In the original myth Medusa was a beautiful woman who confronted endless hardships that were brought upon by the actions of men. She was raped, killed, and beheaded by various gods. However even in the face of tragedy and disgrace, Medusa was still portrayed as a meaningful figure. Following the moment her her head was cut off, a Pegasus flew out of her body, representing the birth of beauty.

In the more popular version known by most today, Medusa is a monster with hair of a thousand snakes whose glance will turn anything she looks at into stone. Cixous explains that this monsterous image of Medusa exists only because it has been directly determined by the male gaze. Even though this version of the myth is misreprestenative of the original version, people continue to believe the modern version without question.