What Did Marilyn Monroe Do, Anyway?

Brigitte Bardot. Jane Asher. Greta Garbo. Pattie Boyd.

Now, if you’re clued up on everything pre-1970, then you’ll know all of the stars I just listed. But for the younger generation, there’ll only be one prominent figure from those times: Marilyn Monroe.

Most label Miss Monroe as a ‘sex symbol’ and ‘screen siren’. Though the real Marilyn was more than skin deep, people still insist on viewing her as a vapid moneymaker. Some still have the gall to present her as the tramp that tried stealing the husband of first lady Jackie O.

Let’s look at the most conspicuous facts. She died one of the most conspiracy-ridden deaths a celebrity could, was star of the most famous film scene of all time and remains the most beautiful, underrated actress Hollywood ever had the pleasure to employ.

Yet, sadly, people fail to swim to the deep end. As well as being famed for the obvious things, Marilyn possessed a library of over 400 books, an IQ higher than Einstein and a knack for predetermining revolutions, like the feminist uprising in the Sixties. Championing civil rights, Marilyn used her fame as a platform for advocating support. 1950s America saw extreme segregation, and black musicians were often faced with the brunt of it. Ella Fitzgerald, one such lady, found difficulty reeling in gigs to play in the late fifties. Marilyn called the club Ella wanted to play, saying if they hired Fitzgerald she would watch every night. Just a dumb blonde? I think not.

In her younger years, Marilyn was sexually assaulted. While being passed exasperatingly around the fourteen foster homes she had to endure, she was forced into a pious, Christian family; perfectly common in 1930s California. A church-working boarder assaulted her when she was just the innocent eight-year-old Norma Jean. When she told her chauvinistic guardians, she was caned for lying about a “good Christian”. However, on skyrocketing to superstar heights she became the first celebrity to publicly speak about sexual abuse, and was revolutionary as victims felt they could come forward in an oppressed time where popular opinion was that abuse rarely actually happened.

Marilyn Monroe’s impact on women is revolutionary. It’s little known that she was the first woman in Hollywood to walk out on executives wanting to cast her in the same roles (blonde hunting for a financially well endowed hubby) and create her own production company. It allowed Marilyn to explore different characters and express herself as a real actress - not just a corporate puppet – though sadly her best roles are often overlooked in favour of the stereotypical Lorelei Lee.

Popular belief among fools is that she slept her way to fame. Strictly false. Marilyn was one of the few women who refused to bed bosses in exchange for parts. Marilyn’s modelling also bred negativity. The star only did three topless shoots that were in no way derogatory. Unfortunately, her celluloid stunts stirred the belief she was a ‘bimbo’ in a prudish world. However, Marilyn’s career was an early taster of third-wave feminism, which was most notable in the nineties. It emphasizes that sexualizing women is, in fact, liberating, and exerts power over men. This makes Marilyn what’s known as a ‘proto-feminist’, as she pre-empted the feminist revolution that happened in the 1960s; even before the word ‘feminist’ existed!

Ignorance can be bliss, but I suspect Miss Monroe would be putting that famous Marilyn wiggle into action in her crypt at Westwood Memorial Cemetery, if she heard the stupidity in today’s society. Now when people ask ‘What did Marilyn Monroe do?’ you can force feed them all of this.