Marilyn Monroe deserves the biggest apology. Known for her roles in movies as the ‘young & beautiful’ girl next door, Marilyn had so much more depth to her character than just a pretty face. She had been through so much but pushed it away just to entertain others, which is truly something that shouldn’t have been normalized.
Born June 1st, 1926, Norman Jean never was treated like a child. With her mother in an asylum half of the time, she couldn’t wait for someone to take care of her, and she simply fended for herself. Forced to grow up, Norma had a successive set of foster parents, 12 exactly. She did spend some of her time in an orphanage but it didn’t matter because when Norma had turned 16 she married a worker in an Aircraft factory, James Dougherty. They would later get a divorce in 1946, the reason being that 20th Century Fox didn’t want a pregnant starlet. Norma continued following the dream of becoming a Hollywood star, with Fox taking her in and putting her under the name “Marilyn Monroe” followed by modeling jobs and minor movie roles.
In 1950 Monroe played a small uncredited role in “The Asphalt Jungle” which, in the long term, landed a contract with Fox, again. This led to her roles in many different movies but kind of all with the same character, the dumb blonde who was only looking for money in a relationship. That’s all she ever played. That’s all that Hollywood saw her as. In some of the most iconic movies like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” or “The Seven Year Itch” Monroe portrayed the gold digger who only wanted attention and to make other people jealous. One of the lines in “The Seven Year Itch” is literally just Monroe talking about liking only married men because they wouldn’t leave their wives for her, which number one isn’t true and number two is kinda weird to say but it was like the 50s so it is what it is.
In 1962 Marilyn began to film “Somethings Got to Give” but wasn’t always present on set due to an illness. In May she flew to New York, and this is where she famously sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy, whom she was rumored to be having an affair with. She had returned and been fired off of the set because of her absences but then later was rehired, but the work had never resumed. On August 4, 1962, Marilyn Monroe took her own life or was rumored to, and she did this by overdosing on sleeping pills. The only reason for assuming she took her life is that she had tried many other times but failed.
Marilyn Monroe is a great example of being taken for granted. She was used by the entertainment industry just so they’d get money. She had worked so hard but had gotten tired of it. And for that, I am truly sorry for her.
Photo by pure-Julia on Unsplash
