Pop Culture dictionary

medusa tattoo

[ muh-doo-suh ta-too]

What is a medusa tattoo?

A medusa tattoo is often interpreted as representing strength, power, and female empowerment. More specifically, some people get a medusa tattoo to indicate that they are a survivor of sexual violence and to symbolize their own empowerment.

Content warning: This topic contains discussion of sexual assault.

Medusa is a famous figure from Greek mythology. In some versions of the Medusa story, Medusa is raped by the god Poseidon in a temple of the goddess Athena, who punishes Medusa by turning her hair into snakes and cursing her so that everything she looks at turns to stone.

Medusa is a well-known mythological figure with snakes as hair, often depicted in popular culture as either a hideous monster or a beautiful woman. These depictions are also common in tattoo artistry.

For people who get a medusa tattoo to indicate that they are survivors of sexual violence, Medusa is often seen as a positive figure who represents strength and empowerment. It is important to note that not every person who has a medusa tattoo is a survivor of sexual violence and the significance of a tattoo is often highly personal.

Where does medusa tattoo come from?

medusa tattoo

Medusa has been a popular subject of tattoo artistry since before the internet era, often interpreted as a symbol of strength, determination, and female empowerment. This idea seems to be based on the view that Medusa was unjustifiably punished for being assaulted by Poseidon. In this view, her “curse” is a means of exerting her power in order to enact vengeance.

It is unclear when the medusa tattoo became associated with survival of sexual violence or how this symbolism was popularized. This association seems to have been common on the social media platform TikTok as early as 2021 and may have been popularized there. This connection seems to have emerged from earlier views that argued Medusa is a survivor of sexual violence and not the villain or monster that she is often portrayed as.

Examples of medusa tattoo

Men always get quiet after I tell them why I got the Medusa tattoo. Perhaps don't ask if you're not prepared for the answer then.
@breannadache, October 5, 2023
Obviously, every person is different, so their individual interpretations and meanings behind their own Medusa tattoos may vary. In general, however, Medusa tattoos are a symbol of survival, often from sexual abuse, sexual assault or rape.
Jessica Sager, Parade, June 12, 2023

Who uses medusa tattoo?

Medusa has been a popular subject of tattoo art even before medusa tattoos were associated with survival of sexual violence.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of medusa tattoo like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of medusa tattoo that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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