In August of 2021, “Twenty-two year old female missing in Wyoming” was a news headline that scoured the media. Two years later, the name “Gabby Petito” still makes headlines from time to time. What exactly was it that made this story captivate an audience of millions? Was it because she and her spouse had a YouTube channel, they posted vlogs to? Was it because Gabby was a young, white, conventionally attractive female? Regardless of what the reasoning may be, her story perfectly aligns with what is commonly known as ‘missing white woman syndrome’. Missing White Woman Syndrome refers to the media’s infatuation with covering missing white women and its failure to cover identical stories about women of color. A question that may be commonly asked when analyzing Gabby Petitos story is, would this story be as popular if Gabby was not white?
This issue of unfairness of representation within the news plays just a small part in the overarching racial issue in the United States. Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latina, etc. women are already extremely mis- and under- represented within the media. Therefore, their underrepresentation is not an excuse to dismiss covering them on the news when they go missing. As a privileged white female, I feel as if it is very important to educate myself on racial issues and form an understanding for what minorities face on a day-to-day basis. With that being said, I believe it is necessary I write on a topic as such, because one of the ways to stop the underrepresentation of women in the media in general is to put a voice to issues like this.
The main issue with Missing White Woman Syndrome is the fact that missing and endangered women of other races are not receiving the same amount of time in the news as white females. Very rarely does a missing female of color make headlines and when they do, the story is quickly brushed away. While I may not be able to speak on behalf of any minority community, I am sure it is disheartening as a black, latina, asian, etc. female to watch the stories of missing un-white women not get as much coverage as ones similar to Gabby Petitos. This is not an attempt to discredit or undermine Gabby’s story, it is just as important, but it serves as a catalyst for this diversity issue. Additionally, if my best friend, who is black, went missing and the news did not try to cover her case, I would be angry, devastated, confused, etc.
Researchers from the women’s center at the University of Missouri Kansas City believe that missing white females are oftentimes the only ones to be covered in the news because of money. Audiences are conditioned to become more attached to the stories of conventionally attractive, young, white females. For that reason, viewership increases, thus bringing in more revenue to news and media outlets.
The news only allowing for the coverage of missing white women may help that specific case. However, when the same thing happens to a person of color and the media does nothing to spread awareness, the conversation of unfairness and underrepresentation comes to light. It isn’t a matter of decreasing the amount of coverage missing white females receive, but more so a matter of increasing the amount of coverage for missing minority females. The same can be said about men as well. No one wants to see a missing person on the news, but if it is going to happen it needs to happen equitably and without any prejudice.
Gabby Petito’s story is just one example of the (unfortunately) many stories covered in the news of missing white women. While coverage of missing women in general is not something audiences may love to view, it is important to do so primarily for education purposes. However, doing so in a way that equally represents all races is key to solving this diversity issue. It may not be the cure for finding these women, but awareness does contribute to those affected. Another suggestion for overcoming the problem is to address the fact that it is indeed a problem. If news outlets would make up for their mistakes and hold themselves accountable, this issue may not continue to arise. It would also help if news outlets would not be so infatuated with the financial capital, they may gain from one story in comparison to another. If a white and asian female were to go missing at the same time, why not cover both stories with the same amount of effort?
- The Issue Within the ‘Missing White Woman’ – by Lilli Morgan - March 22, 2023