Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication Studies
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Brandon Boatwright
Committee Member
Dr. Erin Ash
Committee Member
Dr. James Gilmore
Abstract
This study was conducted to explore the expressions of sexualized fandom and parasocial relationships within the context of true crime. The Menendez Brothers were chosen as the case to focus on due to the Netflix dramatization ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ release and online popularity. Reddit was the platform chosen for data collection because of the longstanding presence of true crime followers participating in dialogue on the platform. The r/MenendezBrothers thread was chosen to collect data from because of its large following and large number of weekly contributions. Sprinklr, the social media analytics platform, was employed to gather and download the data set. Thematic analysis of involvement and sexualized fandom behavior led to the identification of five involvement themes and two sexualized fandom themes. Key findings indicate that involvement with the Menendez brothers are expressed through empathy, sympathy, and humanization; involvement with the actors who portray them in ‘Monsters’ are expressed through role appreciation and shared advocacy; sexualized fandom is expressed through sexualization of the brothers’ and the actors’ physical appearance; and lastly the condemnation of sexualized fandom behavior toward the brothers and the actors. This dichotomy, between performance-based parasociality and empathy-driven parasociality, points to a broader dynamic within true crime media consumption. Future research should explore other platforms where true crime fandom behavior is prominent, specifically video centric platforms where users often participate in the consumption or creation of fan edits.
Recommended Citation
Brooks, Kimberly M., "Romanticizing 'Monsters': Sexualized Digital Fandom of the Menendez Brothers" (2026). All Theses. 4737.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4737