for a woman to break into a male-dominated world. This is even truer when you realize men are expecting to see a scantily dressed female as an assistant.
The second thing that shackles a woman from breaking into or making it in the magic world is that it is hard to find a mentor who is willing to train and teach “the secrets” to her. The male magic community is very secretive even among themselves, enter a female and see how quickly they all clam up or tell her to go to a book. If this is not bad enough, there are still magic books that actually say “have your “girl assistant” sew, pin, or etc. what you need”. It is definitely a lingering stereotype that women are assistants and not the magician.
If you go back far in history, you will see that there was this dark-age idea that “all women in power are witches”. Some say this is where the trouble began for women and they have not been able to completely break that idea. Well, I for one has broken that idea in my head and I truly believe that woman are just as good if not better than men in performing magic.
We all need to help each other and teach what we know and help those who ask, especially if they are women asking. I used to be the kind of performer who would say, “You want to learn magic, well read books like I did”.
I have only seen women assistants in stage magic in person, never a female magician. However, on television I have seen 2-3 really spectacular women performers. The one that sticks out the most in my head is Princess Tenko; she was most impressive and talented. I loved the way she moved, with such grace and flair outdoing any male counterpart. Just keep in mind; you most likely had help learning magic. If you did not, then think how having people tell you to read books made you feel.
I say we all promote a “Woman’s Magic Night”.
Bono Fortuna
Massimo
The Mental Institution™
Now let’s analyze this woman’s thing. Well, there has always been a woman behind every successful male magician, whether it’s his wife or assistant. So why would we want to bring them to the front. It is very simple, they are easier to look at and they tend to have a better persona than their counterparts. They have much more grace and appeal than do men. A woman’s hands are naturally slenderer and usually better manicured. They have a built in misdirection for most men. No, we are not talking about body assets; we are talking about their eyes. Men tend to look directly into woman’s eyes and that’s when they got you, that’s all the misdirection she needs.
Lets face it, men would rather watch a woman make fools out of them, than they would another man. I know I would rather see a woman do close-up magic, if done well, than a man. Women are natural talkers and that is one of the main ingredients in close-up magic. Their hands are usually suppler looking and a real eye pleaser; for a woman to do card flourishes and coin manipulations is a real treat. I have seen several women performers in magic (close-up) and I think they are better than most male performers of their quality. I will admit there are some bad women performers just like there are bad male performers.
There have been a few great women magicians in the past. Some of the first documented magicians were Victoria Berland and Miss Mariana de Lahaye in the 1890s. In the early 1900s there was Abigail Price, Mrs. Kellar, Adelaide Herrmann, Talma, the Marvelous Mohala, and Vonetta, all who were stage performers and did magic for a living.
Historically, women have always been thought of as “magician’s assistant”, bringing props to the magician on and off the stage, being the pin cushion for a million different illusions, and making the real magic work while you know who gets all the credit. It seems that there is definitely a “glass ceiling” for women in magic. The same career issues that effect women in business also effect female magicians. It is very tough for a woman to break into a male-dominated world. This is even truer when you realize men are expecting to see a scantily dressed female as an assistant.
The second thing that shackles a woman from breaking into or making it in the magic world is that it is hard to find a mentor who is willing to train and teach “the secrets” to her. The male magic community is very secretive even among themselves, enter a female and see how quickly they all clam up or tell her to go to a book. If this is not bad enough, there are still magic books that actually say “have your “girl assistant” sew, pin, or etc. what you need”. It is definitely a lingering stereotype that women are assistants and not the magician.
If you go back far in history, you will see that there was this dark-age idea that “all women in power are witches”. Some say this is where the trouble began for women and they have not been able to completely break that idea. Well, I for one has broken that idea in my head and I truly believe that woman are just as good if not better than men in performing magic.
We all need to help each other and teach what we know and help those who ask, especially if they are women asking. I used to be the kind of performer who would say, “You want to learn magic, well read books like I did”.
I have only seen women assistants in stage magic in person, never a female magician. However, on television I have seen 2-3 really spectacular women performers. The one that sticks out the most in my head is Princess Tenko; she was most impressive and talented. I loved the way she moved, with such grace and flair outdoing any male counterpart. Just keep in mind; you most likely had help learning magic. If you did not, then think how having people tell you to read books made you feel.
I say we all promote a “Woman’s Magic Night”.
Bono Fortuna
Massimo
The Mental Institution™