We all have our reasons for being in awe of Marilyn. Her beauty, her style, her work, her mind. But here are thirty reasons to love Marilyn Monroe, according to Laura. If you have any more to add please do in the comments!
- Marilyn worked hard for her craft, especially earlier on in her career. She studied acting, speech, dance and singing to try and increase her chances of getting movie roles.
- She proved that a girl from a poorer background with an unstable family can star in some of the biggest movies in the world and be known as a legend.
- She was open about her sexual abuse as a child. In numerous books, she is quoted to discuss her abuse when she was a child by a man called “Mr Kimmel”, a lodger who lived with Marilyn.
- Her book collection displayed her desire to learn, her passion for literature, art and history – something which people don’t expect from a sex symbol.
- Looks in other men weren’t important to her. She married Joe DiMaggio, a world famous baseball star and playwright Arthur Miller, not heartthrobs James Dean or Marlon Brando (although it is said she did have a fling with Brando in the 1950s).
- Marilyn loved animals. It is said that when she was married to her first husband, Jim Dougherty, she wanted to bring a cow in the house because it was stuck outside in the rain.
- She wasn’t afraid to break the rules, embrace her body and her sex appeal. Marilyn wore clothes which we not the “norm” for women in the 1950s. Her plunging, tight gowns had much of Hollywood in horror but also encouraged women to be more open about their bodies.
- Marilyn wasn’t afraid of telling the truth. For example, when it was discovered she posed nude in the 1940s for a calendar, the studio wanted her to deny that she was the one in the photos. But she didn’t lie, she embraced it.
- Marilyn loved children and desperately wanted her own but unfortunately she suffered from an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages leaving her childless.
- She was very generous. Marilyn’s friends often commented on how Marilyn would buy them gifts. If they commented that they liked something it would most likely be delivered to their door the next day. She was also incredibly charitable.
- Marilyn didn’t talk badly about others. Even when she was angry at her studio after she was fired in 1962, she named no names.
- When Marilyn was filming the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she questioned why she was not given a dressing room considering she was “the blonde.” She wasn’t going to be walked over.
- She had the courage to stand up to the studio and made her own production company to ensure she wouldn’t be typecast in “dumb blonde” roles.
- She saw the best in people and forgave those for their wrongdoing (with the except of a few). Seven years after her divorce from Joe DiMaggio, he rescued her from Payne Whitney after she was wrongly institutionalised. Marilyn spent a lot of time with Joe before her death meaning she put all bad feelings aside.
- It was easy for Marilyn to talk about equal rights at a time when it was still a subject of taboo, whether it be sexuality or race.
- Marilyn knew what worked and what didn’t in the makeup and fashion department. She had techniques of doing things that made her stand out in a crowd.
- She was a feminist.
- Marilyn truly cared about her career and wanted to do well at it. She wouldn’t give up just because there were those who doubted her ability or talent.
- Despite her Marilyn Monroe persona, she always believed in being true to yourself.
- She wasn’t ashamed of her insecurities or anxiety. In fact, she wanted to overcome them and better herself.
- Marilyn appreciated and loved her fans.
- Material possessions weren’t important to her. Marilyn didn’t own lavish gowns (they were often borrowed from the studio and worn on several occasions) or jewels or large homes. She was very modest in her decorating and lifestyle. In fact, when she died she had only a few thousand dollars, not much for the world’s largest movie star.
- She was a great comedy actress as well as a dramatic actress.
- Marilyn didn’t sleep her way to fame (if she had she would’ve made more money, a lot faster). She spent time with men who would be able to further her career via networking, and she spent time with them so she would be fed as she had no money to live on. This is why she posed nude in 1949, so she could get her car to travel to work (the shoot had the photographer’s wife present).
- She was ambitious.
- Marilyn wasn’t afraid to dress down or go without makeup in public. She was very down to earth and not as vain as some make-out.
- Her laugh was sweet, her smile radiant and her heart warm.
- She believed in respecting others.
- Marilyn knew exactly how to get the attention of those around her. She studied body language and movement and was able to switch it on as soon as she had to become Marilyn Monroe.
- She wanted to be surrounded by intellectuals, not Hollywood stars. Her friends and associates were acting coach Lee Strasberg, poet Carl Sandburg, husband and playwright Arthur Miller and author Truman Capote.
Marilyn was more than just a Hollywood blonde. There was much more depth to her character and she should be celebrated for that in both her life and film career. There are so more reasons to love Marilyn but these are the things people need to know.
