By Sadie York
Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary. The infamous chant leaves the lips of many young children, words laced with fear and excitement. The pitch-black bathroom illuminates eager eyes on an unwavering mirror. No response, the dare is over.
The tale of Bloody Mary, one of the most famous in history, is the legend of a spirit who can foresee the future. She’s said to appear in the reflection of a mirror when her name has been chanted 3 times, and once summoned, will haunt you forever. However, there’s a much deeper backstory from which the urban legend originated. Also known as Queen Mary Tudor of England, Mary was the child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. When her parents separated, Mary had to fight to claim her title of Queen. Once she became the main power of England, Mary intended to reinstate Catholicism as the sole religion. Her infamous “claim to bloody fame” was the ordering of 280 Protestants to be burned at the stake as heretics. During this time, Mary’s bloody reign as monarch was huge in a patriarchal society. If a man were to sentence hundreds to burn at the stake, it’d be assumed there was an understandable reason. However, Mary, a woman, was labeled as “aggressive” and “crazy.” “Bloody Mary” became a notorious cultural figure because she was a powerful woman who wielded power in ways that defied traditional gender expectations. Her disregard for societal norms led to her demonization, a legacy that would persist for centuries. Despite her harsh decisions while wearing the crown, Mary Tudor was simply a woman born into a society that favored men. Her rule was characterized by far more hostility than those of any man, and while labeled as a silly game for sleepovers, “Bloody Mary” represents society’s constant tendency to vilify women in power.