Vagina dentata

Latin for "toothed vagina".

Often crops up as a sexist projection onto women's bodies of men's fear of women's sexuality. Devouring mothers and all that.

Sometimes appears in fiction as an instance of fantastical biology, or a science-fictional body modification or device.

As a rape deterrent, it rather rests on the presumption that men will have access to women's bodies anyhow, and that they will go far enough for a device located in the vagina to make any difference, thereby circumscribing women's inevitable position as victims.

Sonette Ehlers with a screenshot and a prototype of the Rapex, a female condom. (Photo: Reuters, taken from Robyn Dixon, "Controversy in South Africa over device to snare rapists", Sept. 2, 2005.)

The development of a real-life version (the "Rapex", invented by Sonette Ehlers in 2005) inspired criticism that they would be useless against rape committed with the help of foreign objects, or expose victims to blood-borne contagions should their attackers' skin break. Ehlers said she had been inspired to invent it after meeting a woman who had been raped who told her, "If only I had teeth down there."

Examples

Fantasy

• Tanith Lee's "Weasel Bride"

Science-Fiction

• Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.

Other

• Piero Schivazappa's "Femina Ridens" (transl. "Frightened Woman", 1969); misogynystic millionaire kidnaps and tortures a woman; he creates a vagina dentata doorway.

External Links

• Wikipedia entry about vagina dentata