'Medusa statue with the head of Perseus' evokes mixed reactions from netizens

The MeToo movement was a historic movement where numerous women had come forward and had raised their voices against sexual harassment committed by powerful or prominent men in the world. This movement was followed by a judgement where American film producer Harvey Weinstein was charged with sexual offences against several women throughout his career. To commemorate this decision and the movement as a whole, a statue of “Medusa with the head of Perseus” will be unveiled in front of the County Criminal Courthouse in Collect Pond Park tomorrow. Netizens have flooded the social media with their reactions and thoughts on the same.

"Medusa with the head of Perseus" symbolism

According to Greek mythology, Medusa was raped by Poseidon, who was one of the most powerful Gods in Greek mythology. However, instead of punishing Poseidon, Medusa was blamed for the crime and was cursed into becoming a monster who had snakes for hair and her gaze could turn any man into stone. She was exiled and later Perseus was sent to hunt her down.

Perseus had beheaded her and had held her head in his one hand as though it was some sort of a trophy. However, this statue, designed by sculptor Luciano Garbati changes the narrative of the age-old mythological characters and aims to stop the way victims in sexual crimes are viewed. It shows Medusa holding the head of Perseus in one hand and a sword in the other to symbolise that she is empowered.

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The statue aims to shame men who are sexual offenders. It sends a message to stop victim-blaming and to stop viewing women as a potential cause for the sexual offences that took place against them. Take a look at the statue below.

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Netizens praise the statue

Social media has been flooded with reactions from netizens as the date to unveil the statue comes closer. A number of netizens praised how beautiful the statue is and the meaning behind the statue. A number of netizens appreciated the sculptor for his thought behind the statue and how well he has carved it. Check out the comments below.

Even though there were numerous positive comments, there were several netizens who thought that the statue would confuse people. Several netizens wrote on social media that Medusa should be holding Poseidon (the rapist) or Athena (who cursed Medusa) and not Perseus. Check out some of the tweets below.

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Image credits: Luciano Garbati Instagram