In horror movies, villains are usually made to look scary and if they are women they are usually made to look not as attractive as the main heroine. However, in the movie Jennifer’s Body, they use the main character looks hyper-feminine to show her descent into evil. The movie did not gain attraction until years later and became a cult classic for its themes of friendship and the way men pray on young women’s bodies.

We are introduced to both our main characters Jennifer and Neddy along with a clear dynamic. Jennifer is the popular pretty cheerleader and Neddy is awkward, not as popular compared to Jennifer. When we see Jennifer in her regular clothes we see that she dresses feminine. There is an emphasis on showing her body such as her chest to show her desirability. When going to the concern with Neddy she states that Jennifer doesn’t allow her to wear shirts that show cleave because is Jennifer’s thing. This shows their dynamic and shows that Jennifer is very aware of her attractiveness which she uses to get what she wants.

Jennifer’s style is always dressed in a seductive way but she is never oversexualized which is realistic for a teenager. When they go to the concert she is wearing a white jacket, which is an innocent color. This pair with her mini skirt, revealing top, and boots shows her desirability. This outfit still reminds us that she is just a teenager. In this scene, we get reminded many times she is very young. She uses her own body to get things she wants like getting drinks even though she is underage. However, this is what leads her to get the wrong attention from the band who end up using her as a sacrifice in order to get fame.

Weaponizing Jennifer’s body

The sacrifice doesn’t work which turns Jennifer into a demon that feeds on men specifically. The next morning when everyone is sad about the fire that happened at the club where the concert happened. Jennifer is wearing a very bright yellow top and looks very energetic. For the rest of the movie she dresses feminine and revealing clothing. We see she used to seduce boys to places to eat them. The boys are so focused on Jennifer and her body that they ignore clear signs that something is wrong, this solidifies how much power Jennifer has over them.

Although Jennifer has some power over the boys at first glance, you might think she is happy she isn’t. She has a dependence on boys finding her attractive because she puts so much worth in her looks and being desirable. When she doesn’t eat boys she becomes tired, and dull and wears clothing that is not revealing and is more comfortable. She even admits that she feels empty until she can seduce another boy when she regains her power back. We see her wearing this bright pink heart sweater with very low-rise jeans that are a staple for Jennifer’s style. She stands out wearing such a bright color while everyone is wearing gray because they have found out about the boy who mysteriously was killed.

Both a villain and a victim

Jennifer is manipulative by using the power she has because of her looks. We can see Jennifer wearing her matching necklace with Neddy which she usually plays with. This symbolizes their dynamic and how she likes to play with Neddy to feel that she has power over her. Even though we see Jennifer doing all of these awful things she is still a victim as well. All of the men who we see interact with Jennifer don’t care for Jennifer or her well being she is often objectified because they just care about Jennifer’s body.

In the end, when Jennifer is finally defeated in her bedroom, it looks like any bedroom of a teenage girl. We see her mom come into the bedroom to see her death. The reality that she was just a teenager sinks in at this moment. In her final words, she says no my tits and Neddy says no your heart. This solidifies the fact Jennifer only sees her body as a sexual object. This is a heartbreaking moment because it shows that the treatment she received from men she felt that was all she was.

Read more fashion analysis of movies from the 200s with our analysis of Cady from Mean Girls.