TW: discussion of rape and sexual assault.
So, we all know the story of Medusa: She is raped by Poseidon and then cursed by Athena for not being one of her “virgin” followers anymore. As if that was her fault! Often in Greek mythology, the Gods seemed to "forget" that consent is a thing (has much really changed?), and often Medusa is demonised in a story where she is victim to Perseus, her murderer, rather than the gods that put her in that situation in the first place!
So, how has this mythical story been taken by the #MeToo movement to empower women, and raise awareness of sexual assault? And, are there other (more real!) women in history we could make into statues?
I’ll start off with a rather odd, but probably unsurprising, statistic from 'The Guardian': 'The number of statues in London featuring animals outnumbers that of named women by double'. When you stop and think, statues of women are usually there for aesthetic, sexualised, or religious purposes, rather than to celebrate their achievements. Certainly, this new focus on statues has only come to light since one of Edward Colston was chucked into the sea in Bristol (what a loss). Yet Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has recently announced a new Landmark Commission to make London statues, street names and memorials more representative of the cities’ diverse history and inhabitants.
We’ve become quite used to statues of men: Greek and Roman warriors and gods, and historical figures like Churchill. So why is it so weird to see one of Medusa in New York, holding Perseus’s head this time, outside of the criminal court where the Weinstein trial took place? No one bats an eyelid at the famous statue of Perseus holding her severed head in Florence- they never have. But as soon as the roles are reversed, and a woman is placed in a powerful statue, the tantrums start. There has been call for more female-empowering statues (and no- I do not mean one of Thatcher!), and anger at some ‘old-fashioned’ representations of history. See, for example, the “#MeToo” graffiti on the “Unconditional Surrender” statue in Florida. So, if we take the example of misrepresented female in history and myth, who could we sculpt?
Cleopatra? A Pharoah in her own right, rather than simply the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony?
Sappho? The earliest female poet in the ancient world, and possibly not even a lesbian.
Frida Kahlo? Bi-con, had an affair with Trotsky, represented her disability and infertility in art.
Luciano Gabati’s ten-year-old statue of Medusa was not produced for feminist reasons, rather, it was a play on the original. If it was, she would probably be holding Poseidon’s head instead! But maybe we should produce some that are created for feminist purposes, and close this gender-statue-gap!
