The internet is full of photoshopped pictures of Marilyn. How do you tell which are real and which are fake? And why are photoshopped pictures so harmful both to Marilyn’s legacy and to her fans?
Race Relations
August 1972 article in MS magazine: “I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt. It was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo (who had refused to book Fitzgerald because she was black), and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard… After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.” – Ella Fitzgerald
Marilyn Monroe photographed by Milton Greene, 1954 via www.ourmarilynmonroe.co.uk
It’s 1954, and Marilyn Monroe stands in her shiny black Cadillac – given to her in lieu of payment for a television appearance. The car’s top is down, and palm trees in the background indicate she’s in her hometown, Los Angeles. Monroe is 28, but her pale skin and blonde hair makes her look younger. She’s wearing a pink gingham shirt, tied above the waist, and dark blue jeans. She’s wearing Joe DiMaggio’s wedding ring. Sexy yet eternally gamine, she seems carefree and relaxed – a very modern movie star.
While there are numerous reasons to admire Marilyn Monroe, in recent years she has been inundated with descriptions like ‘plus size’, ‘full figured’, and ‘size 12’ and become an icon of body acceptance. But is this an accurate description of her?
August 2015 marks 53 years since Marilyn passed away. As in years past Immortal Marilyn’s members pooled their money and we raised $750. $325 was spent on this beautiful flower arrangement for Marilyn, with $425 remaining to be given to Animal Haven of NYC. She would be so proud and so touched.
When the news broke that superstar Marilyn Monroe had died, the world was stunned. However, she has remained an icon like no other, constantly in the forefront of pop culture and in the hearts of her legions of fans. Now, 53 years after her untimely death, Marilyn is still misunderstood and her many accomplishments and attributes get shortchanged in favor of tabloid lies. Today, we remember why Marilyn remains and should continue to remain in the stratosphere of immortality.
