American Media’s Obsession With Missing White Women Pushes Women of Color Further in The Margins

Here’s an idea: Let’s focus on finding them all. Every single one.

A teddy bear sits next to a flyer asking for the return of Gabby Petito, who is missing. Image: Getty

The sad story of Gabby Petito’s disappearance resurrects a timely and much-needed discussion about the inequity of media coverage when it comes to missing women and girls of color. And that discussion is all about how American mainstream media bias further marginalizes non-White women and girls and puts their safety at risk.

Over the weekend, FBI agents and police found a body “consistent” with the description of Petito, a 22-year-old missing White woman whose disappearance has deservedly garnered global attention. Her case is truly heart-wrenching and a clearly devastating loss for her family and friends. The nation is rightfully focused on helping her family and finding her. At the same time, I can’t help but notice the continued trend among mainstream American media that focuses primarily on missing White women, while thousands of Black and other women and girls of color go missing daily. Their stories go uncovered.

Incidents of violence targeted toward women of color and vanishing Black and Brown female bodies tend to be met with silence and complacency. So much so that researchers refer to the inequity in media coverage as “missing White woman syndrome.” The lack of media attention that missing and abused women and girls of color receive sheds light on a much larger issue related to racial privilege and ultimately further marginalizes non-White women and puts their safety at risk.

This past week, Gabby Petito’s family and friends received devastating news about possible confirmation of their worst nightmare. Although an identity was not yet confirmed, authorities found a body in a remote area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, where law enforcement officials had directed their search. While traveling cross-country over the summer with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, Petito remained in contact with her family until the last week of August, and then all communication from Petito ceased, according to various news reports. Laundrie eventually returned from their trip on September 1, but without Petito. Consequently, her family filed a missing person’s report on September 11…