Teeth

 

The Vagina Monologues frequently discusses the fact that the word "vagina" is not said enough by women. The word in general is a taboo, the author Eve Ensler says that the word vagina "sounds like an infection at best [or] maybe a medical instrument...Doesn't matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you want to say." In class we discussed how shocking and blunt the title of The Vagina Monologues is, and how many people from class experienced shocked reactions from other people who saw them reading this book.  All of this made me wonder "what was the last time I heard the word "vagina" before this class?" The answer actually made me laugh out loud. The last time I heard the word vagina was in the movie Teeth, which is a horror movie written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein.

Simply put, Teeth is movie about a teenage girl who discovers that she has teeth inside of her vagina. The concept of the movie is taken from mythology and folk tales of various cultures regarding "vagina dentata" (Latin for "toothed vagina.") According to wikipedia, these stories we're created "as cautionary tales warning of the dangers of sex with strange women and to discourage the act of rape."

The main character of the movie is a teenage girl named Dawn who is a member of a Christian abstinence group. The group frequently goes around to schools warning about the dangers of sex and masturbation and promoting their message of abstinence. Dawn is very devoted to her belief and even her typical wardrobe consists of shirts promoting abstinence. You learn that she has never has any kind of sexual intercourse with a boy, and has never masturbated before. She begins to develop a crush on a class mate of hers named Toby who is also in the abstinence group. One day when they are together they begin to make out, Dawn is not comfortable going any further than that, but Toby is incredibly sexually frustrated, and begins to rape her. As a reaction she unknowingly bites his penis off with the teeth that are inside her vagina. He then bleeds to death while she runs away.

After this, she begins to researching the female body online to try and understand what had just happened. There she comes across the term "vagina dentata." Fearing that is what she has inside her body, she does to see a gynecologist. Her appointment takes a horrifying turn when the doctor begins to molest her (it it obvious he is not just examining her) in responce her "teeth" bite off his fingers. he is then left on the ground screaming "IT'S TRUE! VAGINA DENTATA! VAGINA DENTATAAA"

Most people who watch Teeth already know what the movie is going to be about, so they can assume when she is going to bite off the penis or fingers of a man. You find yourself cheering her on every-time this happens because these men really deserve it.  After this point Dawn begins to understand what her body is capable of. She even has sex with another boy who really likes her. She attempts to warn him that "the teeth will get you" (naturally he does not take her seriously) and they actually succeed in having intercourse. This helps her to realize that her teeth are a defense mechanism, and that she has the ability to control them. 

At the end of the movie she uses this ability to get revenge upon her step-brother. Their mother had been very sick and died one night in their home. Her step-brothers girlfriend tells Dawn that they had been inside the house when her mother died and had heard her yell for help, however her step-brother chose to ignore her and it is possible that if he had come to help her she would have survived. An infuriated Dawn then seduces her step-brother (It is very obvious that he had always wanted her) and she proceeds to purposely bite off his penis. Again, as an audience member you find yourself cheering her on as opposed to viewing her as a villain. 

The evolution of Dawn's character throughout the movie is very dramatic. When she is first introduced she is defined by her (lack of) sexuality. All of her clothes reflect her beliefs, and all of her friends are also members of the abstinence group. As the movie goes on as she begins to embrace her teeth (and in essence, her sexuality) She begins to wear more makeup, dress a bit more provocatively, and in essence she transforms from being a girl to being a woman. She also becomes more confident, and more aware of her body and how she expresses herself. I believe the movie shows that by repressing your sexuality and by shunning it, you don't fully develop yourself into who you really are. When you begin to open up and explore new options, you find yourself and what you are really capable of. Although she does become vengeful by the end, Dawn is a essentially a good person, and as horrible things begin to happen to her, she manages to overcome them and grow from them.

Evolution's similar to this take place in many of the stories told in The Vagina Monologues. Women embrace their sexuality and their vaginas, and begin to overcome the experiences that they had in life. I almost wish this movie was real, because I would LOVE to read Dawns vagina interview. 

Now I should mention.....this movie is pretty bad. It is very low budget, and the acting is far from great. This film is not only meant to be a horror movie, but a comedy as well. Surprisingly, the movie has generally received positive reviews from most critics for being both funny, shocking, and all around having a good message (which ironically is similar to the reviews of The Vagina Monologues.) However I should warn you, it's not exactly oscar worthy, and should only really be watched if you want to watch a stupid movie to laugh at. I probably put more thought into this blog entry than the did in the entire production, never the less, it is very entertaining, and does raise important issues such as female sexuality, power, and warns against the consequences of rape for men.

Here's the trailer of anyone is curious.