shades fills you in

True crime stormed the entertainment industry over the past few years -- from podcasts to documentaries, the genre has become a staple -- Inquirer.net

And per SNL, the genre has become really popular with women. Check out their skit here

Slice.ca reports that SNL has a point: It’s mainly women creating and consuming true crime

What’s up with that? Vogue thinks it’s because listening to true crime makes women feel more in control -- they feel aware of what to look out for in real life

An NYT Op offers a slightly different explanation: Women consume true crime stories like modern day fables -- the stories reflect something about the world they live in

True crime is definitely cathartic for its women listeners, but Mother Jones says there are problematic aspects too. Namely, the genre is cop propaganda that exploits women’s worst fears

This segment from WBUR says true crime is even more niche, calling it the “white woman” genre

And Themetro.com points out that although most women homicide victims are not white, a lot of podcasts focus on white women victims

Ashley Flowers -- the host of “Crime Junkie”, a super popular true crime podcast -- says she wants to “change the way people interact with true crime”. The NYT doesn’t buy it

But in a profile by Elle Magazine, Flowers says she’s working hard to diversify her podcast -- and to address other criticisms of the industry

Still, as the Gabby Petito case demonstrated in 2021, “Missing White Woman Syndrome” is a big problem in the U.S. -- The New Yorker

And what about guys who listen to true crime? This Reddit user says his love of true crime has landed him with the label “creepy”

No matter who is listening to or watching true crime -- make sure it’s in moderation. Cleveland Clinic says that too much true crime can negatively impact your mental health

Maybe moderation is key. As this TikTok demos, enough true crime can make you desensitized to some pretty gruesome stuff