The 11-year old and I got dressed today for Halloween with her going as a Modern Day Medusa, and me going as Bride of Raven. A colleague the other day commented on how impressed he were that my 11-year old came up with the idea of bringing Medusa into the present day, and wondered how actively such a figure has been reappropriated for feminist purposes. I must confess, I haven't heard much of such an endeavor. When discussing her reasons for choosing Medusa, the 11-year old explained, "She's cool." as if "Duh." was the appropriate response. But then also talked extensively about how she'd made a point of researching the Medusa story, and that what she'd noticed about it is that Medusa is treated as if she is a monster, when really it wasn't her fault she was turned into a snake wielding Titon. Athena, as we know, was jealous of Medusa's beauty, and so transformed her into the legend with which we are all familiar. The 11-year old also expressed frustration over how Perseus is characterized in the Medusa legend. As the 11-year old put it, Perseus is treated like a hero for having killed Medusa, but what no one talks about is that he went after her, she didn't provoke him, and further Medusa was actually pregnant with Poseidon's baby.
Raven has been a potent image for me lately as I deal with transitions a plenty in my life. In North American tradition, Raven is the bringer of fire, having stolen it from the gods after it was ordered that humans could not have it as a punishment, and also a restriction on their potential powers. Raven disagreed with the morality of such an edict and so stole fire from the gods and released humans from some of their limitations as a result. In this way, Raven is understood as a bringer of magic, a messenger from the world of the gods, and a great transformer of human power. Further, the story shows Raven as incredibly strong in the face of multi-world adversity, and dedicated to doing what is right. Originally I was thinking of dressing as the would be grown daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia from the Star Wars series. I decided, however, to further explore the Raven influence and dressed as Bride of Raven for my costume, using the idea of what I imagined a grown daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia would likely be like as a kind of aesthetic guide.
Below are pictures. The photos of us really make me laugh because of how we almost consistently look like the toughest tough asses anywhere. Still, we had an enjoyable night.
Medusa
Bride of Raven
Rick Owens Jacket, James Perse Shirt, Harness by AudraJean, Horace Leather PantsHello Kitty Clutch (heh)
Raven Magic AmuletRaven Skull Made by billyblue22, Feathers Added by me
Great hair and make-up, both of you. I like that both costumes were meaningful and expressively creative. If you both look like the baddest asses in town, that's probably because you *are*. I also appreciate that you worked the leather halter into this Raven incarnation.
ReplyDelete