to grow tired of (mainly) young women quoting Marilyn Monroe and putting her on a pedestal?

[Mimiontheshelf]

I see it all the time, especially on FB and Twitter - girls and women throwing Marilyn Monroe quotes around. The incessant 'Aw, Marilyn Monroe was sooo glam' 'Love Marilyn Monroe [insert 15 lovehearts]

It is particularly noticeable with it being the 50th anniversary of her death tomorrow. Now, I adore Marilyn Monroe movies and I have read several books about her. But why do people not realise that Marilyn Monroe was merely a character invented by Hollywood execs? Norma Jeane was a mousey brunette with crooked teeth and a bumpy nose, and throughout her life she suffered horrific abuse at the hands of those who should have been taking care of her. She was naive, and she was exploited terribly in her constant persuit of love and acceptance. She was a sad, tragic person who was by all accounts childish and unstable. Was she charming? Absolutely. But she is not somebody who should be remembered because of her blonde hair. She was a person who deserved so much more than she ever got, and she often took the wrong path.

I don't think I'd be so bothered if these women quoting her and fawning over how 'glam' she was actually knew that none of it was glamorous, she led a sad life full of trouble. She is not a role model. And people are constantly throwing about that supposed quote of hers 'If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best.' I see young women throwing this quite around when they've been a stroppy cow with their boyfriends for no good reason. Completely out of context.

Same goes for Audrey Hepburn. She is somebody to be idolised, but not because she looked good in a black dress smoking a cigarette. But because despite her horrible, scary childhood she grew into a strong person who dedicated her life to helping those in need. Her father abandoned the family during the war as he became a Nazi sympathiser, and left them in great danger, and her brother taken to a concentration camp. Despite this, when she was much older, she traced her father and although he wanted nothing to do with her, he was very poor and very unwell and she financially supported him and paid for his treatment until his death. She was a strong, selfless person who made the best of her life and helped others despite such an awful start in life. If you must idolise her, idolise her for that not because she looked 'classy and glamorous'.

Anybody agree?

mimi, if you advocate knowing all about people before you judge them, you should know at some times in her life she certainly was overweight.

People are very keen to say 'ooh, she wasn't really curvy/overweight, she was a tiny size, look at these measurements'. Actually, as I understand it she lost and gained weight quite a lot over her career. If you pick one of the slim times, of course, she seems slim.

I agree she had a really sad, rotten time, and FWIW Arthur Miller doesn't come across as the greatest guy either, in light of recent info on his private life.

I think you're being unfair, to be honest.

Of course young girls are going to idolse her, she was an icon of her time - that was half a century ago and I don't think youngsters now will research how her life began and how hard it was for her to break through into stardom ....and inevitably how difficult that was to cope with. They will only see the glamour of a time gone by. They won't see the ugly parts.

I think you are overthinking it from your point of view though OP, although I totally understand where you are coming from.

I can't think of one actress/ actor who will truly become an icon and a paragon of virtue these days, all their private lives are laid open and are pulled to pieces by the paps or the press and there is nothing that I can see that would be worthy of any jealousy from any young person today.

Fame is cringeworthy imo - I am happy being a pleb

I haven't noticed this particularly. As a huge fan of MM when I was young, I was perfectly able to appreciate both sides. You sound a bit disparaging about younger women tbh. Are people only allowed to like celebrities if they've done the background reading?

I just want to add I don't blame Marilyn herself for the fake plus size ideology (at "best" she was someone who massively struggled with her weight- not 'out and proud') This false message has been constructed largely since she died.

And she most certainly was curvy just not plus sized or overweight.

Mimi, I did read your post but I don't think you can possibly know how little or much someone knows about mm or any other "idol. " at least the two people you name have some substance behind them apparently unlike many more modern glam ladies.

Marilyn Monroe was an actress. The only thing that people should be choosing her as a role model for is her acting ability and perhaps her 'fabulous' (as another poster said) style. It is irrelevant whether or not somebody has a shallow understanding of her life or not.

Or am I missing something here?

YABU, and patronising. I think everyone knows she had her share of trouble (the whole suicide thing kinda gives it away) but I think her flaws actually make her all the more interesting to people.

blue, you've quoted stats that apply to one point in her life.

I would love to say that, because in my wardrobe I have a dress that fits a slim size 8, I must therefore be a size 8.

She struggled with weight, she got - as far as I can see - pretty much bullied about it in the press, and when she was drinking too much, she put quite a lot on, if you believe her then-husband Miller.

I don't think it should matter what she weighed, but I think making out she was always slim is just as bad as making out she was a proud cheerleader for plus sizes. She was a normal human being.

Sounds like you dont really care about the teenage girls who 'idolise' her. I think you just wanted to impress us all with all the facts you know about her and Audrey Hepburn. Well done you clever little sausage .

I didn't know about Audrey Hepburn, it is interesting.

It'd have been interesting without the rest, though, really.

FWIW I love MM and AH always have and always will - I'm 46 years old and not afraid to admit my love

Your OP states well known facts.

DD has been watching the television series about a musical based on the life of MM and it has prompted me to ask myself why I have always been fascinated by her. Initially it was her image and style but she was also a marvelous comic actress on celluloid and in RL and as a teenager I could identify with many of the problems she had.

There is something about her sexuality that is innocent, not seedy or dark, just sort of fun and wholesome. Men at the time treated her like a dirty joke but I think that women see the vulnerability and "get" her. To me, her life, her enduring success was a triumph over adversity despite the sad beginnings and end.

How on earth do you know that the young women on your friends list don't know anything about Marilyn? And why one earth can't you like someone solely because they're glam? We value different people for their different strengths, after all.

YABU and very patronising.

LRD that's sort of what I said in my second post. She struggled with her weight. I presume she wasn't happy (either personally or professionally) being bigger or she wouldn't have tried to slim down repeatedly (Of course I don't know this for a fact though!) I totally agree with you, she was a normal human being: not a stick insect but also not a plus size campaigner.

I admire what she overcame but I'm not sure I'd be thrilled if a daughter of mine wanted to be like her (or Jordon, Girls Aloud etc etc either!)

Exactly! My dd knows all about her..,,how do you know younger girls know nothing?? They have 'google' which we never had, no reason for them to not know everything there is to know!!

Were you just trying to post a clever thread...,, you failed!

Fair enough, I thought you meant the measurements you gave were what she always measured, if that makes sense.

I just think she's someone who's constantly referred to in discussions about size, and it's always either exaggerated by giving her very slim measurements from one stage in her career (when even she knew she was slim), or by saying she was proud to be overweight. I feel like it's an awful way to remember her because she had those issues and she was so much more than what she weighed or even what she looked like, IMO.

(Not very coherent, sorry, but I think we are agreeing!)

I know the photo you're talking about. It compares a glam mm to a very underweight model. If that photo gets one girl to look and rethink what the media portrays as "sexy" and adjust their ideals about themselves then dies it really matter if they know mm's back story!

Who would you prefer they put on a pedestal then?

A towie girl?
A mic girl?
A Geordie shore girl?
A jersey shore girl?
A kardashian girl?
Kendra?
Someone from big brother? Eastenders? Corrie?

Who?

i know a little off topic but there is a radio doco on MM starting tonight on radio 2 at 7pm narrated by Kim Cattrel the snipets i have heard sound good

Well it would be nice if successful women who were successful for something other than how they look Olympia! You know for being successful in business, or charity or sport etc etc

were put on a pedestal

Yes,yes, I KNOW that!!

Just pointing out the crap that is around and hogging the media at the moment!

Oh fair enough! There is a lot of crap. It would be nice if all this olympic fever would shift focus onto successful sportswomen.