Let’s dive into “missing white woman syndrome” and why the media is obsessed with rallying for privileged white women while countless other people from different backgrounds are forgotten.

I am someone who people would talk about if I went missing. I am a white American woman from an upper-middle-class background with a university education and blonde hair who lives in a foreign country. I am everything the media craves. I can already see the headlines, “American goes missing. Community rises in support. National Outcry.” Hell, I would make international news. This is something that I used to joke about when I traveled alone, but I don’t think it’s funny anymore. I realized that it’s a privilege to have people care when you go missing. What kind of a twisted world is that? Why should my life matter more than anyone else’s life? Why do the color of my skin and my background dictate how much my life matters? Spoiler Alert: they shouldn’t. But they do. Let’s dive into “missing white woman syndrome” and America’s obsession with true crime.

Missing white woman syndrome is more than just the title of an episode of You on Netflix. It’s more than just the Gabby Petito case, though the disappearance and murder of Gabby is certainly something that has made this term relevant. This discussion has nothing to do with Gabby, a 22-year-old hopeful influencer and nutritionist who was likely the victim of domestic violence at the hands of Brian Laundrie. Gabby didn’t ask for people to care about her life more than they care about the lives of missing and likely murdered indigenous women who were in the same tragic position as her. It’s not Gabby’s fault that the media cares more about her, nor does it mean her life isn’t worth remembering. But it is disturbing how much attention people pour into Gabby when other cases receive nothing.

Gabby has received overwhelming media attention since she was reported missing and was then found and revealed to have died by strangulation. Her Instagram currently sits at 1.3 million followers, with countless fan accounts on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok set up to fangirl over her. People are trying to carve out online fame based on Gabby’s tragedy as wannabe internet sleuths aim to solve her murder and find the missing Brian. Brian’s last Instagram post has over 133,000 comments demanding answers. Meanwhile, there is a Gabby Petito Instagram fan page that reads “Justice for Gabby” in its bio and has over 100,000 followers. Why do people care so much when people who look like Gabby -people who look like me- disappear?

Missing white woman syndrome is a term coined by social scientists. It describes the disproportionate media coverage devoted to cases of affluent, young, white women who disappear compared to the utter lack of coverage given to non-white, lower social class girls, women, boys, and men. The New Yorker explored the phenomenon, citing a University of Wyoming report that listed 710 missing indigenous people in Wyoming in the past decade whose cases were overlooked while Gabby’s case commands world attention. Gabby’s case reveals something even more disturbing, which is how people have turned “true crime” into a source of entertainment. Boundaries between crime and entertainment have become so muddied that the tragedy Gabby experienced has become an exciting pastime for countless Americans to dig into and follow.

People have overlooked significant issues that Americans face to instead turn Gabby’s death into a sick fascination and form of entertainment. Their obsession with her case completely removes the meaning from not only Gabby’s life but the lives of countless other people who have had their tragedies overlooked. Beautiful, missing women fascinate and captivate American audiences in an unsettling way. But the people who obsess over Gabby’s story and treat it as a spectacle that they can be involved in are glaringly insensitive to the people who knew and loved Gabby. Americans appear to have a long history of being obsessed with missing white women, something that the rise of true crime podcasts has only intensified. This fascination is both dehumanizing and damaging.

The Guardian also explored the missing white woman syndrome phenomenon that has surrounded the Gabby Petito case. A study done by the publication found that missing white women are indeed given more coverage and more extensive coverage compared to lower class citizens, other races, men, and boys. Missing white woman syndrome is a reality that is hard to miss when you examine Gabby’s case or browse true crime podcasts. But what can be done to combat this injustice?

We need to raise awareness for the gender, race, and income disparities that affect media coverage for missing and exploited people. Media companies are at the forefront of perpetuating these disparities with who they decide to give coverage. However, we as consumers also play a critical role in deciding what news stories gain traction. As consumers, it is up to us to decide what stories to click on, what podcasts to consume, what images we choose to comment on and like. We can devote our attention to publicizing underrepresented groups through our choices as consumers. Law enforcement also plays a key role in determining which stories are newsworthy. But we also need to accept our own responsibility in the matter.

Gabby’s case matters, as does Gabby’s life. Her loved ones deserve answers, but they don’t deserve to have Americans make a spectacle out of Gabby’s life and insert themselves into her story for attention. Likewise, the families of all of the other missing, exploited, and murdered people deserve equal answers, justice, and coverage. This is real life, and these are real cases. We need to stop making a spectacle of people’s tragedies for our entertainment and instead shed light on the injustices in law enforcement and media that allow for so many low-income, non-white people to disappear without outcry. And we need to be aware of what stories we give our attention to as consumers. What we click on matters.

Sources:

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-long-american-history-of-missing-white-woman-syndrome

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/29/the-missing-white-woman-syndrome-still-plagues-america