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Jennifer's Body is a Rape Revenge
Jennifer's Body is a Rape Revenge
Plot and Purity
Plot and Purity
The crux of the plotline focuses on Jennifer's transformation into a succubus. Jennifer's metamorphosis is the direct result of the demonic sacrifice she was victim to in the chronological beginning of the story. An upcoming indie rock band, "Low Shoulder," makes a sacrifice to Satan in order to gain fame; however, the most important detail in this sacrifice lies in the fact that it must be a virginal offering. Because Jennifer is scarified based on the conception that she is a virgin when she is indeed not one, the sacrifice turns into a case of demonic transference.
In a larger context, Jennifer's lack of purity is what ultimately saves her from being sold to Satan, and this salvation is a reversal of moral messaging found in so much of the mainstream media regarding purity. Interestingly, at the beginning of the film, Needy remarks that she is unable to find salvation within prison, saying, "They tell me everything will be okay if I just accept Jesus Christ into my heart. I say the words, but nothing ever happens. Nobody comes back. Nobody gets off the cross" (Cody 1). This quotation underscores the film's rejection of commonplace Christian values, which draws comparison to Cody's corresponding rejection of beliefs regarding virginity.
Jennifer's Cannibalistic Appetite is What Allows Her to Survive
Jennifer's Cannibalistic Appetite is What Allows Her to Survive
Though she was never characterized as particularly kind, Jennifer seemingly loses all moral conviction after her slaughter, but for believable reason: to sustain herself, she must eat humans. Following her assault in the film, Jennifer projects nothing other than her sexual appetite, fully becoming the hollowed-out archetype she had always been viewed as prior. To survive, Jennifer must embrace this losing of her literal humanity, and that is exactly what she does. The metamorphosis of Jennifer Check may be representative of the all-to-common experience of hypersexuality in women who experience sexual abuse. This fact may also convey the message that women sometimes assimilate to male-prioritizing archetypes of themselves to exist inside patriarchal society. Towards the end of the film, Jennifer tells Needy that following her assault, she "knew what she had to do to be strong" (Cody 77).
Comments on Rape Culture
Comments on Rape Culture
The screenplay also includes several satirical remarks about rape culture that was dominant in early aughts culture. The idolization of the band "Low Shoulder" following the assault on Jennifer is representative of the widespread acceptance violent men had in society. "Low Shoulder's" song about Jennifer's assault actually became widely praised, which echos the lack of accountability for violence against women and the feeling of entrapment on felt by victims. In an article for Vox, Cody says, "That movie [Jennifer's Body] was very much about the issues that women face and about the feeling of being powerless and about the feeling of wanting to turn the tables."
The sharp contrast found in Jennifer's sacrificing scene is also notable: the band members were completely dissonant to the pain they were inflicting, and the sounds of their laughter rang in tandem to the blood-curdling screams of Jennifer. The band members fail to simply name Jennifer correctly, again underscoring their believed superiority, which underscores Cody's perception of the society in which she lived. The brutality of this scene, Jennifer's suffering, and "Low Shoulder's" complete dehumanization of Jennifer shows a central conflict that parallels one that may be understood to be dominate in 2000/10s society.
Redefining Victimhood
Redefining Victimhood
Jennifer's character at the beginning of the film is also noteworthy. The audience of 2000/10's society may not find it easy to find sympathy for Jennifer's sacrifice; she is not the kind of person that is easy to see as a victim. In fact, Jennifer exemplifies most of what is considered morally wrong, especially for women. She is mean, aloof, self-centered, sexually uninhibited -- the opposite of someone to take pity on. But this fact is what makes Jennifer's character and Cody's writing so dynamic: Cody highlights the visceral pain Jennifer feels during her representative sacrifice to convince the viewer that there is never an excuse for the violence that women are subjected to by men. Jennifer was not kind, but she did not deserve what happened to her because no woman does.
This kind of argument is generally agreed upon in modern day discourse, but that was not the case in 2000/10s society, and Cody explains this with her writing.
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