Women are soft. Women are brash. Over the top and subtle, deeply passionate and in full surrender, women are everything all at once.
As we step into big roles in our lives, we can be diluted into one facet of identity, often seen when women become mothers. A large responsibility that onsets a brand new array of skills and instincts, motherhood is significant, but it isn’t all that a woman is. It’s as if suddenly, she should no longer have a creative pulse or a sexual desire, though all the women she was before motherhood still live within.
Beyond the maiden, mother, and crone, there are many layers of womanhood that we can use to understand ourselves and each other at a deeper level. Beyond that, the 7 archetypes of women together build a healthy ecosystem of femininity.
What are the 7 female archetypes?
In celebration of Mother’s Day and the many hats us women don, here’s a breakdown of the colors we come in.
The Lover Archetype
Soft and magnetic, the lover archetype radiates sensuality and desire. She’s in love with everything that makes her feel alive, from the sounds of rushing creeks to the pulse of raw poetry. Her sex appeal, however, is not shaped by the male gaze; it’s within the orgasm of creativity, the pleasure of dance and the life force of laughter.
Celebrity Example: Rihanna
The Maiden Archetype
Often, The Fool card in the tarot represents the Maiden archetype: blissfully walking into life with everything to learn and a pocketful of trust. Her blind surrender to the jungle of life can be seen as brave or naïve, depending on whom you ask. With an eternal sense of youth, the Maiden may need to learn the same lesson a few times, but the bruises on her knees are a small price to pay for a life fully lived.
Celebrity Example: Ariana Grande
The Mother Archetype
Nurturing, compassionate, and a natural caretaker, the Mother typically follows the Maiden as the next step in her evolution. It’s important to note that this may be your archetype whether or not you actually have offspring. If you find yourself to be responsible and protective, the one your friends call on when they need to be kissed on the forehead and told it’s going to be okay, you’re probably the Mother archetype.
Celebrity Example: Drew Barrymore
The Queen Archetype
Regal with an unwavering sense of confidence, the Queen archetype is one of the most powerful expressions of womanhood. Whether she’s running an empire or a household, her instincts are never second-guessed and her command is made with poise. With a natural sense of leadership, she knows how to lead the way, though it’s crucial you don’t cross her: loyalty is her most valued attribute, and she doesn’t forgive easily.
Celebrity Example: Oprah
The Huntress Archetype
Independent and hungry with a salivating bite, the huntress will stop at nothing to achieve all of her desires and attain all of her goals. Relentless and disciplined, there isn’t much that can get in the way of embodying her full potential. She’s competing only against herself and would never empower anything externally to have a chance against her. She decides her fate, and whoever’s head goes with it.
Celebrity Example: Serena Williams
The Sage Archetype
In constant pursuit of knowledge, the Sage woman is practical and emotionally objective. She doesn’t make room for distraction, as it could get in the way of the brilliance she’s investing in, and thus, her proximity to power. Building a strong foundation beneath her, intellectuality is her superpower, able to annihilate simply by the way she wields her words.
Celebrity Example: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The Mystic Archetype
This archetype is often living life inwardly, demystifying life’s most philosophical questions with introspection and detachment from emotion. Mystic women tend to devote themselves to a spiritual path, curating a life that lends to expansion and inner peace. While this means she tends to spend most of her time alone, she has a comfort with her solitude that most don’t, preferring the pleasure of her own company anyway.
Celebrity Example: Solange
Where Do You Land?
As a multifaceted powerhouse equipped with color and contradiction, you’re a mosaic of all the archetypes. While one may be more pronounced than others, don’t neglect the lover in you just because the huntress is locked in. You may be in your season of motherhood, but that doesn’t mean the maiden within doesn’t need rest and a good romantic fiction novel. Feel free to be all of you all the time—and feel free to be loud about it, too.
And if you’re a daughter celebrating a mother this holiday, take some time to empathize that beyond her role as caretaker, she has all of these women within her still, and this is her first time doing life, too.
