Topic > The Legacy of Marilyn Monroe

Fame, fortune and glamour, three little words that every American begs for. Marilyn Monroe was no exception to America's achievement of becoming a common household name. His legacy, his love life, and his good looks will forever be part of America's cultural history. Marilyn Monroe, a major social influence on American society, lived a short but remarkable life and influenced modern culture in numerous ways, both positive and negative. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay On June 1, 1926, Norma Jean Baker was born to Gladys Baker, an ailing woman who could not provide stability for her son (Lifetime 1), in Los Angeles, California. Norma Baker also had no biological father that she was aware of, but she still made the best of what she had. “Her mother was an editor at RKO Studios, who abandoned (Norma) in a foster home sequence” (IMBD 1). During her time in foster homes, she was nearly suffocated at two and raped at six (Alverson 15). During his adolescence, “Monroe dropped out of school at the age of 15 (American National 4). Norma quickly found a way out of foster homes, marriage. Eventually, at the young age of 16, Norma married a man named James Dougherty who was 21 years old. “She married her first husband in Las Vegas, Nevada” (IMBD 1). The age difference caused quite a few problems for the two, especially the jealousy factor. Dougherty and Baker also had many doubts about whether Baker wanted to be a mother. “Dougherty left for World War I and Baker stayed at home, before leaving she tried to convince him to get her pregnant, she was afraid she would die, but he refused because she was too young” (Hiskey 52). Their differences eventually led them to finalize a divorce. Their marriage was short-lived, lasting only from 1942 to 1946 (Grahn 20). Her marriage to him was truly her first taste of freedom, excitement, and what her life could be, even if the marriage ultimately failed (MTV 1). Fame never came without effort and Norma Jean Baker was no exception. Although her life was difficult, Norma Jean Baker knew little; his life and career were about to take off. Towards the end of her marriage to Dougherty, "In 1944, an American photographer, named Otto Ose, took photos of Norma Jean, thus beginning her career as a pin up model" (Hall). As an erotic female object, Marilyn Monroe's celebrity image represented “pure” femininity and “immoral female sexuality for postwar American culture” (Scheibel). Pinup photos were the ticket that skyrocketed her career. In 1946, 20th Century Fox gave her a contract but let it expire a year later. In 1948, Columbia gave her a six-month contract and featured her in the B-movie Ladies of the Chorus (1948) in which she sang three songs: "Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy", "Anyone Can Tell I Love You " and "The Ladies of the Chorus." In 1960, she had a small part in The Asphalt Jungle and later in All About Eve, resulting in 20th Century re-signing her to a seven-year contract (IMBD 1) . During her contract with 20th Century Fox, she starred in Niagara (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), which launched her as a sex symbol superstar (bio.com). she decided to change her point of view on her childhood and became what she wanted to be, setting the point of view from Norma Jean Baker to Marilyn Monroe, a blonde bombshell, she was an elegant woman, despite he was the embodiment of class, he was a human beinglike everyone else and obviously went through many tribulations to support himself. its appearance is up to the company's standards. Shortly after her short-lived second marriage, to Joe Dimaggio, Marilyn decided to concoct a mixture of Clorox and Ammonia, which changed her hair from a dark brown to, notoriously, platinum blonde. “Marilyn suffered from such nerves that she vomited before every scene and her skin broke out” (Donnelly). Her outbursts also showed that Marilyn was always very aware that she should take care of her skin, her first husband Jim claimed that after washing her face she would spray it 15 times to ensure her face was completely free of oil, dirt , soap or makeup. She is said to have smeared Vaseline on her face as a moisturizer/primer. It was also stated that she would take ice baths to keep her skin firm and would use olive oil as a natural moisturizer (Henrikson). Her often fluctuating weight was so inconsistent during some of the filming that her costume designer had to create different sizes (The Sydney Morning Harold). “She also took time to glamor with her Chanel No.5 perfume” (Lifetime 1). His immaculate care for his appearance also played an important role in the roles he would play in films. Marilyn Monroe appeared in 33 films. His first to have been Scudda-Hoo Scudda-Hay (bio.com). She would be best known for the following films: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire and The Seven Year Itch. In each of the films she would be portrayed as a dumb, ignorant blonde. Marilyn Monroe didn't really like these roles, in fact she hated this stereotype. She was also highly sought after by many authors, for example: "Monroe was Truman Capote's first choice for the role of Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's" (The National 32). Although she hated the roles she played, they would lead her to successful nobility through numerous awards. In 1954 she won The World Film Favorite-Female Henrietta award and on March 8, 1960 Marilyn Monroe also received a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actress (Grahn). Although acting was his primary interest, he had numerous other activities/causes that he enjoyed/rallied for. Abraham Lincoln was one of Marilyn Monroe's best-known influences; “he often carried with him the book, The Biography of Abraham Lincoln” (Stephan, 35). "Thanks to her charm, Monroe became an activist of the Civil Rights Movement" (Home). Outside of her political activities, she also enjoyed reading and doing yoga. Marilyn was, and still remains, a role model for women. She proved that even if they wear a size 18, not all women need to be a size 2 to be considered beautiful. Even though she was the most beautiful woman of the twentieth century, Monroe also had her imperfections and demons. Marilyn Monroe, the most important and sought after sex symbol in the world, knew no limits. Many men swooned over her, including the President of the United States: John F. Kennedy. In what would be her final appearance at John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration in New York City, she sang "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy "while there she was fired from the production of Something's Got to Give (Guillory 1-3) . The tabloids believed that Monroe was allegedly having an affair with the President of the United States. Unfortunately on August 5, 1962, at the young age of 36, in Los Angeles, California, Marilyn Monroe was found in her hotel with a bottle of pills. in his hand, lying face down in his bed. The drug would most likely be for his sleep disorder (ANB). However, many believe that he did not overdose. There are many conspiracies, most claiming that the Kennedys.