As we get to know the Wild Woman, we must explore the archetype of the Feral Woman who is hungry to consume anything that will nourish her soul. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés uses the tale of The Red Shoes to illustrate a psychological truth “that a woman’s meaningful life can be pried, threatened, robbed, or seduced away from her unless she holds on to or retrieves her basic joy and wild worth” (219). But CPE warns that when the Feral Woman is starved she will be vulnerable to traps, cages, and poisoned bait that can look like: “feel betters”, “leave me alones”, and “love me-please” (219).
The Traps
- The Guilded Carriage: when she gives up what may be interesting to self to do things that look right to the outside world. Or when things are tough, she gives in to what seems easy, but that can come at the expense of giving up what she loves, like the handmade red shoes.
- The Dry Old Woman: the wise part of herself becomes blind and can’t see what it truly desires. The Old Woman is the rigid keeper of the collective tradition and the unquestioned status quo who wants the Wild Woman to behave and not make waves. Be nice and say yes even when she doesn’t to or she is forced to not say anything at all.
- Burning the Treasure: when she gives up she loves and then creates a deep hunger in her soul. When she burns up her true self and all she is left with to feed herself is ashes.
- Injury to Basic Instincts: she can no longer know when to flee a harmful or dangerous situation. Although she is born with natural instinct she can be captured and become stuck and find herself in famine. She then attempt to “fit in” furthering the injury to her instinctual self.
- Trying to Sneak a Secret Life: she tries to do what she loves but only in rushed and secret snippets of time. She will sneak forbidden friendships, sexual feelings, religious affiliations. She will sneak treasure and hide it but “sneaking a counterfeit soul-life never works” (237).
- Cringing Before the Collective: she feels swayed by the community at large to not pursue her creative life. Sometimes the collective will pressure her to be more or less than she is capable of and if she does not meet those expectations there is a good chance she will be shunned. Sadly, other women will turn on each other and sacrifice their sisters if it saves them from their own famine.
- Faking it, Trying to Be Good, Normalizing the Abnormal: she tends to become OK with what she is NOT OK with in order to fit in and protect herself. This can lead to Wild Woman Silence and the instincts are so injured that she will normalize assaults on her physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
- Dancing Out of Control: She is tired, dried and parched from not being who you are and turning to addictions and obsessions that look like the things she loves but results in negative consequences.
“A feral woman is not strong enough to carry a longed for archetype for everyone else without breaking”
Clarissa Pinkola Estés
In the popular movie of the summer, Barbie, the character of Gloria gives a monologue that breaks the brainwashing of patriarchal influence. Click to Listen.
For a deeper dive into the tale and deeper wisdom from CPE, an audio course is available on Sounds True. Read the module description below:
The Red Shoes is a dramatic excursion into the realm of the soul with analyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Using an ancient tale deeply rooted in our collective psyches—“The Red Shoes”—Dr. Estés illuminates how people fall prey to destructive impulses while seeking to balance their inner lives. In our culture, she begins, we may travel life’s path in one of two ways: 1) in handmade shoes, crafted with love and care according to the unique needs of the individual soul; or 2) in Red Shoes, which promise instant fulfillment, but ultimately lead to a painful, hollow “split” existence. Drawing from real-world examples—such as the tragic end of Janis Joplin—Dr. Estés analyzes the deeply seated needs that lead to addiction. By listening to your instinctive forces, she says, you can free yourself of the exterior traps that torment and destroy the soul. This is the way to construct a life that is uniquely your own—“a life made by hand.” The Red Shoes is a treasury of ideas and counsel, threaded with magical storytelling about the complete life each one of us deserves to lead.
For more content by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés on SoundsTrue, CLICK HERE
“The Red Shoes” by Anne Saxton CLICK HERE for complete poem.
I stand in the ring in the dead city and tie on the red shoes . . . They are not mine. They are my mother's. Her mother's before. Handed down like an heirloom but hidden like shameful letters. The house and the street where they belong are hidden and all the women, too, are hidden . . . (excerpt taken by CPE, Chapter 8, 242)
The Power of Story 