Siren official 2018 movie

This narrative of the Sirens shows a very different portrayal than Homer’s. This image is taken from a movie that exposes a new perspective from the Sirens. As viewers, we root for the Sirens instead of against them. We understand their blood lust is not particularly their fault, and we see a new side of humanity in them in their willingness to stop hurting, build community, and work towards a positive greater purpose. However, it is not necessary to watch this movie to understand this. From the image above alone, we can see obvious differences than Homer’s portrayal. The Siren’s blue eyes are the main focal point of this image. They are opened wide in a vulnerable way, and emulate fear, innocence, confusion. Her cheeks and forehead are slightly bloody and bruised, showing she has been through a lot and has been harmed not the other way around. She is beautiful, but she is covered modestly and cowers from her beauty. 

This directly contrasts Homer’s interpretation of Sirens. Not only does it do that, but it combats the view that women who emulate sexuality (or beauty) are evil. The Siren in this image cowers from her beauty, suggesting that it has been used against her (by men). This is true for most beautiful women even today- the endless questions of “why aren’t you smiling”, cat-calling, rape, etc. This Siren doesn’t necessarily want to be beautiful because it has only brought her pain so far. Instead of the narrative that beautiful women are willingly tempting for men, this suggests that the fate of a beautiful woman has been decided for her by men since birth. Men not having the ability to resist beauty is a punishment forced on women. It does not benefit women whatsoever, unlike how Homer portrays his Sirens, who are lavished in gold and jewels because of men’s downfall. Homer failed to understand this perspective due to misogyny, and it is only uncovered now in a 2018 reenactment. 

My interest in the story of the Sirens has stemmed from its root in misogyny, and how unnoticed it has gone until now. With so many cases in literature, characters are drowning in sexism and because we are so used to it, we don’t question it. Take Medusa for example- she was raped by Poseiden because of her beauty, but while the god went unpunished she was turned into a monster. So many of these characters represent aspects of femalehood, and it is necessary to expose the sexism written into their stories in order to distinguish between women and men’s interpretation of women. This image of the Siren I’ve chosen does all of this. It is the first portrayal of Sirens that inspires empathy in viewers instead of disdain. Without empathy, we have no desire to understand a character. Empathy is the first step. Viewing this image, I felt a kinship with the Siren because I saw in her that disappointment and desperation that comes with the feeling that the average man will never care to understand me as more than an object, which I have felt before many times. I’m confident other women will feel the same while viewing this image. These feelings of empathy and community are the only way to rewriting an age-old story rooted in sexism, and uncovering the truths about the female experience.