Marilyn Monroe
by Gabriela P.
Thinking of important figures from the 1950’s one person stands out from all the rest Marilyn Monroe. She was the symbol of what sex, glamour, and success in that decade. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she also had the attitude and sage that would bring her a long way in the entertainment industry. Analyzing the texts and readings one asks why was she so popular? What made her stand out from all the rest of the actresses at that time? Marilyn Monroe made an enormous impact in the entertainment world, but the most interesting part was how she did it.
Monroe’s first claim to fame was when she started modeling at the age of twenty years. Unfortunately, it was a fluke she was never offered any real acting jobs. Eventually, here contracts with Fox were canceled and it seemed to be the end of Marilyn Monroe. As luck would have it, something miraculous happened; photographs of Monroe started to appear from a point in her career where she was desperate for money. Marilyn saw this opportunity and used it to her advantage and fully admitted to taking these pictures. Hugh Hefner who purchased the prints was starting a nude magazine title “Play Boy”. He saw her potential and used them for his small magazine. She was the first woman to grace the magazine, and would become an icon to the legendary magazine. She was as Hugh Hefner called her a “a dirty blonde bombshell”. Her pictures in the magazine only sky rocketed her career and success in film. This gave Marilyn the needed exposure for other agencies to give her the opportunity.
She was coined the dumb blonde that producers and critiques were all intrigued by her attitude. Many of the films that she made she was portrayed a comical gold digging promiscuous woman. Some of the popular titles that she starred in were How To Marry A Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, and There’s No Business Like Show Business. All of these films demonstrated that she had sex appeal and that she could add the element of comedy into a film without it looking too forced. Her most successful attribute was that she knew exactly what to say. Whenever she was being interviewed she always had some of the cleverest responses. Betty Friedan noted in The Feminine Mystique that Monroe commented, “It does not matter that this is a man’s world as long as I can live in it”. She gave the New York Times a famous quote, when asked what she wears every night she wittedly responded, “Channel No.5”. This quote was coined as a classic line that embodied an image of what Monroe represented.
Looking at different articles and images why is Marilyn Monroe still to this day so popular? She was one of the first women to use her physical features to her advantage. In essence she was the entire package beautiful, blonde, and charming. Using her roles as the ditzy blonde shot her up to stardom and her a legendary image in popular culture. She was far from the typical suburban house wife that would stay at home and please their family. She led a more independent lifestyle than the average woman. Every day life in the 1950’s was far from glamorous and exciting. She is essentially the escape from every day life that people would lean too.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. W.W. Norton & Company
Williams. The New York Times. Actress Mariyln Monroe. 1957
www.playboy.com/magazine/
Thinking of important figures from the 1950’s one person stands out from all the rest Marilyn Monroe. She was the symbol of what sex, glamour, and success in that decade. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she also had the attitude and sage that would bring her a long way in the entertainment industry. Analyzing the texts and readings one asks why was she so popular? What made her stand out from all the rest of the actresses at that time? Marilyn Monroe made an enormous impact in the entertainment world, but the most interesting part was how she did it.
Monroe’s first claim to fame was when she started modeling at the age of twenty years. Unfortunately, it was a fluke she was never offered any real acting jobs. Eventually, here contracts with Fox were canceled and it seemed to be the end of Marilyn Monroe. As luck would have it, something miraculous happened; photographs of Monroe started to appear from a point in her career where she was desperate for money. Marilyn saw this opportunity and used it to her advantage and fully admitted to taking these pictures. Hugh Hefner who purchased the prints was starting a nude magazine title “Play Boy”. He saw her potential and used them for his small magazine. She was the first woman to grace the magazine, and would become an icon to the legendary magazine. She was as Hugh Hefner called her a “a dirty blonde bombshell”. Her pictures in the magazine only sky rocketed her career and success in film. This gave Marilyn the needed exposure for other agencies to give her the opportunity.
She was coined the dumb blonde that producers and critiques were all intrigued by her attitude. Many of the films that she made she was portrayed a comical gold digging promiscuous woman. Some of the popular titles that she starred in were How To Marry A Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, and There’s No Business Like Show Business. All of these films demonstrated that she had sex appeal and that she could add the element of comedy into a film without it looking too forced. Her most successful attribute was that she knew exactly what to say. Whenever she was being interviewed she always had some of the cleverest responses. Betty Friedan noted in The Feminine Mystique that Monroe commented, “It does not matter that this is a man’s world as long as I can live in it”. She gave the New York Times a famous quote, when asked what she wears every night she wittedly responded, “Channel No.5”. This quote was coined as a classic line that embodied an image of what Monroe represented.
Looking at different articles and images why is Marilyn Monroe still to this day so popular? She was one of the first women to use her physical features to her advantage. In essence she was the entire package beautiful, blonde, and charming. Using her roles as the ditzy blonde shot her up to stardom and her a legendary image in popular culture. She was far from the typical suburban house wife that would stay at home and please their family. She led a more independent lifestyle than the average woman. Every day life in the 1950’s was far from glamorous and exciting. She is essentially the escape from every day life that people would lean too.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. W.W. Norton & Company
Williams. The New York Times. Actress Mariyln Monroe. 1957
www.playboy.com/magazine/
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 10/22/2006 10:23:00 PM
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