What is it about brutally murdered young women?

(Spoilers for Dexter and The Dark Knight below)

Sady Doyle tries to answer that question with this article titled "The Violently Killed Femmes".

It comes down to the vulnerability that we perceive in a young (almost always white) woman with an air or innocence and virginity. In many shows it transpires that this may not be the whole truth. Twin Peaks' Laura Palmer is a typical example of this, the prom queen who snorts coke and hangs out with demons. Nonetheless she is a complex and ultimately sympathetic character, especially compared to other examples where the dead body is there to be both mourned and fetishised in equal measure.

Feminist Frequency

If you haven't done so already you need to go and catch up with Anita Sarkeesian over at Feminist Frequency especially her newest series on the portrayal of women in video games which makes for interesting viewing even if you aren't a super avid gamer (which I am not).

Sarkeesian is a media critics who specialises in deconstructing stereotypes (that sound you hear is academics and fans alike squeeing)  and exploring issue of portrayal. It's very cool.

With an approachable (and thankfully jargon-less) way of communicating ideas that mixes snappy facts and quirky asides, Sarkeesian is endlessly watchable for those with an interest and/or expertise in media  and the more casual viewer alike and also avoid that "accentuate the negative" approach that others feel is necessary to be a critic.