I’m honestly suprised that there aren’t more depictions of female werewolves in media. I mean the fact that the transformation occurs every month just like a menstrual cycle only makes for more coherent storytelling. I would love to a modern film akin to Ginger Snaps, where a sheltered girl who enters college starts to undergo an unusual metamorphosis.

y'know, the amnesia effect might be more of a blessing than anything. remembering what you did while you were a monster would probably be even worse than having to just look at the consequences

What always compelled me about the werewolf is the horror element for the werewolf himself. He is a good man cursed to transform into a monster and do harm. He has no control over this and is forced to be an outcast from society and his loved ones so he doesn't kill anyone. This makes the werewolf a tragic figure. To contrast this with the vampire, which is a monster that looks like a man to feed off people, a werewolf is man forced to be a monster.

And then there's Celtics werewolves. Genetic werewolves that are guardians. Protected people, sacred grounds, and beloved members of their communities

"What's the least human monster?"
Rich people.

There's also an old legend about the 7th male son in a family being a werewolf.

I wake up in the woods within a circle of piss every weekend and have yet to become a werewolf.

i really like thinking of the werewolf as a bpd/bipolar metaphor

Werewolves are definitely my favorite type of monster, especially because of the sheer amount of customizability they have.  There's no one way to go about any piece of the puzzle, you can just mix, match, and create whatever details you want.  Hell, they don't even have to be wereWOLVES, lycanthropy can be whatever you want it to be.  I've even seen wolves that become humans during full moons.

My personal interpretation of the werewolf has a lot influenced by your own acceptance of the transformation.  The more you fear the beast, the more it gives you a reason to fear it.  You lose control, the transformation is long and painful, you lose those close to you, it's generally going to give you a very hard time of things.  Embrace it, though, and everything becomes so much easier.  You call the shots, the transformation is seamless, those you care about probably think you're pretty cool.  Accept who you are deep within, and you'll find yourself happier than ever.  There's also a rather humorous way to tell if somebody's a werewolf: dog habits spring up.  They may suddenly become scared of fireworks, get distracted by squirrels, chase flowy bits of their own clothing, get excited when they're called good boy/girl, stuff like that.  It's the one constant regardless of your reaction to becoming a werewolf.

As a sufferer of bipolar disorder, thinking of my illness as lycanthropy has helped me relate to it. Sporadic changes into states that cause damage to my relationships, over which I have little agency but feel the guilt of afterward, and have to deal with the consequences of. Maybe not a perfect metaphor but apt enough.

i’m writing a horror limited series featuring a woman werewolf protagonist and this video is EVERYTHING!! thank you for covering the intersection of lycanthropy and menses/female puberty. your channel rocks, i’ve been looking for exactly this video for ages

Another movie I'd like to mention that features women werewolves is "Wolfwalkers", an animated Irish film by Cartoon Salon and directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart.
The movie is about two girls, Robyn and Mebh, living in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1650. Mebh and her mother are wolfwalkers who defend the forest and the local wolves from encroaching humans. Robyn's father is a wolf-hunter who is commissioned to exterminate the wolves. Things get complicated when Mebh accidentally bites Robyn and turns her into a wolfwalker.
Unlike most werewolf stories, there is no traumatic, bodily transformation and no amnesia. When the wolfwalker falls asleep, their soul leaves their body and takes the form of a wolf. In this form, they maintain total control and remember everything from the previous night. If they are killed in wolf form, their human form dies also, and if they are captured in wolf form, their human bodies remain in a coma until they can return. Wolfwalkers also have the ability to heal.
There are a lot of themes in this film, but the most prominent is being caged: by religion, by fear, and by societal pressures. The animation is so creative in how it depicts these themes. There's one shot where we see the world through the eyes of the main antagonist while he's wearing a helmet with a face mesh. He literally sees the world through iron bars. The heart of the story, of course, is the friendship between Robyn and Mebh. The scene where they play in the woods as wolves is so beautiful. This film is beautiful in every way. You guys should definitely watch it.

I think someone has finally made a worthy essay on why i love of werewolves.

The irony of werewolves is that the more we know about wolves as animals the less scary they actually are as a concept. Wolves can be dangerous of course but most are shy and actively avoid humans. The males are often very attentive to the females especially when having pups and it’s likely a werewolf would recognize someone they know and love! Wolves are related to dogs and a dog never forgets their owners or people they are familiar with so logically speaking so would a werewolf ❤️

Bonus:
• Sonic The Hedgehog - Sonic transformed into a were hog
• Wallace And Gromit - Wallace transformed into a were rabbit
• Alvin And The Chipmunks Meets The Wolf Man - Theodore gets bitten by a dog and was cursed by turning himself into a werewolf

If you think about, Yuji from JJK is technically a werewolf…

Werewolf is a puberty metaphor. You're  all good and innocent, then suddenly you're stronger and faster and hairy. And full of...urges.

I loooove teen wolf as a middle schooler. One thing I still think about is how masculinity is portrayed in that show and how it’s sort of ahead pf it’s time. Scott and stiles are losers but they become respected because of their dedication to each other and protecting their friends. They treat women relatively well and despite how easy it would be to make them accidentally agressive towards the women in their life, they actually look to them often for leadership and strength. Idk just something I think is really cool in a show that so easily could have gone a different direction

i really wish you expanded more on the idea of wolves vs gender roles! it’s explored in ginger snaps a bit with lycanthropy relating to puberty, but i feel like there was a lot more to expand on that.

The Company of Wolves, written by Angela Carter and later turned into a film adaption is a red riding hood story where the woodcutter WAS a werewolf. Red riding hood turns into a wolf at the end as well, and it says a lot about the dynamics of gender roles.

Ways to become a werewolf: being born on Christmas day, just after midnight; being the seventh consecutive son (South America); being the illegitimate son of a priest.