The other night I was watching Jennifer’s body with my friend and we found it quite unsettling. We talked, and we realized that what was bugging us was the huge paradox that resides in the movie around wether it gives a good representation of women, or not. Indeed, we found it quite feminist that for once, the villain was a teenage girl ( normally depicted as pure and innocent), and above all, a teenage girl who eats men. Which could be very feminist, and use the witch trope in a smart way. A trope being a recurrent narrative structure. We also appreciated seeing a strong female friendship on screen. But the character played by Megan Fox was so sexualized that the male gazey aspect of the movie took over the feminist and subversive one.
First of all let’s remind ourselves of what the film is about.
Well it’s about a high schooler who meets a creepy boy band that sacrifices her to the devil thinking she’s a virgin but, spoiler, she’s not. This is why the sacrifice doesn’t work and why she resuscitates as a Succubus, which is a sort of biblical monster who seduces men to kill them. So Megan Fox’s character spends the rest of the movie making boys think she’s about to do it with them but ends up killing them. Thinking that she’s supposed to be a teenager, a literal child, this is sick. And of course that Megan Fox was a full grown up when the movie was shot, but it really doesn’t matter because it feels like the director and the crew used the fact that the actress didn’t look like a 17 years old girl to depict Jennifer as a very mature and sexually developed teenager. This, is very problematic and weird and doesn’t change the fact that she plays an underaged girl supposed to be possessed by a monster who is DEFINED by its sexual habits.
Now, we need to clarify something, the problem here is not that a women is shown having and using her sexuality.
The problem revolves around the representation of women’s sexuality in this movie.
Let’s take Celine Sciama’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire as a counter example. In this movie about a lesbian love story, the desire and the sexuality of the two main characters are perceived through a positive perspective, through what is called the female gaze.
Heloïse and Marianne own their body, own their sexuality and the sex scenes focus on kindness, caring and consent between them. Whereas, in Jennifer’s Body, every time Megan’s Fox character is having sexual interactions with men you can feel that they are meant to please the heterosexual male gaze, that there is an unhealthy and concerning voyeurism hiding. All this, despite the fact that the director, Karyn Kusama is a woman.
Another aspect of the movie to analyze is it’s queer aspect. Indeed, this films shows a strong female friendship that progressively grows into a lesbian relationship (even though it’s never verbalized). But when queer representation in movies and series is really important, it is shocking how patriarchy and sexism made their way into what could be an interesting part of the movie ; the kissing scene between Jennifer and her friend. As a matter of fact, this scene is not meant to depict the growing love and attraction between two women but ONCE AGAIN to please the male gaze. The way it’s filmed is full of some kind of fetishism, and is made in a positive and unhealthy way.
In conclusion, what could be a movie about a girl who owns her body and her sexuality and, given a special power, uses it to get revenge on men who see her as an object, a movie that offers queer storylines, is ruined by the heterosexual male gaze that succeeds to seep in every corner of the film. This of course does not invalidate Megan Fox’s talent because as easy as it is to categorize her as a pretty but foolish and talentless actress, she manages very well here part, giving her character an unique dark, creepy and frightening aspect.
image : https://lilithtamere.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/jennifers-body-une-succube-au-lycee/
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