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The Medusa Project is an initiative to reclaim Medusa - the mythical Greek woman whose gaze could turn anyone to stone - as a symbol of female empowerment.
The Medusa Project is a research-driven initiative that identifies and addresses inaccurate representations of medusa across historical and modern contexts.
Medusa is the woman in Greek mythology who was raped by Poseidon, cursed by Athena, and murdered in her sleep by Perseus. Transmitted largely through male-authored literary and artistic traditions, the story of Medusa has been shaped through the centuries by sexist interpretations of her character and motivations.
The Medusa Project has three goals:
To challenge misogynistic appropriations of the Medusa myth and image
To ensure contextually accurate representations of Medusa
To support the advancement of women by promoting accurate depictions of women in classical literature
THE MEDUSA PROJECT IS MAKING AN IMPACT.
To date, we have worked with the CEOs of numerous e-commerce sites to remove from sale more than 100 products featuring misappropriated images of Medusa. We have also worked with major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, to amend biased descriptions of Medusa art. Said one museum director, “Much good will come of this.”
“Thank you for the change you have made through The Medusa Project.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton
below is a selection of resources relevant to The Medusa Project.
What Depictions of Medusa Say about the Way Society Views Powerful Women
by Abigail Cain
The Face of Our Own Rage
by Gabby Tuzzeo
Medusa: How We Made a Rape Victim Into a Monster
by TillyC
Snake Eyes: The Power to Turn the Patriarchy into Stone
by McKenzie Schwark
In the news
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Devin McDonald
Founder, The Medusa Project
Devin McDonald is a junior at the University of Chicago, majoring in Classics and pre-law. She is the recipient of the Maureen O’Donnell Scholarship for Academic Excellence and the 2025 John G. Hawthorne Prize and leads UChicago’s chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national honor society for classical studies. She spent her high school years at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, where she was a member of the Classical Honors Program, the recipient of the school’s Dickey Prize for Excellence in Greek, president of the Classics Society, and a Cum Laude Society member. Passionate about the Classics and gender equity, Devin has devoted much of her time to researching the connections between the way women are portrayed in classical myths and modern-day gender issues. Recently, she completed interdisciplinary research examining Medusa’s depiction in classical literature and art, from Hesiod and Ovid to modern sculpture, analyzing evolving cultural attitudes toward female power and transgression.
