The term “Vagina Dentata” may sound like some kind of female reproductive organ disease, but it’s actually Latin for “toothed vagina.” So will it’s not something that causes feminine itching, it may cause males to squirm a little.
Many cultures have frightened their male members (no pun intended) with stories of castration by women who possess a ravenous sex organ that castrates them during intercourse. Perhaps they created the tales to scare the men from straying from their wives into the arms of unknown women, who could possibly possess this frightening trait, or perhaps the resemblance of the mouth to the vagina led people to believe that this attribute could possibly exist. Whatever the reason for the creation of the myth, it’s sure to make a man a little uneasy thinking about it, even though they know it’s not real. Or is it?
Apparently, humans can develop something called dermoid cysts, which are capable of growing hair, teeth, or bone, and can grow anywhere. So women who have these cysts develop in their pelvic region may actually have real teeth inside their vaginas. Though not capable of biting down and castrating a man, the sight of teeth inside a vagina would still be a very disturbing sight to behold.
An even more frightening example of something similar to teeth in a woman’s vagina is a little device called The Rapex. The Rapex is basically an anti-rape condom that fits inside a woman’s vagina. The condom is equipped with tiny barbs, so once penetration occurs, the condom is affixed to the offender’s penis and can only be removed surgically. The condom was developed to help women in South Africa, where women were being raped at alarming rates. By forcing men to have to identify themselves to have the condom removed and causing them pain and humiliation, the idea was to make men think twice about taking advantage women. While it could help prevent unwanted pregnancies, unfortunately, women have more than one hole, and you can’t really put any kind of protection in the other one. Imagine if women in the U.S. started using a product like this. It would be a great way to get revenge on a cheating boyfriend (kidding!), and I’m sure it would prevent rape here as well, but I don’t see something so controversial being allowed here anytime soon.
Perhaps vagina dentata isn’t something that men really have to fear, at least not physically. In a sense, the vagina does devour the penis during sex, which may make a man feel a little vulnerable. It could also be seen as a reverse birth, going into the vagina instead of out, or having sex with a being that’s already been castrated, looking at it from a Freudian prospective. But it’s unlikely men are thinking this deeply during intercourse.
Here is one frightening thought for the males out there, however: the vagina doesn’t have teeth, but the mouth does, and women have bitten penises off in the past. So just think about that next time you’re trying to convince a strange female to engage in a little fellatio. Women can hold some pretty intense grudges against men who are after just one thing, and you might just be biting off more than you can chew.
