Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS) refers to a phenomenon observed in media coverage of missing persons cases, where young, attractive, middle- and upper-class white women typically receive significantly more national attention, airtime, and resources compared to women belonging to ethnic minorities or those from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The term was first coined in 2004 by American journalist Gwen Ifill. Fundamentally, the syndrome posits that certain lives are treated as more valuable than others—regardless of the actual circumstances of the cases—and that this media-constructed hierarchy influences how law enforcement allocates resources and the speed of investigations. MWWS is also known as the “Missing Pretty Girl Syndrome” or “Damsel in Distress Syndrome.”

Scope and Criteria

Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS), as it is known in international literature, is an intersectional theory that combines not only racial and gender inequalities but also other social variables such as class and perceived innocence. The criteria that define this syndrome are as follows:

Race/ethnicity and gender are central, as the victim must be a white-skinned woman; age and appearance are also crucial, requiring the person to be young, conventionally attractive, and aligned with general beauty standards. Furthermore, social class and status play a determining role—the victims are expected to belong to the middle or upper classes or to come from wealthy families.

These criteria together construct a profile that the media deems sympathetic and frames as the “ideal victim.” Lastly, conformity to innocence and victimhood plays a vital role: these women are typically portrayed as uninvolved in risky behavior or criminal activity, conforming instead to traditional feminine roles (such as mother, wife, or student). As a result, they are perceived as “innocent” and represented in news narratives as deserving victims.

In the context of the Turkish media’s reporting on femicides, the concept of “white” is understood not merely as a reference to skin color but as a multifaceted socio-cultural construct encompassing factors such as age, occupational prestige, perceived wealth, geographical location, and conformity to prevailing beauty norms.

Media and the Hierarchy of Newsworthiness

The media plays a central role in creating the hierarchy of newsworthiness that underpins Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS). The allocation of attention and resources to missing person cases—and the shaping of public perception—largely depends on media practices. Media emphasis on specific victims fosters emotional engagement from the public, which in turn pressures law enforcement to accelerate investigations and allocate more resources.

Conversely, cases that receive little media coverage are more likely to be neglected or left unsolved. Within this hierarchy, young, white, attractive women from middle- or upper-class backgrounds are presented in long, sympathetic, and emotionally charged narratives. News outlets frequently conduct interviews with their families and publish intimate photos, personalizing and dramatizing their stories.

Such portrayals, through lexical choices, reinforce these women’s status as victims and sensationalize their cases. In contrast, women from ethnic minorities—such as Black or Latina women—are disproportionately ignored and rendered invisible. Even when covered, the reporting is often brief and focuses on the victim’s background or past behavior, framing them in ways that undermine their perceived victimhood.

A striking example of this disparity is the case of Natalee Holloway, a young white woman who went missing in 2005 and whose story dominated U.S. national news for months, compared to LaToyia Figueroa, a pregnant Black woman who disappeared the same year but received minimal media attention.

Racial Inequalities in Law Enforcement and Forensic Practices

The system created by Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS) extends beyond media practices and influences the responses of judicial and law enforcement institutions, thereby reinforcing racial inequalities at the institutional level.

In policing contexts, cases that receive significant media attention shape public sentiment and exert pressure on law enforcement, leading to their treatment as urgent priorities—with faster investigations and greater resource allocation. Media coverage also generates more public tips, volunteer searches, and police time, effectively determining how resources are distributed and directly influencing the likelihood and speed of case resolution.

In contrast, cases with minimal media exposure are far more likely to be ignored or inadequately investigated. Structural deficiencies in legislation and reporting systems further perpetuate the exclusion of vulnerable individuals.

This dynamic is reinforced by preexisting biases, such as the perception of young Black individuals as criminals or runaways. Implicit racial hierarchies influence how institutions respond to missing persons, determining which cases are treated as emergencies and, ultimately, whose lives are deemed “worth finding.”

This prioritization extends into forensic science: cases that align with the ideal victim profile often receive more attention, determining which remains are prioritized for identification and how many resources are devoted to solving unidentified persons’ cases.

Social Media and Contemporary Visibility

Missing White Woman Syndrome (MWWS) has long been recognized as a pattern of discrimination in traditional media, where disproportionate attention to missing white women has resulted in the systemic underrepresentation of women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Social media has introduced a new dimension to this issue by reshaping news distribution and allowing users themselves to influence what becomes widely shared or newsworthy. In this context, criminological analyses and recent research aim to examine how MWWS historically emerged in mass media and whether it continues to manifest—or evolve—within digital platforms.

Thus, current academic debates focus on whether social media perpetuates the same inequalities that traditional media established through its criteria of “newsworthiness” or whether these platforms have the potential to disrupt and dismantle this hierarchy.

Missing White Woman Syndrome in Turkish Media

In the Turkish context, the concept of “white” extends beyond race or skin tone and refers to conformity with the ideal victim portrait identified in international literature. Within Turkish media, the visibility of femicides is influenced by this “whiteness” filter, which encompasses demographic factors such as gender and age, conformity to general beauty norms, the presence of sensationalism or suggestive details, professional prestige, perceived wealth and social status, geographical location (metropolitan vs. rural), and education level.

Adherence to these filters determines the extent of coverage a femicide case receives in mainstream media and the degree of public attention it attracts.

Analyses have revealed significant visibility differences among cases that align with these “whiteness” criteria. This finding demonstrates that news media construct hierarchies of social importance among individuals and reproduce patriarchal journalistic practices that internalize and perpetuate cultural inequalities.