The snake tells Eve that if she eats the forbidden fruit, she will not die but instead, her eyes will be open. She will become like God, knowing good from evil. She listens to the snake, eats the fruit, and is conscious for the first time. She shares the fruit with Adam, also making him conscious. This symbolically represents the idea that women have been making men self-conscious since the beginning of history.
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
Because women bear the burden of childbirth, it is a high stakes game to choose a competent man to spend the rest of your life and raise children with. Thus, the woman will reject, shame, and refuse a man she deems unacceptable to carry the burden with her.
Evolutionarily, the symbol of the snake giving vision to humans coincides with the idea that apes developed highly acute vision in order to seek out and avoid highly dangerous snakes as well as the ability to detect ripe and edible fruit.
Having your eyes truly open means you realize your vulnerability to damage and judgement of health and beauty. Adam and Eve saw their faults standing out, their vulnerability on full display after eating the fruit. Humans stand upright and expose their bellies whereas other animals are protected hunched over on their backs. The ideal perfect body damages our egos and shames us all. We fear and resent the ideal so much we have been clothing our most vulnerable parts since Adam and Eve have realized their nakedness after the Original Sin.
