Author Alice Bolin and Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth delve into the prevalent trope of dead girls in popular culture, including the case of JonBenet Ramsey and the evolving portrayal of the trope in television shows. They discuss the societal influence on women's bodies and promote LGBTQ+ rights and equality.
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Quick takeaways
The dead girl trope in popular culture reflects the victimization and commodification of women's bodies, particularly white girls, and highlights the need to challenge societal attitudes towards female victims.
The dead girl trope symbolizes society's desire to project its history, desires, and confusion onto silent and victimized female figures, while media sensationalization perpetuates this trope and reinforces regressive gender stereotypes.
Deep dives
The Evolution and Criticism of the Dead Girl Trope
The podcast episode explores the concept of the dead girl trope and its evolution in popular culture. It discusses how the depiction of dead girls, particularly white girls, has been a prevalent theme in true crime, TV shows, and movies. The guest expert, Alice Bolin, author of the book 'Dead Girls,' highlights the victimization and commodification of dead girls' bodies. The podcast delves into the cultural fascination with dead girls and the ways in which society has started to question and critique this trope. It acknowledges that while there have been some attempts to subvert and parody the trope, the focus on dead white girls still persists. However, the conversation also encompasses the recognition of the importance of highlighting cases of violence against women of color and the need to challenge and shift societal attitudes towards female victims.
Exploring the Symbolism and Identity of Dead Girls
The podcast examines the symbolism and identity associated with dead girls. It draws parallels between the dead girl trope and the concept of the 'cool girl,' emphasizing the reduction and simplification of women for male consumption. The discussion delves into the dichotomy of victim blaming when it comes to female murder victims, highlighting the tendency to focus on the inner lives of male perpetrators while scrutinizing the actions and character of the victims. The guest expert explores how the dead girl represents mystery, embodying society's desire to project its history, desires, and confusion onto these silent and victimized figures. The podcast also references the impact of the media in perpetuating the dead girl trope by showcasing crime scene photos and sensationalizing these cases for public consumption.
The Evolution and Criticism of Dead Girls in Popular Culture
The podcast analyzes the evolution of the dead girl trope in popular culture over the past few years. It examines recent TV shows and movies that adopt different approaches to the trope, such as the series 'You' and '13 Reasons Why,' which give dead girls more agency and challenge traditional narratives. The discussion also includes the influence of social media in shaping the public's interest in cases like Gabby Petito's. The podcast acknowledges the ongoing issue of fetishizing and valuing the lives of white women and girls over women and girls of color. While some progress has been made in diversifying the portrayal of victims, the guest expert suggests that a complete departure from the dead girl trope will require a more nuanced understanding of gender and the dismantling of regressive gender stereotypes.
The Future of the Dead Girl Trope
The podcast concludes with a discussion on the future of the dead girl trope. It speculates that the trope may eventually fade as cultural trends and interests shift. The guest expert highlights the relatively recent emergence of this trope and emphasizes the possibility of a more nuanced understanding of gender challenging and rendering this narrative obsolete. The conversation also raises questions about the ethics and responsibility of true crime narratives and the consumption of stories about dead women. The podcast recognizes the need for continued conversations about the representation and treatment of victims, as well as the importance of amplifying the voices and stories of marginalized victims who are often overlooked in popular culture.
On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re bringing out the dead girls. Everywhere you look in popular culture there seems to be a new movie, TV show or true crime documentary detailing the mystery of yet another woman’s death. At least, that was how author and guest Alice Bolin saw things when she wrote her book Dead Girls in 2018. She sits down with Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth to unpack what has - and hasn’t - changed in dead girl culture (from Twin Peak’s Laura Palmer to our persistent obsession with Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia) and what this fixation says about all of us.
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