“Teen dies” tells you nothing about said teen in the headline
A lot of journalists will use some kind of shorthand descriptor like that to give the person the article is about a gloss of humanity.
That they picked beauty queen is only pointless if she weren’t involved I pageants, which is what the term usually refers to. Didn’t read the article (and don’t plan to), so I don’t know if that’s the case here. But picking something publicly known about the subject is an article is standard, and has the benefit of connecting most readers to the humanity of an article.
Adjectives alone help, but a link to something a person is “known” for is better.
Oh no, a beauty queen?! Is no one safe?!?! /s
A young person died, why is it important that she was pretty?
I think there is an implicit yet fairly clear hierarchy of whose lives matter most in the media and in society as a whole.
It matters that she’s pretty because that makes it more tragic, apparently. It wouldn’t be news if it was a homeless man.
sex and tragedy sells unfortunately
There’s another aspect to it though.
“Teen dies” tells you nothing about said teen in the headline
A lot of journalists will use some kind of shorthand descriptor like that to give the person the article is about a gloss of humanity.
That they picked beauty queen is only pointless if she weren’t involved I pageants, which is what the term usually refers to. Didn’t read the article (and don’t plan to), so I don’t know if that’s the case here. But picking something publicly known about the subject is an article is standard, and has the benefit of connecting most readers to the humanity of an article.
Adjectives alone help, but a link to something a person is “known” for is better.
The next best thing to blood and gore: conventional attractiveness.
who determines if she’s pretty?
I get US peasants think some bimbo with a shit ton of make up and yellow colored hair is pretty.