Amanda Knox is my JonBenét Ramsey. Every true crime fan has that case, that trial that they are utterly and madly obsessed with and mine has always been Amanda Knox. From the moment I watched a 20/20 documentary about the case, the lack of evidence, and the sexism around Knox I have always been quick to scream “she’s innocent” anytime her or her case is brought up.
The 2016 documentary Amanda Knox brought to the forefront for a newer generation the sexist mentality that the Italian court used when initially trying the case. Hearing Giuliano Mignini talk about how his theory for Knox’s motivation, which boiled down to “Meredith called Amanda a slut for having too much sex so she killed her,” and comparing himself to Sherlock Holmes in terms of his deductive reason made my blood boil.
Tabloids in England and Italy flung so many sexist accusations against Knox that it truly makes me ill to think about it. Because as much as women are often told we take things to seriously, it was that internalized sexism that led to Knox being convicted on piss-poor evidence and spending three years in jail and all together, five years, under investigation by the Italian police.
Knox has decided to build a career speaking out against injustices in the media, especially against women. So she has teamed up with Broadly, VICE Media’s gender and LGBT-focused channel, to debut The Scarlet Letter Reports, an unscripted series, hosted by Amanda Knox that examines the gendered nature of public shaming.
Guests on Amanda’s show include Anita Sarkeesian, Amber Rose, Daisy Coleman, Brett Rossi, and Mischa Barton. In each episode, “Amanda takes an in depth look at the lives of these women, how they coped with uninvited scrutiny, and how they’re living today after having their most personal details made public.” Which is a perfect subject for Amanda to cover since during her trial every single aspect of her character was laid bare, including her diary.
“In The Scarlet Letter Reports, I seek to offer women the chance to reclaim their own narratives. Having just barely survived my own character assassination as Foxy Knoxy, I know what it’s like to be thrust into the spotlight, where tabloids and social media devour women for entertainment, whether it’s unflattering photos of cellulite or salacious murder accusations,” says Knox. “This series is my chance to offer women who have been shamed like me the compassion and context that they deserved from day one.”
In the article she wrote for Broadly, Knox addresses her own privilege as a white woman being an advocate for wrongful conviction, but makes it clear that her focus on this series is to address “society’s long history of villainizing women and particularly our sexuality.” Of the guests she has announced so far one of them, Amber Rose, is a WoC I hope that Knox will use her voice as a way to bring in more WoC and trans women. However, by providing this space for women (an all-female space), Knox is attempted to flip the narrative once and for all.
New episodes of The Scarlet Letter Reports will debut every Wednesday on Facebook Watch throughout the month of May.
(via Press Release, image: Netflix)
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