Essay on Women as Victims in the Media - 569 Words

Women as Victims in the Media One interesting aspect of murder is the way it is portrayed in different forms of media. In particular the way female murder victims have been portrayed over time reflects the social norms of the period. Focusing on the way murdered females were portrayed in various forms of media, beginning in the late eighteenth century in the United States and ending with the present day representations in film it is evident that a traditional style of portraying dead women has continued to pervade society through the twentieth century. Stories, either fictional or based on actual events, began around 1800 portraying women victims as young, unmarried, beautiful and innocent. Their deaths were portrayed†¦show more content†¦The message appeared to be that women who were sexually active before marriage were doomed to horrible fates. At the same time the erotic descriptions of the corpses gave a voyeuristic pleasure to an audience that was taught to regard premarital sex as a taboo. Comparing a study done by Gloria Cowan and Margaret OBrien concerning the differences between male/female survivors vs. non-survivors in slasher films during the 1980s to the characterization of women victims in the media in the early 1800s show striking similarities. In the study female non-survivors wore more revealing and/or provocative clothing, were nude, or undressing, and were presented as promiscuous more often than female survivors in slasher films. Further victims were more frequently engaged in sexual behavior right before the killing. They were also more likely to be doing drugs more often than the survivors. The non-survivors were generally more physically attractive and were not the instigators of the violence. More survivors than non-survivors provoked the villain into direct confrontation. The message seems to be that sexual. women get killed. The good woman is asexual and the bad woman who has sex dies because of it. The films reinforce the concept that female sexual ity is dangerous for the female.(Cowan, 187-196) The way women are presented as victims of murder has been intrinsically linked to the social lessons and preconceptions ofShow MoreRelatedCrime And The Victims Of Crime1627 Words   |  7 Pagesbecome the victims of crime? Among society, there are many variances in people’s perceptions of safety and the threat of crime. This small essay will discuss whether members of society that are considered the most fearful of crime are accurate in their concerns and are also most likely to become victims of committed crimes. 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