I love Sophie’s theory of the ‘dead dress’ phenomenon - women dehumanised in death by the Victorian and Edwardian press. Exactly this happened to the Ripper’s victims and to Belle Elmore, the wife Dr Crippen killed. They just become a series of injuries and body parts, their true identities erased.
Hallie Rubenhold
I've written and spoken about the "Dead Dress" phenomenon before, the removal of personhood from victims of homicide. This is particularly prevalent in Ripperology, both then and now, and attempts to rebalance coverage (e.g. in The Five by @hallierubenhold.bsky.social) is not always welcome
