I'm all about vagina empowerment. In my vocabulary, the word "feminist" is neither dirty nor derogatory. Women and their bodies, I'll maintain, are lovely and to be respected. Yet, after I watched Teeth, written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein (son of painter, Roy), I found myself consulting a dictionary for a word to describe my new feelings. I discovered it: gynephobia.
Teeth follows Dawn, a prominent member of the abstinence club at her high school, as she embarks upon a unique coming-of-age story. Dawn, like most girls, grows dissatisfied with the males around her. Dawn, unlike most girls, has a toothed-vagina. Yes, Teeth is a horror film.
At times poignant and erotic, this movie is impregnated with smart writing, beautiful cinematography and strong acting. But then the sex goes sour and penises start getting chomped off. My roommate walked in at a particularly gory moment and asked why I was watching a movie about condiment-coated hot dogs. A wider shot gave him context and an excuse to ask for a room change.
Though Teeth borders on sadistic, soft-core porn, it is a movie with a soul. Dawn is the ultimate symbol of female power. Lichtenstein cleverly rehashes the ancient myth of the vagina dentata, a symbol for emasculation. It may be grotesque and gratuitous, but Teeth has a socially conscious message. As one of Dawn's T-shirts proclaims with stomach-churning irony, "Warning: Sex Changes Everything"
