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Female Rage: Still Obsessed with Women Who Kill?
20 Sep
Summary
- Society fixates on rare female killers, fueling myths and tropes.
- Historical cases show reluctance to acknowledge women's violent agency.
- Modern media continues to explore 'female rage' and why women kill.
The enduring fascination with female murderers, exemplified by the Lizzie Borden case, highlights society's unhelpful obsession with 'female rage.' Despite homicide being predominantly a male crime, rare instances of female perpetrators are disproportionately sensationalized and mythologized.
Historically, cases like Marie Manning, Christiana Edmunds, Beatrice Pace, Ruth Ellis, Myra Hindley, and Lucy Letby have triggered significant societal debates. These discussions often revolve around crime, punishment, justice, and womanhood.
Recent media, such as Netflix's 'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,' continues to explore themes of female violence. The show frames Borden's alleged crimes around a fictionalized queer romance, tapping into a legacy of exploring why women kill.
Whether Lizzie Borden was guilty remains unknown. What is certain is that the brutal 1892 murders of her father and stepmother continue to fuel public fascination and media retelling 130 years later.
