Bloody Mary

Informant:

H.C.  is a first-year student at USC studying in Annenberg. Haley grew up in Denver Colorado and is familiar with certain Colorado legends. She also has an important and unique point of view, since she is a Millennial, which seems to be the most “out-there” and transformative generation we have seen thus far. Because of this, H.C. is a perfect informant, as she holds a modern and up-to-date perspective. All interviews were held in a study-room on campus.

Folklore:

“There was this super weird rumor when I was in elementary school regarding ‘Bloody Mary.’ Basically, there was this legend that if you go in the girls’ bathroom and turn off the lights and then face the mirror, and say something like ‘Bloody Mary, cross my heart and hope to die,’ a certain amount of times, the Virgin Mary herself would, like, appear in the mirror in Blood or something like that. Obviously, I never saw anything. But me and my friends would fib and say that we always saw it! And everyone in my class would do the same. It was pretty childish.”

Analysis: When I grew up, I experienced something similar. I think it was more inclined to girls, as the rumor I heard also revolved around the girls’ bathroom. Upon further research in addition to class discussion, it seems that this folklore arrived from girls’ transition into womanhood and experiencing menstruation for the first time. Hence, “Bloody Mary” and the rumor taking place in the girls’ restroom. We can see this old phenomenon present in cultural folklore today in addition to popular mediums such as television and movies.