Silver, who appears as a teenager like Justine, becomes infatuated with a human man, Mietek, and experiences the powerful feelings of first love. And like Justine, Silver’s desire is so strong that she’ll do whatever it takes to be with him, despite Golden’s warnings. When the selfish Mietek says he only wants to have a sexual relationship with a human, Silver makes the drastic choice to undergo surgery to become human. Silver captures the way a woman might bend to societal pressures and change herself to please a lover, whereas the more violent and flesh-hungry Golden is sure of who she is and cannot understand her sister’s willingness to give up her body.

Freed of so many “normal” inhibitions, these cannibal women are also free to—in the parlance of female empowerment—truly become themselves. In Raw, Justine revels in the autonomy she has at her minimally supervised new school and develops an independent identity. After developing a taste for human flesh, she continues to test the boundaries of what’s acceptable, enthusiastically pushing past even the most debauched behavior of her peers.

The cannibal mermaids in The Lure are also forced to consider how their identities change outside of the sea, and in proximity to their food. Golden and Silver play at being human, living with a family of singers and working at the nightclub. But Silver goes against her true nature and decides to live among those she’d otherwise eat, finding empowerment via choice. Though Golden doesn’t seem to understand, she remains on land out of love for her sister.

Meanwhile, Sheila, after her transformation, appears to be driven solely by her id: She buys a Range Rover, goes out dancing, and remorselessly murders for food. Except for her people-eating, Sheila 2.0 is all-around better. Her husband is thrilled by their revitalized sex life, her enthusiasm suits her career, and her neighbors suddenly befriend her. Sheila’s teenage daughter is the only character who expresses concern, wondering if her mother can still feel love. Cannibalism thus serves as a metaphor for Sheila’s liberation: By “dying,” she’s released from the boredom of her previously formulaic life as a woman trying to “have it all.” In many of these cases, characters draw power from indulging in what might be humanity’s biggest taboo—and having crossed that line, they’re less afraid to cross others.

Cannibal women in pop culture continue to reflect deep and persistent social fears about female autonomy. The physical danger that characters like Justine pose to those around her aligns with the belief that women’s bodies should be monitored and regulated—an idea that plays out in debates about issues like reproductive health. The way Justine is shamed by her classmates echoes how sex, bodies, and desires are often marked as sources of embarrassment. Sheila, too, is initially mocked for her increased libido, which eventually becomes a source of fulfillment.

On the surface, these characters still reflect stubborn stereotypes—they’re beautiful, manipulative, and deadly. But they also turn these traits around to offer an image of resistance to society’s demand that women keep their appetites under control. If viewers can get past the stomach-churning sight of a girl biting off a boy’s lip or of a woman munching on human fingers, they may find themselves empathizing with such acts of liberation, however symbolic or messy.