Marilyn Monroe

Although her life looked like nothing but glamour, Monroe came from a long history of neglect, abuse, and molestation. She never knew her father. She spent most of her childhood in and out of foster homes and orphanages where she endured abuse. Due to her horrific childhood, Monroe started seeing her physiatrist Doctor Greenson early in her rise to fame. Despite her circumstances, Monroe did not let her childhood affect the woman that she wanted to become. Her co-star, Jane Russel, described her as “very bright, and eager to learn” (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes). Many times, Monroe would finish on set and would head straight to her acting coach. Her first agent, Johnny Hyde, was “proof that Monroe would have to work ten times harder than any man” ever would be to be taken seriously in the Hollywood industry (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes). Monroe was good, and she was willing to do whatever it took to be the best. However, the relationships she was willing to put herself through were the downfall of her career. 

Monroe was a beautiful woman who got into romantic relationships with the wrong men. Her beauty attracted many men, but it was her “generous, warm, and loveable presence” that deepened their attraction (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes). Her beauty and presence were what Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller had fallen in love with; however, her being “the sex symbol of the world” caused many marital issues (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes). Her marriage with DiMaggio ended with violence; on occasions, Monroe would “show up to set with bruising” from being “beaten the night before by her husband” (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes).  

   Marilyn Monroe became an icon when sexism in Hollywood was at its peak.  

During this time, Monroe was fighting her own personal insecurities and trying to overcome the major hurdles society was placing before her. Throughout her career, Monroe had to fight to be taken seriously and not be seen as an object. She was a very driven and intelligent woman. Monroe was deeply passionate about “poetry, modern art, literature, leadership, business, equality, and so much more” (The religion and political views of Marilyn Monroe). Marilyn was the second woman in US history to run her own production company. She continuously broke and challenged people's expectations of her. One of her most famous sayings was “When you are famous you kind of run into human nature in a raw kind of way, it stirs up envy, fame does. People you run into feel that, well who is she, who does she think she is, Marilyn Monroe?” (Great interviews of the 20th Century: Marilyn Monroe interviewed by Richard Meryman). Hollywood painted an unrealistic picture of what Monroe was like on and off set. She was not stuck up, full of herself, rude, or arrogant. Those who did know her would describe her as “fun, loving, and an intelligent girl” (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes). Monroe was human like the rest of us. People often looked at her differently based on what was circulating in the news at the time. Most individuals pictured her to be an extravagant icon 24/7. However, Monroe’s mindset was much different than most actors of her time, “When I come out of my dressing room, I am Norma Jeanne. I am still Norma when the camera’s rolling, Marilyn Monroe only exists on the screen” (Smithsonian Magazine). We see Monroe was a human just like the rest of us. Like all human beings, Monroe made mistakes. She got involved with the wrong substances and people. Unfortunately for Monroe, her mistakes would cost her life.