The Rise of the Vulva Monster: The Petrifying Pussies, Voracious Vaginas, and Othered Orifices of Screen Media

When: 30 October, 17.15-18.15

Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b

Have you ever seen a vulva monster? You know… that monster on your screen whose mouth looks a little too… familiar? Its teeth are surrounded by too much texture, too much ooze, too much…flesh.

For many pop-culture enthusiasts, this phenomenon in cinema, television, gaming, and other media is a trope that has existed for decades. Blogs and pop-culture sites like Buzzfeed have boasted articles like, “19 Movie Monsters that Look Like…Vaginas” and “Terrifying Twats: Vicious Vaginas in Sci-Fi Films”. And among these lists, one may recognize the labial appearance of the Facehugger from the Alien franchise, the hideous mandible jaw of the Predator of the Predator franchise or the flowering toothed maw of the Demogorgon from Stranger Things (2016).

But, while the trend of “vagina monsters” has been comedically discussed among fringe fans across the media sphere, the academic world has left this trope in film and television underexplored, often exclusively relying on psychoanalytic discussions of monstrous femininity to understand how gender plays a role in the monstrous body. But, other than the presence of the female vulva, what of these monsters are actually feminine? Often times, the alien, animalistic, and even masculine features of these creatures remain unexplored. In this talk, Carrie Russpatrick will discuss what more we can learn about our contemporary fears of gender, sexuality, race and more when we look at the queer, unearthly body of the vulva monster.

Come to Prismatic Pages and learn a bit more about your favorite fleshy monsters of science fiction, horror, and fantasy media!

Carrie Russpatrick is a doctoral researcher at the University of Oslo’s Department of Media and Communication. She currently studies the theoretical crossings of aesthetics, the body, and queer/feminist monster theory through the trope of the “vulva monster” in screen media. She is also a collaborative member of the Monster Network, which fosters international collaborations among those with interest in monsters and the monstrous. In her spare time, she is a lover of zines, plants, and all things cult classic.

The ticket price of 100 NOK may be used on the day as credit toward any book purchase.

Tickets cannot be refunded but you may resell or give away your ticket if the original purchaser cannot attend.

If you are in a tight financial spot and still want to attend, please email hello@prismaticpages.com :)