ADVERTISEMENT
Aileen Wuornos continues to unsettle people because her story refuses simplicity. She was responsible for horrific acts, and innocent people died. That truth cannot be erased. But neither can the reality that her life was shaped by abandonment, exploitation, and violence long before she ever pulled a trigger. She forces an uncomfortable question that society prefers to avoid: how much damage must be done to a person before they become capable of doing irreparable harm themselves?
Her legacy is not one of inspiration or redemption. It is a warning. A reminder of what happens when abuse goes unchecked, when mental illness is ignored, and when survival becomes indistinguishable from violence. Aileen Wuornos was not born a monster. She became a tragedy long before the world decided what to call her.
