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?

I think MM had a rotten life, but I am sure that life for many actresses of the 'golden age' was difficult.

She did struggle with her weight, I remember that she considered that she was fat and hideous when she made Some Like It Hot (in the late 50s). Watching that film now all you notice really is how luminous and funny she is.

The great shame is that she was a talented comic actress but because of her personal problems could never really fulfil he potential.

When I think of MM's contemporaries - I think Shirley Maclaine is one admire. A really successful career and she comes across as a strong and warm woman.

YABU and outrageously patronising. Why does it bother you?

i think most can see past the glamour of hollywoods ultimate blonde, she was a very sad women most know this that is what is so intriguing was that she was not all what she seemed. part of her attraction was not only her sensuality but her vulnerability too something that hollywood could not manufacture that has made her appealing to both men and woman

and she was tiny just fleshy and a bit wobbly compared to many hollywood stars even of that time but she was never a size 16 (have been lucky enough to have seen her clothes first hand). I am sure that is printed to make some women feel better i am not sure but it is so often quoted but it is just not true she was only rounder when she was pregnant and probably 12 then (some like it hot you can see how her weight fluctuates thought the film)

some of the last pictures taken of her are so sad, her eyes look dead, she looks drugged up and old for her age and very unhappy through the smiles

I do get what you mean. Ive seen a lot of people writing things like Marylin was a size 16 so i love me curves etc etc.

But i would rather most people see her for what she was. A resourceful young woman who was repeated shat on and manipulated by the media machine and the men in her life who treated her like dirtwho was very unhappy and died young.

I like Marylin by the way. I find her life tragic and think its a lesson in itself how women were treated then and now and idolised because of their looks. In this case looks gained by surgery and make up. Much like in fact a lot of women now are idolised for the same reasons.

Oh god all this 'curves' bullshit annoys me.

I "idolised" her as a teenager and still find her fascinating. I am 46.

She was "used" but I believe she was also one of the first actors to demand (and get) editorial control over her films and a share of the profits. She started her own production company (admittedly with Milton Greene to do the business side of things). She may have been the first woman to do that?

She was not stupid - she just didn"t have the benefit of a stable upbringing or focus on the intellectual. She was belittled by the studio system and the press all her life, and after it

Anyway, I think YABU as people can idolise others for whatever reasons they want.

I can't understand anyone idolising football players but plenty do.

She was partly manufactured by Hollywood but put a good deal of effort into managing and creating her own image too.

Mm was highly intelligent. I see her as a role model. She incredibly strong. She suffered huge abuse and kept going. I would have fallen apart long before she did. Remember she lived in a different period of history to us. The Hollywood machine was brutal and she got through it and started her own company.

I admire what MM did with the gifts she was given, how she kept going through the abuses and torments that life threw at her. I don't blame her for seeking sanctuary in alcohol, drugs and bad choices in men. She was a great actress who never reached her potential. So not a role model, but someone we can all learn lessons from.

Audrey Hepburn is a modern day goddess and quite possibly the most beautiful woman of the 20th century. OP - you missed the bit about her saving the life of a British soldier by distracting a German soldier who was searching the woods for him, by offering him a bunch of flowers. You also missed out her work with UNICEF. I agree she is a much better role model than Marilyn, but then again, there are a lot of women who are even better role models than Audrey Hepburn.

YANBU I get a bit pissed when all the focus is on MM being glam, as if there weren't any super glam actresses (with fascinating private lives and super acting skills) before her - such as Rita Hayworth, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Crawford etc etc. I say this because I am a bit of a Tierney fan. :)

I suspect much of the focus remains on MM because she appeared to die in very mysterious circumstances. Even if her death is easily explained by some sort of barbiturate overdose, the autopsy was not performed well and samples were destroyed which further perpetuates the mystery. Never mind who may or may not have been either present or called that night...