The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Goss, Theodora. “Medusa Gets a Haircut.” Uncanny Magazine, https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/medusa-gets-a-haircut/. Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

“Medusa Gets a Haircut” is a free-verse poem by Hungarian-American poet Theodora Goss. It first appeared in Uncanny Magazine in 2021, then later in her collection The Collected Enchantments. It retells the Greek myth of the gorgon Medusa through a contemporary lens, imagining a modern-day relationship between Medusa and the hero Perseus. Perseus encourages Medusa to cut her serpentine hair, which she quickly regrets. The poem uses this scene to explore themes of toxicity and self-love.