Missing Pretty Girl Syndrom (Missing White Woman Syndrome)

I gave a presentation last week to a senior capstone class. I'm a junior. Talk about nerve wracking! The presentation was one Race and Media. Ya, you try to narrow that down into an hour long presentation. There were so many things I wanted to discuss and it's so hard to bring up the "race issue" on my campus of predominantly caucasian students. Ya.....

All of the points I made were well recieved except for the "Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome."

Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome is the thought that the media coverage of missing persons is disproportionate leaning heavily in favor of missing beautiful white women.

Elizabeth Smart is one of the best examples of Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome.

Smart was kidnapped in 2002 when she was 14 years old. She was found nine months later. Her abductor, Brian Mitchell, was identified by a biker who had seen Smart's story featured on Larry King and recognized Mitchell from a sketch drawing.



Now, this may seem like an inspiring story and it is. But, what about all of the other children who went missing during the same time as Smart?

Here's another scenario:

Lori Hacking was reported missing by her husband, Mark, in 2004. She was five weeks pregnant. When she went missing Oprah interviewed Lori's mother. Her body was found months later and her husband confessed.


Here is what USA Today July 29, 2004 had to say about the Lori Hacking disappearance:

Sweethearts since high school, they were a month shy of their fifth wedding anniversary.
Lori was five weeks pregnant with their first child. Mark impressed everyone with news
he had been accepted to medical school. “You’ve never seen two kids more in love,” said
Deborah Gheris, a family friend. Then Lori disappeared.

This excerpt disusses sentimental information about Hacking. Here was the coverage of LaToyia Figuero, a bi-racial woman who went missing in 2005. Figuero was five months pregnant.

Here is one headline on LaToyia's case:  “Body of missing Philadelphia woman
LaToya Figueroa found in Chester City, Pennsylvania; suspect in custody.” Figuero's lover was also accused of her murder. Who knew?

There's another theory at play here: Agenda Setting Theory.

Agenda Setting Theory states that the media tells us what to think and how to think about it. We were supposed to sympathize with Elizabeth Smart and her family. We were supposed to sympathize with Lori Hacking's mother when she talked with Oprah.

But what are we supposed to think about LaToyia? She's not important.

Missing persons coverage in media is a clear representation of Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome and Agenda Setting Theory.