Drop Dead Gorg(on)eous : A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of the Contemporary Medusa Tattoo

Sammanfattning: This thesis investigates the phenomenon of the contemporary ‘Medusa tattoo’ that gained traction on the social media platform TikTok in 2019 as a symbol of sexual assault survival, and which has since come to function as an instrument for digital feminist activism. The study aspires to provide a new, previously unexplored link to the long chain of academic research on the figure of Medusa by looking at the emergence, function, and potential of the Medusa tattoo. It makes use of multimodal discourse analysis followed by the application of a select number of theoretical frameworks by Hans Belting, Michael Baxandall, Roland Barthes, and Hélène Cixous. It is observed that historical representations of Medusa tend to draw upon her dualistic, transformative nature of beauty-monster, threat-victim, and powerful-powerless, in accordance with dominant thoughts and ideologies. The contemporary Medusa tattoo is identified as being comprised of a tripartite structure with three carrier mediums: the tattooed body, tattoo designs, and TikTok videos found under the hashtag #medusatattoo, all capable of acting both independently and intermediary. This form is a result of a decades-long process of thought influenced by various appearing and re-appearing factors, conditions, and agents. The thesis further identifies the ways that the Medusa tattoo functions as myth in accordance with the writings of Roland Barthes, its meaning becoming fixed through acts of repetition on social media. Lastly, it is concluded that while tattoos can act in accordance with Hélène Cixous’ concept of écriture féminine, the contemporary Medusa tattoo cannot, due to its iconography demonstrating postfeminist attitudes towards beauty and femininity that enforce instead of challenge patriarchal structures. However, it is noted that it retains its potential as a symbol of strength and healing on the individual wearer.