"True crime media has manufactured a uniquely degrading pipeline: Women convicted of crimes become involuntary performers in a spectacle that attracts precisely the men most likely to dehumanize them. Incarcerated women featured in these venues are then flooded with letters, with a significant portion coming from self-described incels, men who frame their desire for connection through the language of sexual entitlement and misogyny. The genre itself engineers this outcome."
"During the commercial breaks, she shared the messages she gets when media like this airs: Guys declaring their unyielding love. Men proposing marriage. She later received a nine-page handwritten letter describing her as coldhearted because she never replies. He swears he will never write to her again, but the next week, another letter arrives, saying he has visited her mother to ask why she won't write him back."
True crime media transforms incarcerated women into involuntary public performers who receive intense, often dehumanizing attention. The portrayal draws men seeking connections with imprisoned women, including self-described incels who use language of sexual entitlement and misogyny. These men inundate women with letters that range from declarations of love and marriage proposals to stalking behavior and controlling demands. Media exposure also creates vulnerability to abuse from correctional staff, who may exploit the spectacle for sexual power. The combined effect normalizes, amplifies, and facilitates harassment, compromising incarcerated women's safety, autonomy, and dignity.
Read at Truthout
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