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.
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| 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.
