Marilyn Monroe Is Not An Inspirational Figure (Originally posted June 2013)

You can't do anything on Facebook or Tumblr or Instagram without seeing an inspritational Marilyn quote: body positivity, relationships, beauty, career advice and basically anything that comes under 'being a person': all of which sound excellent as sound-bites, but why does the pop cultural figure of Marilyn Monroe still appeal to us in this thoroughly modern day ?

I had so many pictures of her framed in pink on my black-and-white walls all through high-school, she was part of my aesthetic. Which is weird when you think about the fact she was once a real person, with blood and flesh and breath. Then one day, I stumbled on an article about all the sacrifices she made to become who she was at the end of her life, the plastic surgery she underwent to go from Norma Jean BAKER (eyup #reletives) to international sex symbol- THE body- a reputation that has spun on for decades. 

©DisFriends

When signed at 20^th century fox, Marilyn was allegedly told by talent agent Johnny Hyde to get a nose job, a chin implant, to change her name, to change her body, to dye and cut her hair, to have cosmetic dental work- all for one reason: to be made into the ‘perfect woman’, an absolutely flawless caricature- a purely sexual object. Even down to the way she walked, talked and laughed- asked to try to change her smile so her gums would not be visible. One of the reasons she is so quotable in this modern day is because of her determination and consciousness- every syllable, pause and word was crafted perfectly to work toward the image she aimed to portray. 

Physical femininity is a wonderful thing, but when does the portrayal of sensuality become all-consuming? We see the same thing repeated in the cases of a number of current celebrities- Kim Kardashian is an astonishingly similar example (but with debatable surgery). Nicki Minaj is another example of note- her success in pop culture has been almost wholly dependent on an array of surgeries with the sole aim of making her idealistic. A Similar name change, changed from Miraj to Minaj so it connotes ‘menage a trois’ –like a threesome (wat); buttock and breast augmentation (debated) and another change of image- from ‘Hoodstar’ to ‘Harajuku Barbie’ within a year. 

©Disfriends

So now when I return from university, I look at the pictures of Marilyn in my cupboard and see desperation, and ambition. I see a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and achieved it- but I also see someone who sacrificed herself in the process. 
Marilyn once said

'I want to grow old without face lifts... I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I've made. Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old age, to die young, but then you'd never complete your life, would you? You'd never wholly know you. '

Marilyn asserts it would be easier to die than to age, implying that her worth as an acting professional, singer, model and person is dependent on her youth and beauty. This is not an inspirational ideology for women, and does not have a place in the modern day. Marilyn never completed her life, she didn't know herself anymore, under the illusion of the industry-created being that she had become by the middle of her 30^th film. 

Sacrificing your image and actions to achieve a life goal makes for an unquestionably fascinating person, but an inspirational woman? I don't think so. 

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