poor recent results recorded on the field by her (now ex) husband, Tom Brady. Instead of denying the accusa- tion categorically, we would suggest that Gisele is quite amused by this narrative that’s been forced on her by the latest popular social media network. It is stated in a Vanity Fair cover article that Gisele’s Costa Rica home has a room containing energy crystals, tarot cards, books on astrology and other metaphys- ical items – which only added vir- tual fuel to the video with emoti- con flames. The reason various Tik-Toker theorists are so obsessed with the idea that Gisele can use her “magic” to turn the tide of America’s most popular sport can be traced back to the popularity of the hashtag #witchtok, which is used to collo- quially describe the increasing num- ber of young women all over the world who are fascinated by eso- teric practices, magic and mythical representations of witches. What they have in common
generationally is that they all grew up watching Hermione, Harry Pot- ter’s friend, learn to harness her own magical powers, and she is light years away from fairy tale presenta- tions of heathen witches. These are the kinds of witches that are often found today in the books of the “Witch Lit” subgenre and on Netflix. These “rebranded witches” are most commonly beautiful and intriguing, while at the same time Gothically dark, ethereal and uninhibited, like Jenna Ortega when portraying the Addams family daughter in the se- ries Wednesday. “The witch is a figure that often symbolises oppression, while at the same time it can be seen as a pow- erful symbol of self-empowerment,” explains Marie Kurtmann, author of a handbook for everyday magic and spiritual empowerment that aims to erase esoteric clichés. As for Gisele and the TikTokerati tri- bunal, this beautiful Brazilian opted to address accusations that she en- gages in witchcraft in an interview, saying: “Yes, I’m a witch of love”!
Modern TikTok witches Hermione, we’re not at Hogwarts anymore! How the new generations have turned “she’s a witch” into a compliment – as quick as you can say #witchtok O f all the words that could cross your mind at any men- tion of Gisele Bünd- chen, ‘witch’ proba- bly wouldn’t be among the first five. However, the TikTokerati suspect that this supermodel has a pen- chant for witchcraft - and that, in theory, accounts for the series of
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