Reclaiming My Sister, Medusa: A Critical Autoethnography About Healing From Sexual Violence Through Solidarity, Doll-Making, and Mending Myth

Abstract

According to the poet Ovid, Medusa was a beautiful maiden, who was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Medusa called upon the goddess Athena for revenge, but, instead, Athena punished Medusa for defiling her temple, subjecting her to a terrible transformation. Her beautiful hair became poisonous serpents; her face so horrifying to behold it turned onlookers to stone. Some stories portray Medusa as asking for it or depict her as being uppity. Medusa, therefore, stands as a strong metaphor for the experiences of women who have survived sexual violence. This critical autoethnography presents my experience, along with 11 other women, finding community, voice, and courage with other survivors of sexual violence through community art, doll-making, and collectively reclaiming our sister, Medusa.