Sister Spinster 20151211 MG 8841 Edit

Why This Herbalist Is Reclaiming ‘Spinster’

by BUST Magazine

In the ’90s, Kathleen Hanna and the riot grrrl community reclaimed the word “slut” and started a movement. And herbalist Liz Migliorelli, who named her apothecary Sister Spinster, is doing the same for that maligned term for single dames. “It’s about honoring spinsterhood, which gets this bad rap because of stereotypes casting unmarried women as grouchy and mean,” she says, “but it’s a much older word.” In fact, Migliorelli says, the term once referred to the women who practiced holistic methods of healing long before the rise of Western medicine—a tradition she continues today.

Sister Spinster 20151211 MG 8759 Edit

Migliorelli lives in a one-room cabin off the Pacific Coast in Northern California, where the tools of her trade—flowers and plants—are abundant. She distills her ingredients into elixirs that address everything from anxiety about life transitions to helping users feel more connected to the earth. She also gives classes and workshops, passing on the knowledge of plants that women have been using for centuries. “I believe so much in empowerment through taking care of one’s self,” she says. “That for me, is the most important thing.”

 


By Lisa Butterworth
Photo by Angela Decenzo

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2016 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today



More from BUST

‘A Sky The Color Of Chaos’ Tells The Story Of A Haitian Childhood: BUST Interview

These DIY Lip Scrubs And Balms Give Your Lips Some TLC

DIY Herbal Lozenges Will Keep Your Winter Cough-Free

You may also like

Get the print magazine.

The best of BUST in your inbox!

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

About Us

Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

©2023 Street Media LLC.  All Right Reserved.