RECLAIMING THE NARRATIVE OF MEDUSA AS A MEANS OF EMPOWERMENT (Trigger Warning; this story contains depictions of sexual violence)

Dark, sexual, erotic.

Serpents have long been symbols of rebirth, fertility, life and immortality. 

It is Medusa - the serpent-haired Gorgon whose gaze petrifies her enemies - who has inspired our February campaign.

We are transforming her tale of trauma and shame to one of self love, empowerment, and boundary-building.

The Medusa campaign is supported by feminist texts, performance, in-store display, self-love products, workshops, stories and serpentine lingerie by Studio Pia and Thistle & Spire.

THE ORIGINAL MEDUSA MYTH as per OVID'S 'METAMORPHOSES'

When the exquisite Medusa catches the eye of powerful Poseidon, he ‘seizes and ravages’ her on the steps of Athena’s temple.

This sends Athena into a jealous rage, who ‘on the ravished virgin took vengeance’, transforming Medusa’s lustrous hair into hideous snakes so that she might terrify her enemies. Forever more, Medusa’s monstrous gaze would turn men to stone.

Tasked with her murder, the god Perseus avoids Medusa’s gaze with the use of Athena's mirror. He then decapitates her and returns the still-writhing head to Athena who attaches it to her shield; bestowing her with her own powers of petrification (should she need them).

Cellini’s famous Perseus with the Head of Medusa

OUR MEDUSA: THE SLUT SHAMED SLAYER

Assaulted and impregnated by Poseidon

Cursed and exiled by Athena

Slaughtered mercilessly by Perseus

We are reclaiming and rewriting the story of Medusa: The Slut-Shamed Slayer.

A far-cry from the monstrosity portrayed in modern mythology and Greek tragedy alike, our Medusa is the formidable anti-hero. A queen whose killer gaze is firmly fixed on the perpetrator, exacting revenge for silenced victims of discrimination, hatred and violence. Our Medusa rejects history and retells herstory as a symbol of self-love and empowerment. By telling her story, Medusa rises to her full greatness, normalising discourse, advocating for consent, and encouraging boundaries. In rediscovering her self-worth, Medusa smashes the structures that support such violence.

Our Medusa cuts off the head of Perseus and claims victory.

“Eye contact is a dangerous, dangerous thing. But lovely, oh so lovely.” - Medusa

Medusa with the head of Perseus. Luciano Garbati. 2008.

MEDUSA AS THE STORY OF RAPE-VICTIM BLAMING

A feminist response to this Greek tragedy is nothing new. 

Medusa's story of victim-blaming provokes and fuels our own murderous, feminist rage. Like others before us, we are questioning the narrative of ‘raped, cursed and killed’, overlaying the familiar tale within our own societal structures and understanding it all too well.

By inverting the story and placing Medusa in the role of the slayer, rather than the slain, we give ourselves permission to languish in the lip-smacking satisfaction of hair-hissing revenge. But we go one step further and find healing and redemption in the telling of our own stories.

"It starts with conversation. We're all welcome at this table. Communication breeds understanding and understanding is the foundation of progress. Lived experience informs structural and social change. When we share, we heal.” Grace Tame - Australian of The Year 2021 (listen to the extraordinary speech here)

By beheading her enemy, Medusa is not the silenced but the silencer, finally laying blame at the foot of the perpetrator, and thereby all perpetrators of violence. By speaking her truth, by fixing her gaze, by wielding the metaphorical sword of herstory, Medusa becomes the slayer of injustice. As the anti-hero, her fight is not just for herself, but for all of us who have been shamed or victimised; women, the First Nations people, the disabled, the LGBTQI community - each one of us who has ever felt the shame of being the victim.

MEDUSA AND ATHENA

The theme of female rivalry within the Medusa myth is an altogether less tasty lolly to suck. After all, it has been argued that this age-old conflict may be the result of women internalising the idea that their value lies only in relation to men’s desire and that all other women are their rivals.

And because of women’s absorption of misogynistic tropes, they separate themselves from their violated sisters and the female community in general, believing ‘it won’t happen to me’ and ‘she invited it’, thereby participating in victim blaming. In that model, it makes sense that the ‘virginal’ Athena cursed the desirable Medusa, disempowering her by withdrawing the male gaze.

ATHENA AND MEDUSA ARE BFF’s

After witnessing her rape, our Athena bestows a great gift upon Medusa. It is the gift of the (literal) killer gaze - ‘silencing to stone’ those that would harm her. 

Our goddess bequeaths the bonus of reflecting the male gaze and smashing it to rubble! Using her viper-like stare to reflect the poisonous violence and abuse of perpetrators, pulverising them to dust, Medusa understands that there is no shame in survival. Rather, there is power and redemption. How they must have partied!

"...The patriarchs wanted

to separate us.

And you

were their weapon.

No more this lie

No more this fear..."

(From the poem “Medusa of the Snakes” by author, Anne Forfreedom)

THE MEDUSA CALL TO ARMS

The antidote to shame is the telling of stories. Perpetrators have always controlled victims' narratives and now we need to make our side of the story known. In the Medusa myth, Perseus is the hero who silences his victim. But our Medusa, the slut shamed slayer, is our liberator. And we heal together.

By telling her story, Medusa rises to her rightful status as 'Amazon queen, defender and healer of women' (Medusa of the Snakes, Anne Forfreedom) normalising discourse, advocating for consent, and encouraging boundaries. In rediscovering her self-worth, our Medusa smashes the structures that support such deprived acts, slicing off Perseus' smug head on her path to victory.

Rise with us and reclaim your story, your spirit, and your gaze. Because, as Grace Tame reminds us, every voice matters. Share your story at @passionfruitshop using #reclaimingmedusa

Anne O Nomis' upcoming BOUNDARIES workshop invites you to rise by setting your boundaries, fixing your gaze and joining the conversation.

And finally, we invite you to indulge in the season of self-love and liberation by burning one of our bespoke candles, lathering yourself in our Medusa soaps, or embracing your serpentine self in our latest Studio Pia Naga Lingerie and Thistle & Spire Medusa collection.

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