Cawing Out The Truth Blog 2: Fractured Memories & Manufactured Truths: Gypsy’s Narrative Begins

When Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s book My Time to Stand hit the shelves, it wasn’t just another true crime memoir—it was an attempt to rewrite history in real-time. Wrapped in a carefully crafted narrative, the book leans on the slipperiness of memory, the power of suggestion, and the media’s insatiable hunger for a victim-turned-hero. But there’s a fundamental problem: Gypsy herself admits that her memories are fragmented, reconstructed, and, in many cases, filled in by others.

Memory isn’t a perfect recording of the past. In fact, research shows that memory is reconstructive, not reproductive. Every time we recall an event, we’re not pulling up an untouched file—we’re rewriting it based on new information, biases, and external influences (Schacter, 1999). And when those external influences include people with a vested interest in shaping the narrative—such as Kristy Blanchard and her friend Vickie—Gypsy’s story becomes less of a memoir and more of a manufactured truth.

Gypsy’s Disclaimer: A Built-In Excuse for Inconsistencies

In her Author’s Note, Gypsy makes a key admission:

“Everyone considers my story to be ‘true crime.’ But this book is a work of memory—my memory—and therefore is a memoir and not an outsider’s investigation of my life or crime. The feelings and emotions evoked are accurate. While some of my childhood memories have faded, these particular events remain vivid. To fill in many gaps, I’ve relied on other people’s answers to my questions…” (Blanchard, 2024).

Right from the start, she sets the stage for plausible deniability. If a detail is later proven false? Well, it wasn’t her fault—it’s just how she remembers it. And if she doesn’t remember? She just asked someone else to fill in the blanks.

The problem? That’s not how memory works.

According to research on memory distortion, every time we recall an event, our brain doesn’t retrieve a perfect snapshot; instead, it reconstructs the memory based on our current beliefs, emotions, and any new information we’ve received (Loftus, 2005). This is why eyewitness testimony is so unreliable—people’s memories are easily influenced by external suggestion (Chan et al., 2009).

And Gypsy isn’t just passively recalling events. She’s actively reshaping her narrative to fit her current needs, with the encouragement of people who benefit from her version of the story.

The Problem with “Recreated” Conversations

Another major red flag in Gypsy’s book? She admits to recreating dialogue:

“Where there are passages containing dialogue, quotation marks are used when I’m reasonably sure that the speaker’s words are close to verbatim or that the speaker’s actual meaning is accurately reflected.” (Blanchard, 2024).

Translation? “I made it up.”

Memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus has extensively documented how people can be led to believe in entirely false memories, especially when they are encouraged to fill in gaps with suggestions from others (Loftus & Pickrell, 1995). Given that Gypsy was not only encouraged but actively coached by Kristy and Vickie in shaping her story, this should raise serious concerns.

And the inconsistencies are already glaring. Gypsy has stated in interviews that she was too busy filming her reality show to proofread the book, and now she wants to rewrite it. But she recorded the audiobook herself—so how does she not know what’s in it? Even worse, the audiobook and print versions don’t even match in certain places.

That’s not memoir—it’s manipulation.

The Science of Memory Distortion: Repressed Memory Therapy & False Narratives

One of the most dangerous aspects of Gypsy’s book is how it leans into the controversial idea of “recovered memories.” Kristy and Vickie encouraged Gypsy to use writing as therapy, but memory experts warn that this kind of approach can lead to false memories rather than recovered ones.

Repressed memory therapy, which claims traumatic memories can be buried and later recovered through techniques like hypnosis and guided imagery, has been widely discredited (McNally, 2003). In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) warns against these methods because they often create memories rather than retrieve them (APA, 2020).

Common Techniques Used in Repressed Memory Therapy & Their Dangers:

• Hypnosis – Studies show hypnosis increases suggestibility, making people more likely to “remember” things that never happened (Lynn et al., 2015).
• Guided Imagery – Encouraging people to visualize events can lead to fabricated details (Porter et al., 2000).
• Dream Analysis – Treating dreams as factual memories is scientifically unsound.
• Age Regression – No scientific evidence supports the idea that mentally reliving childhood can “unlock” buried memories (Lilienfeld et al., 1999).

And yet, this is exactly the type of memory work Gypsy has been encouraged to engage in. Not only does this create a distorted personal history, but it also leads to a dangerous public misconception that her story represents objective truth.

The Villainization of Dee Dee Blanchard: A Manufactured Narrative

The mainstream media has been eager to paint Dee Dee Blanchard as the ultimate villain—a woman who supposedly fabricated her daughter’s entire medical history out of a sick need for attention. But the more we dig into the case, the more it becomes clear: the real deception came from those who stood to gain the most from rewriting the past.

Medical records confirm that Gypsy was diagnosed with a chromosome disorder in infancy, something that is impossible to fake (Mefford et al., 2008). Yet the dominant narrative insists Dee Dee was a master manipulator who fooled an entire medical community—a claim that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

With each new piece of “evidence” Gypsy presents, the contradictions only pile up. Her own words betray her inconsistencies, yet the public remains enthralled by the fairy tale they’ve been fed.

Conclusion: Question Everything

If there’s one takeaway from Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s book, it’s this: nothing should be taken at face value. Memory is unreliable, narratives are shaped by those who stand to benefit, and the truth is rarely as simple as it seems.

Dee Dee Blanchard’s story has been twisted beyond recognition, her name dragged through the mud to serve an agenda that benefits those rewriting history. But as more inconsistencies emerge, one fact remains clear: the real story is far more complicated than the media-driven fairy tale we’ve been sold.

References

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Repressed memory debate. Retrieved from www.apa.org
• Chan, J. C., Thomas, A. K., & Bulevich, J. B. (2009). Recalling a witnessed event increases eyewitness suggestibility: The reversed testing effect. Psychological Science, 20(1), 66-73.
• Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., & Lohr, J. M. (1999). Science and pseudoscience in clinical psychology. Guilford Press.
• Loftus, E. F. (2005). Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory. Learning & Memory, 12(4), 361-366.
• Loftus, E. F., & Pickrell, J. E. (1995). The formation of false memories. Psychiatric Annals, 25(12), 720-725.
• Lynn, S. J., Malinoski, P. T., Sivec, H., & Hallquist, M. N. (2015). Hypnosis and memory: The creation of false memories. Psychological Bulletin, 141(6), 1209.

True Crime Tour with Fancy – A Weekend to Die For

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend of true crime, mystery, and intrigue with Fancy Macelli and The Good Wives’ Network crew! Whether you’re joining us for general ticketed events or treating yourself to the exclusive VIP experience, this is your chance to dive deep into true crime storytelling like never before.

Depending on the city, events will span Thursday and Friday or Saturday and Sunday, with thrilling activities, personal interactions, and a heartfelt remembrance for Dee Dee Blanchard.

General Ticketed Events

• Candlelight Vigil: Honor Dee Dee Blanchard with a moving vigil.
• Murder Mystery Dinner: A thrilling true crime-themed dinner.
• Book Reading & Signing: Fancy reads from The Companion 2 and signs books.
• True Crime Show: A deep dive into true crime cases with Fancy.

VIP Experience

Includes a luxury party bus tour, personal meet-and-greet, signed book bundles, and an exclusive brunch with Fancy Macelli. Coming Soon Check back for details.

Fancy Macelli and her team’s work can be seen in our 8-part series with InTouch Magazine, The Reelz Channel’s Copycat Killers, A&E’s Killer Cases Season 1 Episode 6 (for which we were listed as contributors), and on our 13-episode The Good Wives’ Guide to True Crime podcast available on all major podcast platforms. You can find more information about us at thegoodwivesnetwork.com as well as on all social media platforms under @thegoodwivesnet.

Alongside her partners Mack and Sara, Fancy has also launched the non-profit Stop the Cycle of Abuse Program (SCOAP) to combat intimate partner violence.

Fancy and her team are currently working on a documentary entitled, Gypsy Rose & Nick, America’s Sweetheart Murderers. Their upcoming tell-all book of their 7-year journey with the De Dee Blanchard case gives a very personal look into what happened on June 15, 2015, in the town of Springfield, MO and more. It is entitled, It’s All a Distraction: Our 7-Year Journey of Investigating the Life, Crimes, & Murder of De Dee Blanchard. But the newest book in our collection on the Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard is Creating a Narrative: How Gypsy Rose the Murder, Her Con Artist Family, Her Lawyer, & the Media Rewrote The Truth in the Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard -Part 1, unpacks all the lies that have been told over the last 10 years. Check out our first three books covering our Original 2019 Podcast on Amazon, and on in our shop, where you can get signed copies.