The movie "Teeth." Female empowerment or just disgusting?

so for those unfamiliar with the movie teeth here’s the basic plot: there's a girl that has teeth in a certain area of her body and uses it to remove the genitals of guys who either try to rape her, make bets about getting her in bed, and her step bro who wishes to have sex with her. I think a lot of girls enjoy it because it "turns the tables" on the conventional horror movie which often involves women being victimized and portrayed as weak. However, isn't it a little messed up to praise something like that? I absolutely agree that women are often over-victimized and degraded in the horror genre but here’s the difference I kind see:

a lot of women feel the film is “empowering” and inspirational, and had great a great feminist message. And some girls thought that it was funny to see their boyfriends reactions to it and laughed over how he squirmed or about how it was an awkward car ride back from the theater.

Consider the flip side though: How many guys (not including the mentally ill) would cheer the mutilation or rape of a woman in a movie? I would never view a guy mutilating a woman as “empowered” no matter for what reason. And for sexual abuse/mutilation scenes in general, I hate them! They’re something cheap done for shock value. Movies like the Hills Have Eyes could be great movies on their plot without including horrific scenes just to get a reaction out of the audience. And secondly, how would it sound if a guy thought it was funny to freak his girlfriend by taking her to some movie where a woman is mutilated? messed up! But I guess the bottom line is that victimization adds legitimacy to ad vocation of equally aggressive mutilation. I also thought it was narrow minded that every single guy in the film is some creep.

One woman commented on a review of the film by saying:

“ I hate to agree with the men and go against the woman but... this is sick! they are right it is very sexist towards men! but also men do need the tables turned too cos in every horror we see there are girls who are completly weak little SWEAR WORD for brains idiots who are just walking targets. However I also must point out that horrors do also have some strong female characters! So really what I'm trying to say is that yes it's good to "turn the tables" but does it really have to be this extreme? The answer is no!”

Also guys if you’re angry about this remember that even though there is only an occasional lorena bobbit situation in Western world, Female Genital Mutilation (aka “circumcision”) occurs widespread in many cultures, the results are absolutely horrific.
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Most Helpful Girls

  • I think it's funny that you guys think it's feminist sh*t or what have you when it was written by a man. A lot of films are made of shock value. I don't think this had a feminist or female empowerment ideology, I think it was just a story and you're looking too much into it. Why would any woman want to do that? why would any woman see that as empowering? Feminism isn't about women being better than men it's about equality =\

    Wasn't every male in the film doing something bad to her though? I believe she did it to her brother because his dog mauled her step dad and he didn't do anything when her mum was dying? and The doctor and the first guy forced themselves onto her right?

    I don't think it was meant to be inspirational AT ALL. You should watch Hard Candy though and tell us what you think of that.

    There are other horrors where the villian is a female, Like The Orphan or in the first Friday the 13th, and there's another movie that I can't recall the name of but the villian was an alien in the form of a human woman and she used her sexuality to lure in victims and then kill them or put her eggs in them or something like that?

    None of those are seen as particularly empowering roles, so I don't see how this would or should be.

    • I agree it was a movie amde for shock value and is essentially a dark comedy. but trust me just spend some time on google and you'll find plenty of "feminist" women going on about the message of the movie. That's really my issue, I mean if some1 told me they received some revelation about life from a slasher movie, I would be a little concerned for their mental health

    • Are yout hinking of Decoys perhaps? And the problem is that amking bets on a persons sexuality is cruel but it is not a fair retaliation to remove their genitals

    • =\ Some times people are just stupid. I have studied Film and New Media at university and based on my knowledge I wouldn't read a feminist message in that. If anything its the opposite because it's representing women as horrible creatures. I wouldn't want to be associated with anyone who thought the removal of genitals represented a good kind of power, strange people.

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  • Just disgusting, for sure.

    If she ONLY used them in cases of physical abuse, that would maybe be okay. Although it would be pretty extreme, I guess it would be fair... sort of... it`s debatable.

    But to use them just on people who make bets and stuff...

    No way. That is just gross and absolutely horrible.

    I don`t know what else there is to say. It is not okay to go around hacking off people`s genitals. That isn`t creating equality or providing a solution for rape. It`s simply barbaric.

    That said, I completely disagree with the suggestion that it is the woman`s fault she was raped because she was a walking target... that is no excuse for the rapist. You don`t just go around raping people because you believe they were asking for it or deserve it.

    • As pure fantasy, I say why not. Of course it would a bit extreme, to say the least, in reality. One of ex BF's used to actually love it when I would bite him 'down there', especially his 'boyz'. I thought it was pretty freaky at first, but after awhile, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun doing it. Of course, I never bit them off. ;> I doubt he would have liked that.

    • " I completely disagree with the suggestion that it is the woman`s fault she was raped because she was a walking target" did I imply that? if I did that's totally not what I was trying to say! I agree a woman should have a right to walk as scantly clad as she wishes through the most dangerous street and still be at no fault, its disgusting when people blame victims.

    • I didn`t say you said it. But you gave a quote that did imply that opinion. Whether or not you agreed with the quote was unclear to me, but I wasn`t accusing you of believing that either way. @ gottadance: As pure fantasy, ANYTHING is harmless. But that doesn`t mean it`s good or even okay for people to be comfortable with the idea of horrors like this one. Also, harmlessly nipping at the genitals is a far cry away from completely removing them. They really don`t relate at all

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  • As pure fantasy, I say why not. Of course it would a bit extreme, to say the least, in reality. One of ex BF's used to actually love it when I would bite him 'down there', especially his 'boyz'. I thought it was pretty freaky at first, but after awhile, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun doing it. Of course, I never bit them off. ;> I doubt he would have liked that.

Most Helpful Guys

  • I've always been a strong proponent of the remove of the sexual organs of rapists anyways. My only complaint would be it's only a movie and not a reality. Seriously? Someone sees it as vile and disgusting, and sexist, that a rapist is getting his shlong ripped off, yet seems to take no issue with the fact he is, oh I don't know, attempting to rape someone? Tha'ts not bass ackwards at all.

    • Removal** SLEEP JEFFERY get some

    • I was more opposed to the portrayal of all men in the movie as rapists, and also in on scene the sex is actually consensual, she lures the guy to sleeping with her.

    • Oh, I admit I'm at a disadvantage here, as I've only heard of the movie, not actually seen it before. The way you describe it directly above, does make it seem like feminist propaganda, and therefore sexist. I merely thought it was about people getting their just desserts. Really I wish people would just start respecting themsevles and one another, and stop making life into some big crap flinging contest. Alas we don't live in a perfect world by far.

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  • I can't take anyone seriously who argues the morality of a piece of fiction.

    I saw the movie and I was not morally repulsed. Why? Because it was a movie, a very tongue in cheek one at that. I laughed at some parts and tightened up at others, but overall, it was an interesting story, nothing more. I had forgotten about it in two weeks.

    • "I can't take anyone seriously who argues the morality of a piece of fiction." - What have I been doing in Literature class all this time?

    • I do not argue against the film itself I am arguing against the glorification of the actions by some

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What Girls & Guys Said

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  • Well I too have advocated that rapists and sexual abusers be permanently stripped of the ability to do so.(for men and women as female sexual abusers exist too) However the bitch doesn't just target rapists and sexual abusers. She lures men to their deaths and that is just plain bullsh*t sexist crap.

  • If the sexes were reversed in the film the feminists would be all over the case, and that should tell you everything you need to know about that crackpot ideology and its regard for "equality".

  • Both. It's good that she was able to defend herself against her rapists, but I didn't need to see the bloody crotches of the guys who got their dicks cut off.

  • Feminazi man hating bullcrap.