Jennifer’s Body, released in 2009, stars Megan Fox as the
head cheerleader and most popular girl in school. Megan plays the role of Jennifer, who becomes
bedeviled by a rock band and goes on to eat human flesh, specifically that of
the male species. The reason Jennifer
becomes possessed is because the band had to make a virginal sacrifice, and the
human they sacrificed, Jennifer, was not a virgin. While our culture is being
swamped with stories about supernatural males and romance, this story gives us a
different perspective, telling a story about a supernatural girl who seeks
revenge and goes on to make males suffer for what has happened to her.
 |
| Jennifer's Body |
Jennifer’s
Body helps to spread fear of women’s bodies and sexualities. While this movie is marketed as a dark
comedy, it is an example of pop culture’s deprivation of the roles of women. Women’s sexuality is feared, and often young
girls are punished for possessing their sexuality. However, Jennifer is made out to be a strong
character that is in charge of what happens to the males surrounding her,
because she has that mystical power. The
media usually tells us that when the woman possesses sexual desire then she is
evil, and this is shown when Jennifer is violent towards the males. This same aspect takes place in the 2007
film, Teeth. The main character, Dawn,
holds a sexual advantage over all the men in the film. More and more films in our generation give
female characters a powerful, lead role.
In our society, as well, the role of females is becoming more important
and necessary in order for society to thrive.
The anxiety
over female and male sexuality has been around in American culture for a long
time, even before these films we know and love.
As we grow up, we begin to see that the newer films are targeted towards
younger and younger audiences though.
With the portrayal of Satan, religion can be pulled into the mix as
well, creating an even wider genre of what these films are about. All we know is that with time things will
continue to change but they still manage to hold on to something from a
previous generation.
How is female sexuality tied to power and religion? How has this connection changed over time? These are big questions, I know. I'm sure that entire books have been dedicated to these ideas.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean by "with the portrayal of Satan, religion can be pulled into the mix as well." Can you elaborate?
I've never really thought about the connection between Jennifer's Body and Teeth. There are definitely tons of similarities including what you've pointed out. It's also interesting that both Jennifer and the girl in Teeth start off as naive, virginal girls and by the end have nearly turned into monsters. I've always regarded the girl in Teeth as almost becoming somewhat of a superhero: She would use her bizarre power to punish bad people. Until you mentioned it, I never really thought about Jennifer's Body that way. I think I view Jennifer more so as seeking revenge on all men for what happened to her. The band members totally take advantage of her and killed her (or so they thought) and she comes back to make the boys in her town pay. I think Jennifer's Body really ties into the themes of religion and power. In the film, the band sacrifices Jennifer (who they thought was a virgin) to Satan so that they can become famous (gain power).
ReplyDeleteI think female sexuality can closely be tied to your religion. Almost all religions have some sort of say of what women can and cannot do with their body. In the Catholic faith you are supposed to save yourself for marriage and are considered unpure if otherwise. Women wear white on their wedding day to say they are virginal and pure. In the Jewish culture women cant touch men who arn't their husband and have strict dress codes not only for synagogue but for everyday life. A womens sexuality is a power she has and how she uses it says how she feels. How a women portrays herself is all up to her and how strict she is with her religion and how powerful she may feel using her sexuality.
ReplyDelete