I'm actually writing this in the morning, so pardon my language because I'm feeling rather sleepy. Now, I usually complete my post before I start on the title, but I decided this time that I already knew the title.
Normal practice: my post contents determine the title
Today: the title determines my post contents
So yes, let's begin.
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Now, many people throughout history (not really long but around 60 years?) have had a debate over the legacy left behind by Marilyn Monroe. Many have debated whether she contributed to the world as much as people gave her credit for, while some believed that she was capable of so much more.
Personally, I am a great fan of Marilyn Monroe. I love her, her works, her style, and more importantly, the way she viewed life and the things around her. Not that I love the fact that she was portrayed as a bimbo a lot, but more that she had views about life that were definitely etched somewhere within a person, but they were much too noble to admit.
Marilyn Monroe once said, "I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love."
Now, it's true that we are more open to admit that we sin in this day and age, but that wasn't the case back in the 1950s. People were more closed up about their personal self, and most females who were feminists would have never admitted that they were trying to find someone to love, or that they were a little girl.
I'm not saying that this is definitely true to all females, but what I'm saying is that there were definitely females who felt this way back then, but did not have the courage to be true to what they felt. They didn't believe that this was something they should be feeling, because they were supposed to support female rights etc.
Marilyn Monroe, now she found the courage to be true to that. She wasn't anti-feminist, she just wasn't a feminist on her own. She loved that she was a woman, and admitted what was true to her.
You may say that this image is what the media portrayed of her, but Marilyn Monroe was also known to have spoken inspirational quotes far beyond the intellectual capabilities of the "dumb blonde" image they wanted her to possess. Which is true, and which is false? It's up to us to decide. After all, she couldn't verify if she wanted to, anyway.
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Marilyn Monroe was a legend. She has inspired the works of so many artists and artistes in the decades to come after her death, including Andy Warhol and Madonna. After her death, many celebrities were also branded based on the image she built in the media, the "dumb blonde" image. She inspired so many stories on the "helpless female".
Of course, you would argue that we shouldn't encourage the "helpless female" or the "dumb blonde". However, that is what feminists have told you to do. Feminists have always detest the idea of the helpless female, because they believed in female empowerment. But that does not make the "helpless female" an incorrect concept, it's just another concept that feminists don't believe in.
Yes, the "helpless female" may not always be a positive image to inspire future generations to achieve, but the fact is that so many female celebrities beyond Marilyn Monroe's time have been inspired to do so. Does that not make her legacy strong, however "conventional" or "inappropriate" it may be?
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Her works were impressive, and she has been reported as "timeless". Marilyn Monroe passed on in 1962. As of 2015, she has passed on for 53 years. Yet, we see traces of her in so many media portrayals until today.
If you head to Universal Studios Singapore, you'd see a performer dressing in a white halter dress with a platinum blonde wig. She goes around saying sweet words to the people taking photos with her, and always wears a lovely smile on her face.
The fact that Marilyn Monroe is so iconic that universal studios still puts her as a mascot, means that people do know her. People, born long after her death, remembers her.
If you are not convinced, here's another example. Most people remember the white halter dress that flew when a celebrity stood on top of a subway grating. Many people remember the celebrity covering the dress down as it flew. If you remember that iconic image, you remember Marilyn Monroe.
I'm not saying she's still popular today. I'm saying that, despite having passed on for 53 years, she is still a subject of media portrayals. People call celebrities the "Marilyn Monroe" of whichever time period. People wear a white halter dress and imitate the way she behaves.
She is timeless, because her legacy keeps passing on from the 20th century to the 21st century. Her death was not the end of her influence, but the beginning of a stronger influence.
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Marilyn Monroe was once deemed the "American Dream". We all know that movies usually present an impractical way of life, or fate that isn't usually possible. A kid with a troubled past becomes an international celebrity that is well received by all. A kid with so much difficulties thrown at him/her overcomes them and fights their fate.
That, was Marilyn Monroe. With a troubled past of living in foster homes and failed marriages, she become a well-known celebrity in her time with modelling and acting careers. She was also featured as the first centre-fold of the renowned Playboy magazine.
We watch movies that tell us these stories, but more often than not we don't really find that possible in a real-life context. In Marilyn Monroe's case, it became her reality. Now, that was definitely a great inspiration, however difficult it may seem.
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There are many many many great celebrities that have passed on, with stronger legacies left behind. Actresses that promoted Broadway and kindness like Audrey Hepburn, or actors that are still a topic of song lyrics like James Dean... are only some examples.
I respect, and I absolutely adore them. But, Marilyn Monroe definitely left her legacy behind as well. However controversial it may have been, it was a legacy nonetheless.
People have long debated her works, claiming that she was a lousy actress. People have debated her image as a "dumb blonde", promoting negative concepts to women. People have debated her life story, claiming that it was exaggerated and wasn't all that inspiring anyway.
But she is still a topic of argument and discussion. In my opinion, if you can achieve that over 50 years after your death, you've left a legacy in this world.
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And, that was my tribute to Marilyn Monroe. I also look up to her a lot, not that I want to be a dumb blonde, but I believe that sometimes it's not that bad to be the weak female.
I don't encourage anti-feminist activities like slavery, abuse, forced control, or anything. I encourage that women should be empowered to protect themselves and fight for their rights. I'm just saying that it isn't so bad to be a weak female once in awhile, having the men to carry your bags or dote on you.
It isn't all that bad, really. People just need to be more open to accepting this view, then they can fight for female rights while a man strolls along behind carrying their shopping bags.
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To end things off, here's the iconic scene of the flying white halter dress.
Joanna
