History Main / MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome

* VideoGame/DragonAgeII:

* ''Series/TheWilds'': Toni (who's Native American) says that as there are several wealthy white girls on the island, a rescue is certain.

The term Missing White Woman Syndrome describes how Western media will focus on the murder, kidnapping, or disappearance of Caucasian females -- usually pretty, young, and middle- or upper-class -- to the exclusion of [[MenAreTheExpendableGender male]], minority, poor or disabled missing persons.

** There is a FantasticRacism version with a serial killer who targets elf girls. Law enforcement is not interested -- even LawfulGood city-guard Aveline is prepared to look the other way if you just kill him. Another factor in this case is that [[spoiler:the quest-giver, a city magistrate, is the killer's father. Even the killer ([[ReluctantPsycho remorsefully]]) tells you [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections his father is just going to help cover up his crimes]].]]

The term Missing White Woman Syndrome describes how Western media will focus on the murder, kidnapping, or disappearance of Caucasian females -- usually pretty, young, and middle- or upper-class -- to the exclusion of [[MenAreTheExpendableGender male]], minority, poor, [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute unattractive]] or disabled missing persons.

The term Missing White Woman Syndrome describes how Western media will focus on the murder, kidnapping, or disappearance of Caucasian females -- usually pretty, young, and middle- or upper-class -- to the exclusion of [[MenAreTheExpendableGender male]], minority, poor, or disabled missing persons.

* Referenced in ''VideoGame/YIIK:APost-ModernRPG'', where both Sammy (an Asian woman) and Aaron (a young African-American boy) have gone missing. Party member Chondra states that if the missing were “beautiful white women”, people would have been more concerned about their disappearance.

* Averted in ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'', when the murder of Adena Watson, a black girl, is subject to a major police "redball" investigation and creates a media frenzy. It was based on a RealLife case which resulted in the same. Of course, Baltimore (where both fictional and real-life murders took place) is notable for having a particularly large majority African-American population, which may explain it.

The term Missing White Woman Syndrome describes the fact that Western media will focus on the murder, kidnapping, or disappearance of Caucasian females -- usually pretty, young, and middle- or upper-class -- to the exclusion of [[MenAreTheExpendableGender male]], minority, poor, or disabled missing persons.

The origin of the term is unclear. Although Professor Sheri Parks of the University of Maryland claims to have coined it circa 2005, it apparently has been in use among journalists (and Website/{{FARK}}.com) for years before that (Gwen Ifill used the term in a panel discussion in August 2004, for example). It's also been referred to as "missing pretty girl syndrome" and "[[DistressedDamsel damsel in distress]] syndrome". In particular, the United States (and to a lesser extent Canada) has the AMBER Alert, which is a special alert code for [[MissingChild child abductions]] and was named for the young white daughter of influential parents.

* Exaggerated to high holy hell in WesternAnimation/InvaderZim Episode 40, "The Girl Who Cried Gnome". Moofy gets her leg stuck in a dirt mound in front of Zim's house, almost immediately the press, multiple rescue teams, civilians, and helper robots arrive trying to set her free. The [=US=] President of the himself appears to make a speech regarding Moofy's ordeal 6 minutes in, and they consider using a sonic vibration device that could destroy the earth just to shoot her out the mound... and when Dib Membrane gets stuck in the same mound, everyone leaves.

The origin of the term is unclear. Although Professor Sheri Parks of the University of Maryland claims to have coined it circa 2005, it apparently has been in use among journalists (and Website/{{FARK}}.com) for years before that. It's also been referred to as "missing pretty girl syndrome" and "[[DistressedDamsel damsel in distress]] syndrome". In particular, the United States (and to a lesser extent Canada) has the AMBER Alert, which is a special alert code for [[MissingChild child abductions]] and was named for the young white daughter of influential parents.

* {{Theatre/Parade}} centers around the trial of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Frank Leo Frank]], a Jewish man accused of raping and murdering a young white girl in 1913 Georgia. As a black character observes:

* ''Series/Batwoman2019'': "[[Recap/Batwoman2019S2E4FairSkinBlueEyes Fair Skin, Blue Eyes]]"'s plot revolves around this. We learn that many Black kids have been kidnapped, but this isn't investigated much due to racism. Ryan was a victim of the same kidnapper as a child, thinking a student group who investigated were looking for her. However, it was actually a White girl (revealed to be Beth Kane) they were after, with the description that provides the episode's name. She discusses this trope with Mary, lamenting that it still exists and determines not to let those kids stay captives. Only her friend cared enough in the past to assist Ryan, rescuing her by getting deliberately kidnapped so she could find her.

* PlayedForComedy in ''Series/30Rock,'' when Avery Jessup, Jack's wife and a very smart, headstrong financial reporter, visits North Korea for an NBC News segment and is taken captive. Jack and Avery's mother Diana become frustrated with the media's lack of attention to her story, leading to Diana saying this:

* ''Series/HillStreetBlues'': Alluded to in one episode where a homeless black man dies in mysterious circumstances in Hill Street Station's holding cells. At an understandably fractious public meeting in the aftermath, someone pointedly remarks that of the fourteen deaths in custody on the Hill in the last decade, not a single one was white. Captain Furillo defends himself by pointing out that the population of the precinct is literally 87% nonwhite, so the only reason they don't have more white people dying in their cells is because white criminals are mostly getting arrested in other precincts. This does little to improve the mood. [[spoiler: Turns out the victim had actually been murdered by the racist biker in the next cell reaching through the bars to choke him while everyone was distracted by a fight kicking off in the lobby.]]