Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is a psychological disorder that seeks attention by a caregiver or guardian through that of the person that they care for, it is a variant of Munchausen syndrome which is when a singular person fakes something for attention. MBP is a rare disorder with only about 1% of the population meeting the criteria to be diagnosed with this disorder. The most known case of MBP is that of Dee Dee Blanchard who was the sole caretaker of her daughter Gypsy Rose Blanchard. D. Blanchard claimed that her daughter had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and was wheelchair bound throughout her life.
In 2015 Gypsy Blanchard and her then boyfriend at the time, Nick Godejohn, plotted to kill her mother in order to get out of the cycle of abuse being inflicted on her through D. Blanchard’s MBP. Gypsy Blanchard and Godejohn were both arrested for the murder, and in 2016, after taking a plea agreement, Gypsy Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years on the charge of second-degree murder, with the possibility of parole after 8 years served.
“I think her story is pretty interesting mostly for the murder of her mother but also that this was something that no one knew of until the murder, hidden basically,”
junior Giovani Rendon, said about the release of Gypsy Blanchard.
Gypsy Blanchard was released Dec. 28, 2023 after serving her 8 years, with the last two years moving to her parole sentence. Overnight Blanchard accumulated accounts on all forms of social media including TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. In total, Gypsy Blanchard has 18.1 million followers with over 80 posts accumulated on the sites. Before her released networks such as Lifetime and Hulu tried to monetize her story, however it was without Blanchard’s consent, with “The Act” currently being number seven on Hulu’s streaming as of Feb. 12.
“I feel like both the mom and Gypsy missed the first 3-5 stages which really set their lives on the wrong course. For example the first stage is trust vs mistrust. If one’s basic needs aren’t met then there will be gaps in their level of trust with family and friends.” Jennifer Martinez, psychology teacher, said.
“The next level is autonomy vs doubt and shame. I think that Gypsy was never able to develop a sense of independence therefore had shame and doubt and was easily manipulated by her mother.”
MBP is a disorder that severely impacts the mental development of the child that is being affected creating a cycle that could become continuous. On social media Gypsy Blanchard’s posts have revolved around that of her marriage while serving her sentence in prison to Ryan Scott Anderson. She has also already become a part of a viral sound on TikTok, further thrusting her into the spotlight while still trying to conform to the social norms that plague society outside of the prison system.
The hashtag, #gypsyroseblanchard, has 39.8 thousand uses on TikTok either referencing her story or her the latest release of her tv show, “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” which followed her journey from the days leading up to her release and her life then on the outside.
Gypsy Blanchard has not been what many expected when she got released from prison, leaning more into a millennial mom type vibe than that of a breakout social media starlet, Blanchard often gives advice on how to be yourself and live life the way you would like to, something that she is now completely able to do.
