The Gossips

Ilaria Viu

Mixed Media - Pencil, watercolour and digital

In the late Middle Ages, the word "gossip" referred to women friends who would talk or chat, especially when attending childbirths or other communal activities. However, during the 16th and 17th-century witch hunts, dominant classes used the fear of witchcraft to control behavior and suppress perceived subversive activities. This enforcement influenced community attitudes, making women’s friendships and gatherings seem dangerous and leading to the modern negative connotation of gossip as unsubstantiated or scandalous talk.