By Eleni Kontou
** TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF RAPE **
Medusa’s story is one that has been close to me since I was a child. My brother and I used to watch the 1981 Clash of the Titans movie with my Gran and Grandad, I remember cowering behind my grandparents when Medusa’s glare appeared onscreen. Trying not to make eye contact as though I would turn into stone in my grandparents’ living room. Then Percy Jackson came out at the cinema, and even at eleven years old I confess that I still didn’t look Medusa in the eyes. I avoided her stare on the screen the same way that I avoid Instagram message requests. When I was fifteen, I finally got around to reading the real versions of the myths and now I cannot understand why Medusa is painted as some evil monster when in reality she is a true feminist icon.
Medusa’s true story is not always known, because of movies such as Clash of the Titans making a hero out of Perseus. Actually, he was a bit of a dick with a hero complex, but let’s not dwell on him. We are shown the man’s side of the story despite his questionable actions that border on psychopathic and animalistic. The male gaze is something that has been around since the beginning of time, this is evident in stories such as Medusa’s. Medusa’s tragedy wasn’t amply questioned until the 20th century when feminism became popular and questioned the role of Medusa and the men in her story. The way in which Medusa’s story is often considered as Perseus’s story, speaks for itself. Recognising the unfair treatment and victim blaming of Medusa has led to a significant role reversal. One that has encouraged people to view Medusa as a feminist icon, and to even make her the face of a luxury fashion brand.
Medusa’s story is actually one of sadness. She was a beautiful woman who was sought after by many - her hair was the envy of everyone. She had two sisters who were born immortal monsters; Stheno and Euryale. Then she was cursed by Athena after Poseidon raped her in Athena’s temple, cursed for a man’s wrongdoing. Medusa lived the rest of her life on the island of Sarpedon with her sisters, turning men to stone. That’s until Perseus turned up and decided that he must slay the victim of an awful crime, in order to prove his strength to Polydectes in a testosterone fuelled battle of self-importance.
Something that many people miss out when discussing Medusa’s story, is that she only turned men to stone. It’s unclear whether this was deliberate, or whether it was only men who ever pursued her due to their often-animalistic portrayal in the myths. Men are often seeking to kill in the stories, as though killing earned their worth. They saw Medusa as a prize to prove their strength. A woman who had been cursed for a man’s lack of control was seen as a trophy to the men in the myths. The same men who are often painted as ‘heroes’ despite their vulgar antics. Men who pursued her out to kill her were turned to stone, yet she was seen as the monster. It’s bizarre rereading the myths and realising that the roles are reversed. That the heroes you read about and admired as a child, are actually the monsters - that the ‘monsters’ were often innocent and punished for the crimes of others due to the construction of the hierarchy and the power of the Gods. There are very few of the Gods who were unproblematic, with rape being second nature to many of them.
Toxic masculinity is present in the myths, whether it be the gods or the heroes. They just can’t help but conform to traditional masculine ideals that paint them as animals. Their strength is constantly something that they feel the need to prove, often at the expense of the women in the stories. The men in the myths seek dominance and that is exactly why they searched for Medusa - to kill her and thus be viewed as a dominant figure socially. It is also partially why Medusa is viewed as a monster in the first place, her possible strength over any man is seen as a threat. One that they think needs to be removed before people question that a woman could possibly be stronger than a man. Despite her innocence, men pursued her due to their own toxic masculinity and most ended up dead as a result.
Medusa is a feminist icon who is often depicted as a symbol for women’s rage. Her story is one of victim blaming and is actually at its heart a very modern issue. An issue that has likely lasted since the beginning of time, blaming women for men’s wrongdoings. It is a story that vast amounts of women can relate to. We are often victim blamed when we come out with details of sexual assault and rape. Her story is a tragedy that many of us know all too well.
My own interpretation of Medusa’s story is that her curse symbolises the male gaze. The male gaze is an issue that has affected women for a very long time, it is the portrayal of women through men’s eyes. It is all around us in the tv programmes we binge, the art we view, and the magazines we see. It is a beauty standard that is placed on women based on a man’s viewpoint. Of course, not all men view beauty in the same way, but the male gaze is a popular perception through which many men sexualise women. It is clear in comic book art, all you have to do is look at the way women are so often drawn by men - slim waists, big bums, no stomach, massive boobs (that in no way could be lifted by a body that appears to encase no ribs). The drawing of women in this way is problematic due to the unreal standards that many men hold women to, and the standards that we hold ourselves to by impact of the male gaze. We are told by society through art and advertising what society as a whole should perceive as beautiful, thus causing issues with body confidence and self-love.
I believe that Medusa is a story in which the male gaze is reflected upon themselves. Medusa was once deemed perfect to the male gaze and so Athena turned the male gaze upon itself by turning those who admired it to stone. Athena gave Medusa the power to avoid the male gaze, and therefore avoid the many issues that come with it. Her ability to turn men to stone symbolises the idea that the male gaze turns women into stone by hollowing them out in order to fulfil a man’s perception of beauty and sexual desire. Turning the male gaze upon those who employ it gives them a taste of how debilitating and cold it can be to have everybody looking the same.
Although the interpretation of Medusa’s story has shifted over time, it is clear now that what once depicted fear in humanity, now empowers a whole generation of women. Medusa is an icon of strength, beauty, and femininity.