Week 2 Post 2

 Week 2 Post 1 

    Nora McGreevy's article on Smithsonian went into the illustration of women as villains in myth. She brought up Medusa, Charybdis, Lamia and Scylla. These are all female figures that are seen as some of the biggest threats in Greek Mythology. McGreevy says "Female monsters represent 'the bedtime stories patriarchy tells itself,' reinforcing expectations about women's bodies". The hidden meanings behind all the 'stories' convey a message that women are fundamentally 'bad' and must be changed and subdued. 

    Most women in these myths that are portrayed as monsters are simply misunderstood. Many of them have tragic pasts or are the real victim in their story. Stories and myths tend to villainize women or blame them for their own traumas. For example, Medusa was the Priestess of Athena, and regarded as the most beautiful woman in the land. Poseidon was feuding with Athena so he decided to pursue Medusa. She rejected him, but he became rageful and he sexually assaulted her in Athena's temple. Instead of punishing Poseidon for his horrific actions, Athena punished Medusa and blamed her for the assault. She cursed her with snakes for hair and the power to turn anyone who looked at her to stone. This transformed her from the most beautiful woman in the land to the most feared and most hideous. All for something that was not even close to being her fault.