Female audiences for true crime television: Popular discourse, feminism and the politics of ‘ethical viewing’

Su Holmes; Claire Hines

doi:10.1177/17496020241306224

Female audiences for true crime television: Popular discourse, feminism and the politics of ‘ethical viewing’

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article draws on data from 18 semi-structured interviews with women which explore their relations with true crime television. Complicating popular and academic arguments that such relations operate pedagogically (that true crime offers a form of ‘safety advice’ for women), the data attests to the participants’ reflexive negotiation of ethics as a frame through which viewing investments are presented, regulated and articulated. Both contributing to and questioning feminist work which has explored the potential ‘reimagining’ of true crime within a post #Metoo context, the data offers insight into how these female viewers negotiate what they see as ‘ethical viewing’ of the genre and its relationship with questions of ‘witnessing’ and responsibility.

Original language	English
Number of pages	33
Journal	Critical Studies in Television
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/17496020241306224
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 11 Nov 2024

Keywords

True crime
Gender
Female audiences
Ethics
victims

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1177/17496020241306224

Embargoed Document

Gender and true crime article Revised for CST
Accepted author manuscript, 417 KB
Embargo ends: 31/12/99

Cite this

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abstract = "This article draws on data from 18 semi-structured interviews with women which explore their relations with true crime television. Complicating popular and academic arguments that such relations operate pedagogically (that true crime offers a form of {\textquoteleft}safety advice{\textquoteright} for women), the data attests to the participants{\textquoteright} reflexive negotiation of ethics as a frame through which viewing investments are presented, regulated and articulated. Both contributing to and questioning feminist work which has explored the potential {\textquoteleft}reimagining{\textquoteright} of true crime within a post #Metoo context, the data offers insight into how these female viewers negotiate what they see as {\textquoteleft}ethical viewing{\textquoteright} of the genre and its relationship with questions of {\textquoteleft}witnessing{\textquoteright} and responsibility.",

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