Summary

Even in modern times, Medusa is used metaphorically “as a symbol of opposition to women’s power” (75). Political leaders such as Angela Merkel, the Prime Minister of the U.K Theresa May, and the former President of Brazil Dilma Rouseff have all been likened to Medusa whether in verbal criticism or in doctored images. The woman who has gotten the worst of these Medusa comparisons is Hillary Clinton, who during her campaign for the 2016 presidential bid was portrayed with snaky locks in numerous images, or often with President Donald Trump as Perseus holding her severed head. While Beard contends that this kind of implicit criticism is common for well-known political leaders, Clinton has received it more so than anyone: one could buy these Trump/Perseus, Clinton/Medusa images as souvenirs. Ultimately, Beard says, these examples show “the extent to which the exclusion of...