Glamorization of high-profile criminals is normalized by T.V. shows and documentaries, pushing them into a spotlight they don’t deserve.
Most mainstream media created about criminals is meant to be more entertaining than educational.
“The entertainment industry is launching new television shows, podcasts and books to capitalize on the public obsession with true crime,” according to an academic journal published by the University of South Carolina.
True crime is also responsible for 63 percent of the increase in documentary series available on streaming platforms, according to the media tracking company Parrot Analytics.
One of the newest documentaries available is Netflix’s “The Menendez Brothers” which tells the story of Erik and Lyle Menendez. While it’s a reliable source for information about their case, it’s not the main source of their recent popularity. The brothers are also the subject of the second season of Netflix’s “Monsters.” The T.V. show depicts fictionalized accounts of these infamous criminals and gained popularity after the success of its first season, which focused on Jeffrey Dahmer.
Since airing, an aesthetic surrounding “Monsters” has been created on social media, romanticizing the wardrobe and soundtrack included. This romanticization translates over to the actual brothers, with fans posting edits of them testifying at the original trial on TikTok.
If T.V. shows and other mainstream media are based on a true story, they should remain one. Shows that change details of serious crimes to tailor them for entertainment industry are unethical and damaging. Not only do they spread misinformation, but they often depict the criminals in a more glamorized way, which can lead to the idolization of criminals.
Critics also accused Netflix’s series “Inventing Anna” of painting the con artist, Anna Delvey, as a “girl boss” Delvey used her appearance to trick people into believing she was a rich heiress and swindle unsuspecting friends out of thousands of dollars. She even lied about her name, switching from Anna Sorokin for Anna Delvey to further play the part.
A recent student survey shows 72 percent of people are more likely to watch a T.V. show like “Inventing Anna” or “Monsters” than factual documentaries, like Lifetime’s “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” or Netflix’s “The Menendez Brothers.” These inaccurate shows reach a large audience, resulting in more people learning about the glamorized version of these cases.
After the series aired, Delvey’s Instagram following and fan base only grew more. She’s been able to profit off her criminal story and was even a contestant on the latest season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Recent content created by mainstream media about criminals, like Anna Delvey and the Menendez brothers, fails to account for the severity of their cases by inaccurately depicting details of their crimes. People consuming this content need to remember where it originated from and refrain from romanticizing the criminals it portrays. Seperate the entertainment from the criminals.
Click here to read our in-depth feature on this topic: Criminal captivation – Ike News
