Who is Sabrina Spellman?

Sabrina Spellman is the titular character in the series Sabrina The Teenage Witch. For the context of this post, I’m referring to Melissa Joan Hart’s portrayal of the character on the live-action sitcom.

Sabrina discovers that she is a “half-witch” through her father who is a pure witch who married Sabrina’s mortal mother, but left her after Sabrina was born. The TV series starts on the day Sabrina discovers this, which happens to be her sixteenth birthday. The series takes her through high school and college, and through living on her own and ending with her marriage.

During each episode Sabrina learns something about her magical powers, about the relationships she has with friends and family, how she handles romantic relationships, and how that all fits together in her life.

(Source for the following)

Sabrina is typically a very out-going, amiable, and genuinely caring person. She looks out and stands up for her friends Jenny and Valerie whenever the cheerleaders, particulararly Libby, would insult or be condecending towards them, while simultaneously taking slurs and insults herself.

One of Sabrina’s most prominent personailty traits is her quick wit. She’s a playful smart aleck and seems to always have a clever pun or funny comeback up her sleeve. Some of which get her into more trouble then she’s already in.

She is, for the most part, very level-headed and clever although some of her ideas when it comes to using magic often land her in trouble, which often leads her to panic in some cases.

Sabrina is very socially aware and will often speak out against unfair treatment of injustices against those around her. Her often bubbly personality can occasionally be annoying to some around her, which she realizes when Valerie begins turning into her exact duplicate in the third season and when both Roxie and her cynical boss Annie comment on her consistent cheeriness. She has also been characterized as a complete busybody at frequent times, having a habit of butting into the lives of those around her.

Sabrina’s two catchphrases throughout the entire run of the show are “Woo-hoo!” and “Gotta go!” She gets made fun of a few times because of her constant use of these phrases.

She is a very loyal friend and for the most part, is liked by those around her. She has a very good relationship with both her fellow-students, friends, and many of her teachers such as Mrs. Quick and Mr. Pool. However, because of her magical nature and resulting odd behavior, she is often scrutinized by some, such as Libby and Mr. Kraft. However at the end of the day, Sabrina is a down-to-earth, caring, passionate individual who only wants to do what’s right.

How did I discover Sabrina Spellman?

I discovered Sabrina when I was in middle school and the TV show aired just after the shows I would watch right after school. One day when it came on, I decided to give it a chance and was hooked instantly. The series ended on TV just as I was starting to embark on my own journey to adulthood like Sabrina does throughout the course of the series.

How does Sabrina inspire me?

Sabrina represents the kind of person who I want to be to others. Being bubbly and caring (like Sakura) are two things I feel people tend to see in me first. I’ve emulated Sabrina in multiple aspects throughout the course of my life. In high school, I hid the fact that I am gay just like how Sabrina is constantly having to hide the fact that she’s a witch.

In college and beyond, I used Sabrina’s interactions and relationships with her friends and family as a measuring stick for how I should interact with the people in my life. She cares deeply about others, and does everything in her power to help out wherever she can in her friend’s lives. For the longest time, I had a busybody trait very similar to hers.

In addition to emulating her personality, I frequently use one of her two famous catchphrases regularly. “Woo-hoo!” is typically my positive reaction to things offline.

Sabrina discovers over the course of the series that she was meant to be a journalist. It starts with her working at her high school paper, becoming editor, going into journalism as a major in college, and finally getting a job in the field. Sabrina was the first person/character to spark my interest in the journalism field, which has since evolved a great deal since the show first aired.

After Sabrina started my interest, it grew through my passion and interest in social media, matured through years of loyally reading my RSS feed, and was sharpened by a friend of mine going into the field professionally. I also had some journalism inspiration in watching The David Pakman Show. As I transitioned to Vermont, going into the journalism field has been my primary motivation for going back to school.

Over the course of the series, Sabrina has three long term relationships. Each one brings Sabrina different experiences and helps her grow more as a person until she finally discovers who she is meant to spend the rest of her life and fall in love with. Sabrina is my third role model for relationships, in addition to Sakura and Rose.

Two quotes from the series finale have particularly stuck with me:

“Love doesn’t have any guarantees.”

&

“Never think that ‘almost’ is good enough for you.”

Both of these quotes have shaped how I feel about romance and relationships. As someone who is constantly striving for perfection, I’ve made the mental mistake of expecting guarantees from falling in love.

The other quote is my reasoning for holding myself to a high standard in relationships. I’ve seen what happened to  Sabrina when she was going to settle for “almost” and I never want to do that myself.

Whenever I re-watch the series, I still find myself trying to “be” the Sabrina on the final season in the series. The song, “Running” by No Doubt was used as the final song in the show, and I plan to use it in my own wedding someday.

Thank you Sabrina, for being an inspiration!

Respectfully Submitted,

Lukas Condie