By HAYLEE SAESEE
Staff Writer
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre that has become increasingly well-liked over time. Criminal Minds (2005) on Pluto TV, Dateline (1992) on Peacock, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix (2022) are just a few of the many well-known shows. The genre has grown into a significant phenomenon. Stories from decades ago and more current times are coming to light, bringing attention to crimes that have happened or are happening. In light of this, who watches True Crime, and why is it so popular? Shockingly, the primary source of viewers is women. In a 2018 podcast by Wine and Crime, they revealed that women make up 85 percent of their audience. In that same year, a study found that 73 percent of True crime podcast listeners are women. Which raises the question, why are women watching true crime? True crime helps women comprehend the thoughts of criminals. Their interest in the genre enables them to answer three questions, the what, how, and why. In doing so, women subconsciously absorb knowledge on how to cope with those situations. Equally as important, True Crime allows women to pick up survival techniques. It leads to a conscious change in their behavior that they may be unaware of, which could ultimately save their lives someday. In general, women empathize with the genre’s sense of justice. In today’s society, women are often targets and victims of crimes rather than perpetrators. When they watch true crime, they witness justice and the crime itself. Perhaps this is why they obsess over True crime. They feel at ease and yearn for the security and protection of women provided by the social and legal structures.