Spoiler alert: there are.
In fact, in my upcoming book The Power of Magical Women (coming this fall), I prove it. Fabulous female magicians exist in every genre of magic. They’re not rare unicorns—though my Irish colleague Nikola Arkane loves joking about that—they are real, talented, successful artists.
The only reason you don’t know their names is that for centuries, men wrote the history books. They wrote about their friends and the men they admired and they overlooked or forgot to mention the women who existed and where successful.
The Great “Male Magician” Myth
For as long as I can remember, the word magician automatically came with a masculine shadow. Wrong. It wasn’t reality; it was narrative.
I learned that firsthand in the ’90s when I created my own “Victor/Victoria” act (yes, I’m dating myself). Like the film’s character, I dressed as a man to play the role society expected. After two years of perfecting it, I walked on stage in tails, produced doves, and no one guessed the magician was a woman.
When I revealed myself, the audience gasped—the purest kind of magic gasp. It fooled everyone before Penn & Teller ever made a show about that FOOLER word. Would you be surprised to learn that an Australian woman holds the record for the most (six) Penn & Teller: Fool Us trophies? Yes, you guessed it, that’s in the book as well.
Forgotten but Not Gone
History proves it: there were hundreds of women in magic who thrived, despite societal barriers. The real problem? They were never collected into one place, never grouped, never made easy to find.
Unless you’ve got the patience to fall down an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole and live among mad hatters for years, the best-kept secrets in magic remain buried.
But oh, the stories you’ll find when you dig.
What Kind of Person Chooses Deception as a Career?
Magicians—male or female—make a curious career choice. Who really decides to saw someone in half or make coins vanish in broad daylight? Is it about superiority? Surprise? Or is it, as I believe, about that spark of wonder—the desire to elicit the magic gasp?
Every woman in magic has her own motivation. Some want to distract a sick child from illness. Some are born into circus or magic legacy families. Some started as the assistant inside the box. Some discover a mentor or community who convinces them they can do the impossible. Each story is fascinating.
Women Already Have Magic Built In
For centuries, women have been masters of practical illusion. Clothing, fashion, and accessories are full of secret pockets, layers, and misdirection. Handbags, shawls, parasols, jewelry, heels, Wonderbras, shoulder pads—we’ve been designing optical illusions forever. Trust me, if you’ve ever stretched a dollar, repurposed a spoon, or fixed something with a kitchen magnet, you already know the mindset.
So why wouldn’t women excel at magic?
The Case of Houdini vs. Minerva
Even during Houdini’s reign, women were escaping tradition. Did you know there were over seventy female escapologists during his time? One, Minerva, was brilliant at publicity jail-cell escapes, crazy locked and chained jumping from a bridge into a river escapes and she even mastered the straitjacket escape—reviews raved she did it “lady-like,” emerging with every hair in place.
Houdini, threatened, cast and trained a German female escape artist to downplay her skill and successes. History remembers him, not her. But Minerva was a formidable opponent and a star.
Fast Forward to Today
For over thirty years, I performed around the world. At first, I was hired because I was a novelty—a woman in magic. I stayed because I was good. Being different became my advantage. My methods, my movement, my style—all of it fooled even seasoned magicians.
In my new book, I’ve profiled over 70 women magicians (and that’s just the ones featured in my monthly Magical Women articles in VANISH International Magic Magazine). Today, women are thriving in every branch of the art.
Take quick-change magic. Right now, two extraordinary women—Léa Kyle and Solange Kardinaly—are reinventing it. Léa became the first woman ever to win first prize in General Magic at FISM (the Olympics of magic). Solange wowed 15 million people in just days with her performance on America’s Got Talent. Both are world-class artists. Both are in my book. Both prove the future is bright.
Why This Blog, Why Now
This is my very first blog post. And like writing my book, it hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to learn new skills at an age when most people would say, “Why bother?” But I don’t give up. I try, fail, try again, and move forward—baby steps that build momentum.
So to anyone else facing their own uphill battles, I dedicate this blog to you.
Because whether it’s with a wand, a sword, or just a spoon, the truth is this: women have always had magic. It’s just finally time we shine a spotlight on it.
Ciao for now—remember to wield your wand (whatever form it takes) with conviction, and never drop your sword.