What are the feminine archetypes
Carl Jung, a famous Swiss psychologist from the 20th century, proposed the existence of archetypes – universal ideas or patterns of thought that lives within our collective unconscious. Across the centuries and between cultures, archetypes persistently emerge in our myths, literature, and dreams.
Inspired by Jung, psychiatrist Jean Shinoda Bolen expanded his work and proposed seven feminine archetypes: the Maiden, Mother, Lover, Huntress, Queen, Sage, and Mystic. Each archetype represents a distinct inner energy that women may embody and transition through in the duration of their lives. In popular culture these archetypes can become emphasised and channelled through imagery and lyrics. Let’s explore how female pop artists utilise these archetypes to curate their image, brand, and desired audience.
The Maiden – Olivia Rodrigo
“And I can’t say I’m a perfect ten
But I am the girl I’ve always been”
Associated with the Greek goddess of spring, Persephone, the maiden is adventurous, curious, and connected with her inner child. The maiden stands at the threshold of girlhood and womanhood. Her journey is only just beginning as she realises her potential.
Olivia Rodrigo embodies the maiden through unapologetically exploring the comedy and the tragedy of growing up. She isn’t afraid of confronting the bittersweetness of all the hallmarks of growing up — infatuation, heartbreak, and insecurity. Her lyrics reflect her ongoing growth and resonate with a generation of young women learning how to bloom.
The Queen – Beyonce
“My persuasion can build a nation
Endless power, with our love we can devour”
Embodying Hera, Queen of the Gods, the Queen is regal, commanding, and self-assured. Rather than brutally dominating, the Queen power is in her ability to nurture, uplift, and inspire others.
With her powerful presence and mastery of the stage, Beyonce exudes Queen energy. While not afraid to be vulnerable in her lyrics, Beyonce remains confident and reveals that inner strength can shine through even in our lowest moments. She celebrated collective strength (particularly of Black womanhood) and shows how true leadership is in uplifting others.
The Mother – Taylor Swift
“Leave it with me
I protect the family”
The Mother echoes the nurturing love of Demeter and embodies care, protection, and emotional depth. She supports others through offering the wisdom earned through her life experience and creates safety and belonging through her empathy.
Taylor Swift embodies the Mother archetype in particularly with her relationship with her fans and fellow artists. To her devoted fans her music about the euphoric highs and the devastating lows of life serves as a safe haven and a reminder that they are not alone. Whilst Swift herself often takes younger artists under her wing, emulating the Mother as she becomes their tutor and guide.
The Sage – Stevie Nicks
“Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions”
The Sage, inspired by Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy, represents clarity, knowledge, and inner vision. She values truth and understanding, finding the patterns hidden in chaos.
With her ethereal lyricism, nostalgic style, and striking stage presence, Stevie Nicks is the Sage. Her undeniable talent transport you to the space between the mystical and the all too real. Her songs are revelations, teaching generations how to navigate love, loss, and transformation with vulnerability but also grace and most importantly, how to come out the other end wiser.
The Huntress – Florence Welch
“Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive”
Modelled after Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the huntress stands for independence, freedom and wild intuition. She lives her life guided by instinct rather than burdened by expectations or conventions.
Florence channels the Huntress through her primal vocals and liberated performances. Wild energy pulses through her music and serves as a call to face your fears and run free.
The Lover – Sabrina Carpenter
“I know you want my touch for life
If you love me right, then who knows?”
The lover, inspired by Aphrodite, is an emotional, passionate spirit who is deeply in tune with her senses. The lover is playful, creative, and appreciative of beauty.
With her flirtatious confidence, clever wordplay, and romantic imagery, Sabrina becomes the Lover when she performs. With her bouncy blown out curls and glitzy outfits, the Lover almost becomes a caricature. This is because, although she is npt afraid to be intimate in her music, Sabrina is aware of the irony and the difficulties that arise when a woman reclaims her sensuality .
The Mystic – Lana del Rey
“I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone at midnight”
The mystic, inspired by Hestia, goddess of the sacred inner flame, is spiritual, contemplative, and detached from the comings and goings of the external.
Lana Del Rey embodies the Mystic through her dreamy sound and melancholic reflections. Lana merges dualities, she knows how to find the love in loss, the gratitude in regret, and the beauty in decay. Through all that life throws at you, Lana reminds you to always be glamorous.
The Archetypes as Persona and Performance
While Bolen intended for the archetypes to illuminate the inner spiritual world of women, popular culture has transformed them into performative identities. The truth is, that women are much more easy to digest when an easy-to-read label is slapped on them. While the archetypal image allows an outlet for these women to express their femininity, it also contains them.
Whilst women naturally transition through the archetypes as they grow and develop, this is not so easy for pre-packaged pop stars. For example, think of the criticism directed at Miley Cyrus when she began to embrace her sexuality and step into the Lover archetype, when she was previously seen as a the “girl-next-door”, Maiden type. Conversely, the public seems to experience discomfort when a woman refuses to relinquish the Lover as she gets older. Madonna’s revolutionary self-expression, once celebrated, became a site of ridicule as she aged.
What these reactions reveal is how culture seeks to control feminine archetypes. Rather than seen as fluid, living, ever-changing people, women in the lime-light are expected to embody a singular archetype, but only in a way that is appropriate of acceptable.
In a way, popular culture has become a modern mythological stage, where the goddesses of Olympus wear sequins and hold microphones. The question that remains unanswered is, are the ladies of pop powerfully reclaiming feminine energy, or simply allowing themselves to be shoved in a box?