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The iconic Femme Fatale.
When we hear those words, we think danger and fire, red lips and heels. We think of cunning, cold ladies that scheme the downfall of those that cross her and not only. We think of film noir sirens with glamorous hair and ruby-red lips. You may hate or love them, but they resonate with us so strongly for a reason.
It is an archetype that burrows deep in our hearts because it evokes fascination, intrigue and desire. In either case, it evokes powerful emotions in us, and of course – in men.
The Femme Fatale and the 4 Feminine Archetypes
In the traditional ideology, there are 4 feminine archetypes: the Maiden (purity), the Mother (nurture), the Wild Woman/Enchantress, and the Crone (wisdom).
The Femme Fatale is simply a modern form of the Wild Woman or Enchantress, who rejects simplistic notions of innocence, is disinterested in traditional motherhood, and plays no sage role like that of the Crone. In essence, it is the archetype which stands most outside the circle, because it is not a development of the other archetypes, carrying within itself their qualities.
Instead it is self-standing and independent: less a stage of life (girl, woman, old woman), and more a quality of spirit (savage like nature itself).
Her Principles
- Independent. She operates as an independent authority. She follows no other authority figures, although she may liaise or temporarily partner with others, always as a means to an end – achieving her goals.
- Free.
- Follows her own rules.
- Mysterious. She never reveals too much about herself, letting men question where they stand. She comes and goes as she pleases, and goes about her own business. She reveals just enough to keep the intrigue alive, which only makes others more curious and always wanting more.
- Puts her own needs first. Anything else comes after.
- Seeks approval from no one. She is unaffected, unbothered. She is the center of her own universe, and others only exist if she decides it to be so. The same goes for any criticism, judgement or gossip. She’s too full of herself, for better or worse, to let others’ opinions lower her standards or her perception of self.
- Cunning and calculated. She always has an agenda, and she’s intelligent and sly enough to make it happen.
- She knows what she wants, and she makes it happen.
- A force of nature. Whether she repents at the end of the film noir or goes down in flames (and style), she carries a powerful presence and evokes powerful feelings.
- She cannot be played… She is the player. This bombshell may look like a target (when she puts up an innocent front, strategically of course), or she may be a snake striped in the colors of danger, evident to all, coiled and ready to leap… but she is never the one played. And even if she slips up on one round, at the end she’ll be the one winning, even if it is to her own detriment (due to self-destructiveness).
Why is she so fascinating?
She is primal instinct unrestrained. She is the wild, unconscious side of the divine feminine. She is Woman when she follows no laws, no rules, no men, when she walks in the hypnotizing voluptuousness of her unfiltered, raw femininity.
For us ladies, it is a reflection of our own wilderness, the dark Lilith within us, the seductress role, the wild, unconquerable woman who honors her fire, be it destructive or otherwise. She is a force of nature that cannot be contained or tamed. She is multifaceted and complex, following only her own mandate of rules and nobody else’s. A concept, an enigma, an ever elusive idea in the minds of all who meet her. But in either case, she is unforgettable.
For men, she is the embodiment of their wildest dream – keyword being wild. She is neither an innocent flower that activates their protective instincts, nor a nurturing mother-figure that they can find refuge and comfort in. She offers men respite in neither of these cases. Instead, walking alongside her fire-lit path is a passionate, yet mad and possibly perilous adventure where anything can happen – within her, men find a mirror, a gateway into awakening and enabling their own wilderness. The Femme Fatale promises everything and nothing at the same time; her eyes dark and alluring, her mind full of its own treasures and wildfires, unbothered and uncaring to fill it with anything else. Ultimately, she entices men because she is a challenge: a dare for men to prove her wrong, that she can be tamed, she can be conquered, she can be ruled.
In short, we are fascinated by her because men desire her, and women desire her power, her sense of liberation.
What drives her?
Her only loyalty is to her own self.
Her inner fire, the lustrous darkness of her own mind no matter if corrupt or wounded, her own agenda. She is driven not by kindness (like the Maiden), or nurturing connections with other people (the Mother), or even relaying wisdom gained through her own experiences (the Crone).
There is not ONE single principle or easily defined idea that drives her. Sometimes it is freedom, sometimes it is revenge. At times, it may be the simplest yet most primeval of desires: to reclaim her humanity. As such, she once again proves that she is not a formulaic character, she is multifaceted like the Moon itself, or like a diamond – enchanting viewers with the radiance of her beauty and charm, while equally letting her darkness shine.
The Femme Fatale in Astrology: Black Moon Lilith
The astrological correspondence of this archetype can be linked with your Lilith (or Black Moon) aspect within your astrological chart. Depending on what sign your Black Moon falls under, you can determine how to get in touch with your own inner Enchantress or wilderness.
Black Moon stands for our hidden power, our primal instincts, secret fantasies, any shame or sense of rejection, things we desire to conceal, and it is also associated with sensuality/sexuality in the unconscious sense (our unconscious desires).
Much like the Femme Fatale archetype, the Black Moon aspect in astrology is strongly linked with independence, desire for equality, liberation, rejecting submissiveness or authority. As you may know, in the Hebrew mystic tradition, Lilith has her own agenda, does as she wishes and refuses to obey laws set by others which do not honor her. Her symbols are the fire element and the serpent, which perfectly mold with the Femme Fatale.
The Black Moon – and arguably the Femme Fatale archetype – represents a particular aspect of the divine feminine. She captures the mysteries, that of life, death and rebirth. Driven by equally mysterious forces, she is a reminder that if we reject or cage our greatest, deepest passions for living, these desires can become twisted or destructive. And isn’t that what the Femme Fatale character is always off to on the noir screen?
Indeed, the Black Moon aspect symbolizes the primal, unconscious creative force. Make no mistake, it would be incorrect and simplifying to say that the Black Moon is just an aspect that symbolizes your darkness, or the darkness of your unconscious. Like the archetype itself, Black Moon is about the unconscious yes… But furthermore, it is about this: through the medium of selfish, capricious fantasies, liberating that darkness, bringing them to light by becoming conscious of our dark desires and working through them.
This way, instead of letting those unconscious desire fester in the dark, wrapped in shame (as so many women bury their sensuality, sexuality or self-confidence in) and rejection, and ultimately become more twisted and detrimental to one’s health. That darkness doesn’t disappear if you reject it or deny it as being part of you. All that will happen is it will become even more embedded in your unconscious, tied to those negative emotions of guilt, shame and denial; simply because you are robbing them of any light – the light of awareness. By becoming aware of them and integrating them, is the only way you make way for healing, or for healthy, nurturing integration of that aspect of you.
But, when it comes down to it, how do you actually connect with and embody your Black Moon aspect, your inner Femme Fatale energy? Just look up any astrological chart calculator online, enter your details, and look at the sign your Lilith/Black Moon falls under.
For instance, I have Lilith in Capricorn. By connecting what drives Capricorn (success, fulfillment, career, self development, high ambition) and general characteristics (physically appearing emotionally cold, calculated, traditional, down to earth) with the Black Moon position, I can understand what energy will be most helpful to focus on, in order to embody my inner wildness. In short, my Lilith is most happy and at home when she is achieving goals, relishing in success, and on top of things.
To further exemplify, Black Moon in Aquarius is tied to the idea of society and belonging, the desire to be a part of the crowd yet also unique and individual to it. For Sagittarius, it is tied to religion and spirituality, and the need for freedom / rejection of being caged or limited in any way.
Conclusion…
I have always been fascinated by this archetype, even before I could explain what it was, even before I researched its history and significance and the ways this archetype appears in the media. What captured me about Femme Fatales?
It was their loyalty to their own selves. Their untamable independence. They were a force of nature, and by heavens did they look breathtaking while doing it!
Now, the visual of jet-black hair artfully curled in the traditional wet-set style of the Pageboy or other 40s, 50s hairstyles, along with red lips and porcelain-white skin, is instantly iconic of the film noir Femme Fatale, the villainess that looks like any man’s wildest dream.
Indeed, the femme fatale archetype never hesitates to show off her dark feminine allure through fashion. She can use accessories like custom earrings to elevate her elegance.
But even for those versatile femme fatales that like to match a floral retro outfit or something more extravagant, can pull off custom jewelry with their magnetism that comes from within. Custom earrings can meet the matching needs of any style, such as flamboyant, dark, simple, retro, etc. Different styles can be customized with different shapes of earrings, including large hoops, earring chains, and more. Choosing the right size earrings can modify your face shape and make your look more stunning. You can choose from many different styles of Custom Earrings to personalize your femme fatale aesthetic.
Fashion and aesthetics aside, if we look closely, the Femme Fatale is essentially reminiscent of the divine feminine’s darker side. The dark side of the moon if you will.
In the end, this archetype is equally part of the divine feminine as any other of the 4 archetypes. The Femme Fatale boldly and fearlessly (with all its darkness or corrupted character) shows us that femininity is not a list of checkboxes which can be ticked off, or a rigid definition which demands simplification (or rather the taming) of one’s character. Instead, it shows that femininity, as well as the divine feminine, is complex. It is both light and darkness, it is both the healing, nurturing quality of deep oceans, as well as the turbulent, destructive force of a tornado.
It is by embracing each of our many facets, and finding the balance between them, that we can achieve a sense of wholeness in regards with our feminine energy. In our day to date lives, we embody the playfulness of the Maiden just as much as the caring empathy of the Mother. Now that we have reviewed the psychology of the Femme Fatale archetype, we can choose to embody our own wilderness in a healthy, constructive way, we can choose which aspects of this archetype to integrate into our own femininity in a way that works for our benefit for our wellbeing – and that is the beauty of the Femme Fatale.
For more content on the dark feminine, check out my Tumblr tag.
Embrace your inner enchantress, ladies!