The Witches Are Coming

The Witches Are Coming Plot Summary

Introduction

In the world of modern feminism and cultural critique, few voices have risen with the raw authenticity and unapologetic courage of Lindy West. Born in the early 1980s and coming of age during a pivotal era of internet culture, West transformed from a self-described shy, uncertain young woman into one of the most influential feminist voices of her generation. Her journey embodies the evolution of contemporary feminism itself—moving from whispered concerns to thunderous advocacy, particularly around issues of body autonomy, gender equality, and cultural representation. What makes West's story so compelling is not just her incisive commentary on social issues, but the deeply personal nature of her activism. At a time when internet harassment of women was dismissed as "just how things are," West confronted her trolls with humanity and wit. When abortion rights came under renewed attack, she helped launch a movement encouraging women to speak openly about their experiences. Through her essays, activism, and eventually television, West has pioneered a path for women to claim their space without apology or minimization. Her story offers profound insights into finding one's voice in a hostile environment, standing firm against cultural backlash, and creating art that challenges societal norms while remaining genuinely funny and accessible.

Chapter 1: Early Life and Finding Her Voice

Lindy West was born in 1982 in Seattle, Washington, growing up in an era when the internet was just beginning to transform culture and communication. As a child and teenager, West absorbed the pop culture of the late 80s and 90s—a time when female representation in media was largely limited to supporting roles or stereotypes. These early experiences with media would later become fodder for her sharp cultural criticism, as she developed an acute awareness of how women were depicted and what messages those depictions sent to young girls like herself. Despite her later reputation as an outspoken voice, West describes her younger self as someone who often tried to make herself smaller, both physically and metaphorically. As a self-described fat girl in a thin-obsessed culture, she internalized the message that her body was somehow wrong, that she should apologize for the space she occupied. This struggle with body image and society's narrow beauty standards would eventually become a cornerstone of her writing and activism. After attending Occidental College in Los Angeles, West began her writing career at Seattle's alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger in the mid-2000s. Initially focusing on film criticism and humor writing, she quickly established herself as a voice that could be simultaneously hilarious and incisive. Her early columns revealed a writer unafraid to challenge sacred cows and question assumptions, particularly around gender and representation in comedy and film. It was during this time that West began to truly find her voice as a cultural critic and feminist. Rather than accepting the status quo or trying to fit into male-dominated spaces by being "one of the guys," West increasingly used her platform to point out problematic aspects of comedy, media, and internet culture. Her breakthrough as a national voice came with pieces that fearlessly addressed issues like rape jokes in comedy and fat-shaming in media—topics that were often dismissed as overly sensitive concerns but which West approached with both intellectual rigor and personal honesty. By her late twenties, West had evolved from someone who tried to keep her opinions quiet to avoid confrontation into a writer who refused to soften her stance or minimize her presence. This transformation wasn't simply about becoming louder—it was about recognizing that her perspective was valuable precisely because it challenged mainstream narratives. The shy girl who once tried to avoid drawing attention had become a woman who understood that claiming space, both physically and intellectually, was itself a political act.

Chapter 2: Confronting Fat Shaming in a Hostile Culture

In a media landscape that has relentlessly promoted thinness as the ultimate female virtue, Lindy West's outspoken rejection of body shame represented a radical act of defiance. Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, West was immersed in a culture where fat characters were routinely portrayed as jokes, villains, or tragic figures desperate to transform their bodies. From "Fat Monica" flashbacks on Friends to endless weight-loss commercials and magazine covers promoting crash diets, the message was clear: a woman's worth was inextricably tied to her size. Rather than accepting this narrative, West began challenging it head-on through her writing. In groundbreaking essays, she addressed the casual cruelty of fat jokes, the medical discrimination faced by larger people, and the exhausting psychological toll of navigating a world designed to make fat people feel unwelcome. What distinguished West's approach was her refusal to frame fatness as a temporary condition to be overcome or a flaw to be accepted despite itself. Instead, she presented fatness as simply one way that bodies exist—neither moral failure nor brave stance, just a physical reality that had been needlessly loaded with social meaning. Perhaps her most powerful contribution to this conversation came in 2011, when West published "Hello, I Am Fat" in The Stranger, directly responding to her editor Dan Savage's persistent promotion of weight loss and fat-shaming rhetoric. This public confrontation with a progressive icon—someone who championed gay rights while simultaneously perpetuating stigma against fat people—highlighted West's willingness to challenge allies as well as obvious opponents. The piece sparked intense debate and marked West as someone unwilling to compromise her principles for professional comfort. West's approach to fat acceptance moved beyond personal essays into cultural criticism, as she consistently called out harmful media representations and social policies. When airlines implemented policies requiring larger passengers to purchase extra seats, West exposed the humiliation built into such systems. When magazines celebrated "body positivity" while still only featuring slightly curvy models, she pointed out the hypocrisy. Throughout these critiques, West maintained her signature combination of sharp humor and unflinching honesty. The impact of West's work on fat acceptance extended far beyond her writing. By appearing on television, participating in photoshoots, and eventually becoming the inspiration for a television character, West provided visual representation that challenged limiting stereotypes. She demonstrated that fat women could be confident, stylish, sexual, and successful—not in spite of their bodies but while fully inhabiting them without apology. For many readers who had never seen themselves positively reflected in media, West's public presence became as important as her words. Most radically, West rejected the notion that her body was a battleground for others' opinions or a work in progress toward some "better" form. In doing so, she helped shift the conversation from whether fat bodies are acceptable to why our culture is so invested in judging bodies at all. This framing connected fat acceptance to broader feminist concerns about bodily autonomy and laid groundwork for intersectional understanding of how body size intersects with gender, race, class, and disability in systems of oppression.

Chapter 3: Social Media Activism and Trolls

As social media platforms grew in the early 2010s, they created unprecedented opportunities for writers like West to connect directly with readers—but they also spawned new forms of harassment, particularly targeting outspoken women. West's experiences on Twitter became a case study in both the potential and peril of digital spaces for feminist activism. From 2010 onward, as her profile rose through viral essays and regular columns at Jezebel, West faced an onslaught of misogynistic harassment that ranged from appearance-based insults to graphic rape and death threats. Rather than quietly enduring this abuse as many women were advised to do ("Don't feed the trolls" was common wisdom), West took the revolutionary approach of examining it directly. In her watershed 2015 article for The Guardian, she described how one particularly persistent harasser had created a Twitter account impersonating her dead father, claiming to be disappointed in her. Instead of blocking and ignoring him as conventional wisdom dictated, West confronted the troll directly in her column, exploring the human damage caused by his actions. Remarkably, the man contacted her, apologized, and explained his behavior in an interview that later aired on This American Life. This exchange revealed the power of refusing to accept harassment as inevitable online background noise. West's approach to online harassment went beyond personal confrontation to structural critique. She consistently argued that platforms like Twitter were designed to amplify controversy while failing to protect vulnerable users, and that the company's reluctance to implement effective anti-harassment tools reflected a deeper societal indifference to women's safety. Her advocacy helped expose how "free speech" arguments were selectively deployed to protect harassers while dismissing concerns about making digital spaces accessible to marginalized voices. The constant barrage of harassment took a toll, however. By January 2017, shortly after Donald Trump's election, West made the difficult decision to leave Twitter, the platform that had helped build her career. In her farewell essay, she articulated how Twitter had become a space where white supremacists operated freely while victims of harassment were told to develop thicker skin. Her departure highlighted the impossible choice many women faced: endure abuse or abandon platforms essential to their professional visibility. Despite leaving Twitter, West continued her social media activism through other channels. In 2015, along with friend Amelia Bonow, she helped launch the viral hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion, encouraging women to speak openly about their abortion experiences to combat stigma and humanize the procedure. The movement grew from a hashtag into an organization that continues to fight for reproductive rights through storytelling, community building, and direct action. This evolution demonstrated how digital activism could translate into sustained, real-world impact when guided by clear principles. Throughout these experiences, West maintained that online harassment wasn't just a personal issue but a political one—a systematic attempt to silence women and maintain patriarchal control of public discourse. By documenting and analyzing her experiences, she helped countless readers understand that digital misogyny wasn't random rudeness but part of a larger pattern of suppressing women's voices. Her analysis connected individual trolling incidents to broader issues of power, privilege, and gender-based violence, laying groundwork for the cultural reckoning that would later emerge in the #MeToo movement.

Chapter 4: Reproductive Rights and #ShoutYourAbortion

In September 2015, as congressional Republicans threatened to defund Planned Parenthood based on deceptively edited videos claiming the organization sold "baby parts," West's friend Amelia Bonow posted a Facebook status sharing her positive abortion experience. West screenshotted the post, shared it on Twitter with the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion, and inadvertently launched a global movement that would transform abortion discourse in America and beyond. Within days, thousands of women were sharing their own abortion stories, many for the first time, breaking the silence that had long surrounded this common medical procedure. What made #ShoutYourAbortion revolutionary wasn't just its scale but its framing. Previous reproductive rights messaging had often centered on tragic circumstances (rape, fetal abnormalities, health risks) or apologetic narratives emphasizing how difficult the decision had been. SYA, by contrast, created space for women to express the full spectrum of abortion experiences—including relief, gratitude, and the simple assertion that having an abortion had been the right choice. West and Bonow recognized that allowing anti-abortion activists to control the narrative around abortion had enabled stigma to flourish even among pro-choice supporters. The backlash was swift and severe. West, Bonow, and many women who participated in the hashtag received death threats, doxxing attempts, and vicious harassment. Conservative media outlets portrayed them as callous and selfish, while even some pro-choice allies questioned whether this unapologetic approach might alienate moderates. Yet West remained resolute, arguing that moderation and accommodation had failed to secure reproductive rights and that radical honesty was the only path forward. This stance reflected her broader commitment to speaking uncomfortable truths rather than negotiating with oppressive systems. Beyond the initial viral moment, West worked with Bonow to transform #ShoutYourAbortion from a hashtag into a sustainable movement. They organized storytelling events, created abortion-positive art and merchandise, and eventually published a book featuring diverse abortion narratives alongside photography and artwork. The organization developed resources for people sharing their stories publicly for the first time and built coalitions with existing reproductive justice organizations, particularly those led by women of color who had been doing similar work for decades. West's approach to abortion advocacy was particularly significant in how it centered bodily autonomy rather than framing abortion as a necessary evil or focusing solely on legal arguments. By insisting that abortion was not just a right but often a positive life choice, she challenged the underlying premise that women's bodies should be governed by external forces rather than their own desires and needs. This framing connected abortion rights to broader feminist struggles over who controls women's bodies, sexuality, and futures. Through her work with #ShoutYourAbortion, West demonstrated the power of cultural activism alongside policy-focused approaches. While legal battles over abortion access continued in courts and legislatures, SYA worked to transform how everyday Americans thought and talked about abortion—recognizing that sustainable reproductive freedom requires not just legal protection but cultural acceptance. As states passed increasingly restrictive abortion laws in subsequent years, the groundwork laid by SYA would prove essential in mobilizing grassroots resistance.

Chapter 5: Creating 'Shrill' and Media Representation

In 2016, West published her memoir "Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman," chronicling her journey from self-conscious young woman to outspoken feminist voice. The book resonated deeply with readers, becoming a New York Times bestseller and cementing West's status as a leading feminist writer. What few could have predicted, however, was how this literary success would translate into a groundbreaking television opportunity that would further transform media representation of fat women. In 2017, actress and producer Elizabeth Banks optioned "Shrill" for television development, with Saturday Night Live star Aidy Bryant signing on to play the West-inspired protagonist. By 2019, "Shrill" had premiered on Hulu as a half-hour comedy series that West helped write and produce. The show represented a radical departure from typical television portrayals of fat women, who were traditionally relegated to sassy sidekick roles or depicted as desperate to lose weight. Annie, the main character, instead navigated career ambitions, relationships, and self-acceptance without her body size being treated as a problem to solve. Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of "Shrill" was its first episode, which featured Annie having an abortion without trauma, regret, or special circumstances justifying her choice. The scene showed the procedure in matter-of-fact terms, with Annie feeling relief afterward—mirroring West's own experience and her advocacy through #ShoutYourAbortion. While other shows had depicted abortion before, "Shrill" was groundbreaking in presenting it as a normal medical procedure rather than a dramatic crisis point, and in placing it in a season premiere rather than burying it mid-season. Beyond its content, "Shrill" broke new ground in its production process. The show employed fat writers who could speak authentically to the experiences portrayed and hired costume designers who could create stylish, contemporary wardrobes for plus-size actors—a rarity in an industry where larger performers often had to wear whatever limited options were available. These behind-the-scenes choices reflected West's understanding that true representation requires more than just putting diverse bodies on screen; it demands creating working environments where marginalized people have creative control. While West celebrated "Shrill" as a victory for representation, she remained clear-eyed about its limitations. In interviews, she emphasized that one show couldn't solve systemic problems in media representation and pointed out the additional barriers faced by women of color, disabled women, and trans women. She used her platform to advocate for broader industry changes, arguing that diverse writers' rooms, production teams, and executive suites were essential for creating authentic, nuanced portrayals across identities. Through creating "Shrill," West demonstrated how creative work could advance political goals without sacrificing entertainment value or artistic quality. The show never felt like a lecture or manifesto, yet it normalized ideas—about body autonomy, fat acceptance, and women's ambition—that remained controversial in mainstream American culture. This approach reflected West's longstanding belief that culture change and policy change must work in tandem, and that stories have the power to transform how people understand themselves and others.

Chapter 6: Fighting for Truth in the Trump Era

When Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election despite his history of misogynistic comments, West recognized immediately what many political commentators would only gradually acknowledge: that this wasn't simply a partisan shift but a fundamental assault on truth itself. In January 2017, shortly after Trump's inauguration, West made the difficult decision to leave Twitter—the platform that had helped build her career—citing the president's reckless nuclear threats and Twitter's refusal to enforce its own rules against harassment and incitement. This departure exemplified her commitment to living her values even at professional cost. Rather than retreating from public discourse, however, West channeled her energy into long-form writing that could address the deeper cultural currents underlying Trumpism. In essays for The New York Times and The Guardian, she analyzed how Trump's rise was enabled by cultural attitudes she had been critiquing for years: the normalization of misogyny as "just jokes," the dismissal of women's concerns as "political correctness," and the refusal to hold powerful men accountable for their actions. She identified connections between online harassment campaigns and political intimidation tactics, drawing on her own experiences to explain how trolling had evolved from fringe internet behavior into a mainstream political strategy. West's analysis of the Trump era was particularly valuable in exposing the calculated nature of what many dismissed as simple buffoonery. She argued that Trump's constant lies, contradictions, and provocations weren't just character flaws but deliberate techniques to exhaust opposition, confuse the public, and undermine the very concept of shared reality. Having spent years studying how internet trolls operated, West recognized these same patterns deployed at the highest levels of government—and warned about their consequences for democracy and civil society. As fake news proliferated and conspiracy theories entered mainstream discourse, West became an increasingly vocal defender of journalism and fact-based reality. She challenged the false equivalence that treated demonstrable falsehoods as merely "another perspective" deserving equal consideration. At the same time, she pushed media organizations to recognize their own complicity in normalizing extremism, whether through bothsidesism that presented climate change as a debatable opinion or through profile pieces that humanized white nationalists while downplaying the danger they posed. Throughout the Trump presidency, West maintained that the cultural battle was as important as the political one. She argued that defeating Trumpism required not just electoral victories but a fundamental shift in how Americans understood concepts like free speech, representation, and accountability. This meant challenging the notion that consequence-free expression was the highest value, promoting media that centered marginalized perspectives, and insisting that powerful figures face meaningful consequences for harmful actions rather than empty apologies. Despite the gravity of these topics, West never abandoned her signature humor and accessibility. She recognized that doom-scrolling and despair could lead to paralysis, and that finding joy and connection remained essential even in dark political times. Her writing in this period balanced clear-eyed analysis of genuine threats with reminders of what was worth fighting for: a more just, honest, and compassionate society where truth was valued and vulnerable people were protected.

Chapter 7: Environmental Activism and Future Generations

In recent years, West's activism has increasingly focused on environmental issues, particularly climate change, which she approaches with the same moral clarity and personal connection that characterize her other work. While she had long incorporated environmental concerns into her feminist analysis, the acceleration of climate impacts and the birth of her stepdaughters heightened her sense of urgency around environmental justice. As with reproductive rights and media representation, West approaches climate activism not as a separate issue but as fundamentally connected to questions of bodily autonomy, power, and whose futures society values. West's environmental writing breaks from traditional climate communication in its willingness to express grief, rage, and fear without softening these emotions for audience comfort. In essays about watching wildfire smoke choke her beloved Pacific Northwest or discovering that Seattle's iconic mountains no longer retained their snow cover year-round, she articulates the emotional reality of witnessing planetary destruction in real time. Rather than treating these feelings as obstacles to action, she presents them as natural, appropriate responses that can fuel commitment to change. Particularly significant is West's analysis of how climate denial connects to other forms of science rejection she has confronted throughout her career. The same tactics used to dismiss women's accounts of harassment or to undermine evidence-based approaches to body size and health are deployed to discredit climate science. In both cases, powerful interests promote "skepticism" not out of genuine scientific inquiry but to protect profits and avoid accountability. By drawing these parallels, West helps readers understand climate denial as part of broader patterns of privileging comfort over truth. West directly challenges the notion that individual consumer choices can adequately address climate change, arguing instead for collective action and systemic transformation. She points out how fossil fuel companies have deliberately shifted responsibility to individuals while blocking meaningful regulation, and how focusing exclusively on personal carbon footprints can distract from more impactful political engagement. This analysis connects environmental activism to her longstanding critique of how neoliberalism individualizes structural problems, whether through diet culture that blames individuals for systemic food issues or through harassment policies that place the burden on targets rather than perpetrators. Perhaps most powerfully, West frames climate action as a fundamental test of whether society values all people equally. She highlights how climate impacts disproportionately harm already marginalized communities, from Indigenous people losing ancestral lands to low-income neighborhoods facing higher pollution levels. By centering these justice issues, she challenges the notion that environmentalism is a luxury concern for the privileged rather than a matter of survival for the vulnerable. Throughout her environmental activism, West maintains her characteristic balance of unflinching honesty about threats and genuine hope for collective action. She rejects both apocalyptic fatalism and techno-optimistic denialism, instead advocating for clear-eyed assessment of dangers alongside recognition of human capacity for rapid, transformative change. This approach reflects her broader commitment to truth-telling as a precondition for progress—whether about bodies, abortion, harassment, or planetary health. By facing uncomfortable realities directly, West argues, we create the possibility for meaningful action rather than comforting delusions.

Summary

Lindy West's journey from self-described shy young woman to cultural force represents more than just a personal transformation—it embodies a pivotal shift in how women claim space and voice in contemporary society. Through her work on body acceptance, reproductive rights, online harassment, and environmental justice, West has consistently modeled what it means to speak uncomfortable truths without apology. Her greatest contribution may be demonstrating that effective activism doesn't require choosing between humor and seriousness, personal stories and structural analysis, or confrontation and compassion. West's legacy offers vital lessons for anyone seeking to create meaningful change in a hostile environment. First, that silence rarely protects us and that speaking out—while carrying real risks—can break isolation and build movements. Second, that cultural activism matters alongside policy work, as sustainable progress requires transforming hearts and minds alongside laws and institutions. Finally, that joy, love, and authentic human connection aren't distractions from serious activism but essential sources of resilience against systems designed to exhaust opposition. As climate crisis, political polarization, and technological disruption continue to reshape our world, West's example of fearless truth-telling combined with deep humanity provides a template for confronting whatever challenges lie ahead.

About Author

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Lindy West

Lindy West is a columnist at The Guardian, a contributor to This American Life, and a freelance writer whose work focuses on feminism, social justice, humor, and body image. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vulture, Jezebel, The Stranger, and others. She is the founder of I Believe You, It's Not Your Fault, an advice blog for teens, as well as the reproductive rights destigmatization campaign #ShoutYourAbortion.

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