The ‘Number One Serial Killer Target,’ Investigating the Portrayal of Sex Worker as Victims on Criminal Minds
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Authors
Rogers, Melanie Renee
Date
2024-09-19
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Media , Sex work , Victimology , Stigma , Media representation , Gender-based violence
Alternative Title
Abstract
Due to the stigmatized and, therefore, secretive nature of sex, much of the general population’s understanding of the sex industry is informed through the media, in which representations are produced, negotiated, and repeated (Hallgrimsdottir et al. 2006; Armstrong and Fraser 2020). While several authors have examined the portrayal of sex workers victims in the news media and note the media’s role in normalizing violence and stigma faced by sex workers (Jiwani and Young 2006; Lowman 2000; Strega et al. 2014; Hallgrimsdottir et al. 2006), fictional portrayals remain largely unanalyzed. The present study is a content analysis of all episodes of the popular crime drama, Criminal Minds from seasons one through sixteen, in which at least one of the victims is identified as a sex worker. Of the thirty-one resultant episodes, ninety-seven sex workers victims were identified (n=97). Results indicate the show engages in typification similar to that of news media by using decontextualizing tropes and stereotype-laden narratives. Such typification obscures the role structural inequalities play in sex worker victimization and presents a narrow portrayal of sex workers. The results are discussed using a social constructionist perspective to understand the role of media in forming the symbolic reality (Surette 2011). A feminist perspective is applied to contextualize the violence experienced by sex workers as an extreme manifestation of the existing forms of violence against women (Grzyb et al. 2018).
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International