NCJ Number
179122
Journal
Gender and Society Volume: 13 Issue: 5 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 643-663
Date Published
October 1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The reality television program America's Most Wanted is examined in terms of its social construction of femininity, based on a comparison its depiction of female victims during the 1988-89 and the 1995-96 seasons.
Abstract
A prior study argued that the television program empowers women to speak about their victimization. Other research suggested that such programs make women fearful. This study used videotapes of 9 episodes presenting 24 original crime story vignettes during January-May 1989 and 15 episodes presenting 72 original crime story vignettes during January-May 1996. Offense and victim characteristics were analyzed with respect to the visual images of victims, the language used, and the gender and status of the persons who provided the descriptions. Forty-two percent of the 1989 vignettes and 43 percent of the 1996 vignettes depicted female victims, although men spoke more often and presented master narratives about the crimes. The program imagery in both seasons emphasized feminine vulnerability to violence from strange, devious, and brutal men, as well as masculine technical expertise and authority as women's protection from such violence. The depiction on America's Most Wanted conformed to television's typical portrayal of women in that the women victims were usually white, relatively young, and working in traditional women's jobs. They were defined by their selfless sociability, their fragile relationships with intimates, their motherhood, and their physical beauty. Findings indicated that the television program offers a powerful, pedagogical construction of gender in society and sends the audience a message that the only defense against the ever-present dangers to women is to trust in the police and the program's television community of surveillance. Tables, notes, and 50 references (Author abstract modified)