10th Anniversary of Jennifer's Body

By Spencer Coile 

Jennifer’s Body was never meant to find mainstream success. A film about women, made by women, and starring women - a campy flick about a possessed teenage girl who kills men after she seduces them, no less - was somehow expected to fulfill every man’s fantasy. At long last, we would finally witness Megan Fox naked on-screen. Rejoice, for she would also be kissing her co-star, Amanda Seyfried, for our enjoyment. Indeed, the male gaze was directed firmly at Jennifer’s Body, waiting to see if it would disappoint.  

And sure enough, it did. Critics were quick to call it empty and vapid, hardly anyone bothered to see it, and Jennifer’s Body was quickly forgotten. But is any of this surprising? Despite their undeniable cultural cache in 2009, both Megan Fox and screenwriter Diablo Cody were experiencing an ongoing backlash that reeked of sexism. And quite plainly: many weren’t ready to see, let alone enjoy, a film about male fear controlled entirely by female sexuality. 

But perhaps for those same reasons, Jennifer’s Body is claiming the cult status it was always destined to have. 

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