Women as Victims in the Media An interesting aspect of murder is the way it is portrayed in different forms of media. In particular, the way female murder victims have been portrayed over time reflects the social norms of the period. By focusing on how murdered women were portrayed in various forms of media, from the late 18th century in the United States to present-day cinematic depictions, it is evident that a traditional style of portraying dead women has continued to pervade the society through the twentieth century. The stories, whether fictional or based on real events, began around 1800 by portraying female victims as young, unmarried, beautiful, and innocent. Their deaths were described as resulting from the loss of innocents, generally through premarital sexual contact. The descriptions of the corpses were graphic and occasionally erotic in nature. (Cohen, 277-306) These descriptions came at a time when literacy rates were increasing rapidly and the relatively free attitude towards premarital sex was changing into a more restrictive one. ...