Marilyn Monroe's Hollywood Persona

Marilyn Monroe is now considered to be a woman who challenged cultural norms. During the time when Marilyn’s career was emerging, a woman who was excessively sexual was considered improper. Women were to be modest and prim. Marilyn’s blonde bombshell image was offensive to every other woman in that era (Warlick, 2012). “A typical pose displays her with glistening blonde hair, brightly dressed, her face set with half closed eyes and a half open mouth – a picture of sheer promise. Parts of her body – the dark red lips, the long black eyelashes, the shaped and elongated eyebrows – are havily outlined, whilst other parts – her neck and torso – are traced with trinkets and clothing that accentuate the roundness and fullness of her figure” (Mccann, p62). Although her persona was very negative to culture in the beginning, she slowly began to change the nations views on women. She showed how it was possible to be classy and still have some sex appeal. The way she embraced her sexuality allowed the public to become more tolerant of it.

“If I’d observed all the rules I’d never have got anywhere.”

Marilyn Monroe’s first film with 20th Century Fox was The Shocking Miss Pilgrim. She played roles in several other films, however, none of them were big hits. Her bad luck streak with films ended when she auditioned for the film The Asphalt Jungle, directed by John Huston. Marilyn thought she blew her chances of getting the role by dressing too provocative. She was given the role as character Angela Phinley, the mistress of an elderly attorney. After that film reviewers described her as “curvy Marilyn Monroe” (Mcann, p 93). Marilyn’s “dumb blonde” persona and sex appeal could be why she was able to land roles in several movies. Her character and persona was the beginning of a culture shift in Hollywood (Vigillant, 2013). “In the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, Marilyn adorns her trademark platinum blonde “Hollywood” hairdo. In this movie, she plays the role of a sensual yet materialistic woman that is not afraid of using her charm to obtain what she wants. This type of character will be repeated time and time again in popular culture” (Vigillant, 2013). 

Although she played a tiny part in the movie, Marilyn’s character in All About Eve was a dumb blonde and a gold digger.

After the film The Seven Year Itch Marilyn began to get many publicity due to her most famous pose of her white dress blowing up at the subway in New York. Publicist wanted to keep on the idea of Marilyn as a symbolic object of illicit male sexual desire (MCcann, 100). “At first, it was all innocent and fun, but when Billy Wilder kept shooting the scene over and over, the crowd of men kept on applauding and shouting, “More, more, Marilyn – let’s see more.”-Marilyn Monroe. Her character in the film is known as “The Girl.” A business man that lives in her complex is tempted to have an affair with her while his wife is away on a trip. She was criticized negatively after this performance. Journalist, Bosley Crowther stated: “Marilyn Monroe does not perform as a great actress; she performs as a great physique” (Crowther, 1955).

After the completion of The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn took a year off to take acting lessons in New York. She felt the only way to break the stereotype people held against her was to escape. She was also able to negotiate a new contract with 20th Century Fox. She wanted to have more control over her films by being able to chose her own scripts. She stated in an interview, “The main thing on my mind now is my work” (Scott, 1960). She believed the best way to find herself as a person was to prove to herself that she was an actress. When she came back from New York people questioned if she was going to be able to make a comeback because Hollywood films made a huge transition during her absence. In an article written by Joe Hyams, Hyams said the style in actresses has also changed. He stated: “stories have become bigger than stars. Most big movies made during the last two years have been based on best-selling novels and cast with actresses who fit the parts, rather than personalities who mast have parts tailored to fit them” (Hyams, 1958).

Marilyn Monroe’s first film after her comeback was Bus Stop. This was the film that allowed her to break out the ‘dumb-blonde’ stereotype that had followed her around from the beginning of her career. Her characters name was Cherie. Her costumes in Bus Stop were very different from her previous films. She used old costumes, made holes in her stockings, and used chalk-white makeup (MCcann, p102). Critics were raving about her performance in Bus Stop. The word was going around that Marilyn achieved her goal of becoming a “serious” actress (Griffith, 1956). It was being said everywhere that, “Marilyn Monroe has finally proved herself as an actress in Bus Stop. She and the picture are swell” (Griffith, 1969). Other articles stated: “She gives a performance in this picture that marks her as a genuine acting star, not just a plushy personality and a sex symbol as she has previously been” (Crowther, 1956).

 

Marilyn’s sensual bombshell persona continues to influence pop culture today. “In the ’80s she inspired Madonna‘s career-defining “Material Girl” video. More recently, she’s the calculating seductress in last year’s drama “My Week With Marilyn,” the glitzy subject of a Broadway musical (“Bombshell”) in the NBC series “Smash” and the emotionally charged alter ego of pop singer Nicki Minaj in the single “Marilyn Monroe” (Guzman, 2012). Lindsey Lohan’s playboy shoot was also inspired by Marilyn Monroe through her bright blonde hair and popping red lipstick. Her success continues to inspire women through fashion and beauty along with the character personalities we see in Hollywood films today.  Her blonde bombshell persona can also be seen in films with actresses like Amanda Seyfried in Mean Girls, Paris Hitlon in House of Wax, Anna Farris in Hot Chick, and Heather Graham in The Hangover series. Marilyn Monroe’s legacy will continue to survive.