Marilyn Monroe: Changing History

Marilyn Monroe and Her Effect on American History

To all the girls that think you're fat because you're not a size zero, you're the beautiful one, its society who's ugly. (Goodhousekeeping) Marilyn Monroe insists that every girl is beautiful no matter what their size is. She made a positive outlook on so many people's lives. Marilyn Monroe was a strong women's right activist in a time women had little to no rights. She was also the first women to get a scripts and director approval in her films.

Marilyn's Biography

        Marilyn Monroe was born June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Her birth name was Norma Jeane Mortenson. She was an American actress, comedienne, singer, and model. Marilyn became one of the world's biggest iconic figures and was remembered for her beloved and embodiment of the Hollywood sex symbol and her personal and professional complications within the film industry. Her childhood was very hard because she did not have a father and her mother had a turbulent mental state and struggles to cope with taking care of her children. For the first six years Marilyn lived with her foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender in the town of Hawthorne, California. Her mother Gladys tried to take back Marilyn, but she suffered a mental break down and Marilyn was moved from foster home to foster home which made her shy and bottled up. She passed away August 5, 1962 in Los Angeles California, USA from a drug overdose. (imdb)

Body Confidence

        Marilyn Monroe seemed to be very confident with her body, but behind the scenes she is not self confident. She spent most of her life with a low self-esteem and a range of mental health issues, which is caused by her tough childhood. Instead of learning from her bad past, the world glorified her sadness, which turned her sadness into an amazing icon of glamour and misery.

Women's rights activist

        Marilyn Monroe is a protofeminist. A proto-feminist is a person who anticipated feminism by living before the term was coined. Feminism is the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Feminist activism is the struggle for that equality. Monroe is a fighter, unwilling to back down, and she carves an identity for herself in a male-dominated Hollywood. She believes every women should have their own rights and freedom. Marilyn taught us about how to be a leader, speak out, intersectional feminism starts with advocating for equal. Since Marilyn was such a complex character, she found herself stuck in the middle of two different types of women: those who were disgusted or intimidated by her, and those who loved her body and look just the way she was. In 1959 Marilyn shared her views on the subject: I'd like to be known as a real actress and human being, she said, but listen, there's nothing wrong with glamour either. I think everything adds up. I'll never knock glamour. But I want to be in the kind of pictures where I can develop, not just wear tights. (LAMAG)

Legacy

        Marilyn changed the american history is so many different ways. She was the most beautiful women that had ever lived. The first legacy she carried through was being the first real women to support short bleach-blond hair, shorter clothing, and to just show the real you by being who you are and also still being polite and proper. The second legacy she carried was her own production company. She was the first woman in history to own their own production company. Marilyn Monroe Productions. (Marilynmonroesj) Her clothing line was established with 101 shares of stock. Her role was to star in films that were selected by the company. Marilyn's production company made her extremely successful. Marilyn had left more that just a legacy with this production. She proved to people who did not believe she was a hard worker, that she in fact was. The third legacy Marilyn carried through was changing the life of a black woman. In the 1960's racism was a very big issue and that was also when Marilyn Monroe was known. Ella Fitzgerald was a famous jazz singer. Her voice is recognized by millions around the world, also had a big impact on the world of arts and music. Very few people know about her friendship with Marilyn though. Just like every other black musician who was raised in that period, faced a lot of adversity because of her race. She couldn't go into just any hotel, or bathroom, and not just sit on any bus like other blacks. Until one night Marilyn changed it all for the better. In the 50's Ella always want to play at the new popular spot called Mocambo, but she was black so she was not allowed. They did want Marilyn Monroe to play though. When Marilyn heard of this she called the owner of the venue and that changed her career. She demanded they let Ella perform and Marilyn could sit in the front row if they did and she also said she would give the venue a bad review if they did not. As of then they let Ella in and from there on Marilyn left a legacy through helping one of the best jazz singers in history to even get noticed. Ella said these exact words after Marilyn changed her life,

 I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt   she personally called the owner of Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him - and it was true, due to Marilyn's superstar status - that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual women - a little ahead of her times. And she didn't know it. (Ella Fitzgerald)

Works Cited

1. Social Affect. How Marilyn Monroe Affected History, mariylnmonroenhd.weebly.com/social-affect.html.
2. How Did Marilyn Monroe Change the World? Immortal Marilyn, 10 Aug. 2015, dna. (2018). Marilyn Monroe: A bombshell, a feminist. [online] Available at: https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-marilyn-monroe-a-bombshell-a-feminist-1763110 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2018].
3. Michelle Morgan. Was Marilyn Monroe a Feminist. Los Angeles. 2018. April 3, 2018
4. Wikimedia Foundation. The legacy left by Marilyn. Web. May 10, 2015.
5. Elizabeth Blair. Monroe's Legacy Is Making Fortune, But For Whom. 2012. Web. August 3, 2012.
6. Pettinger, Trejvan. Biography of Marilyn Monroe. 2009. Web. December 1, 2009.
7. 10 Interesting facts about Marilyn Monroe you probably didn't know about. 2014. Web. June 8, 2014.

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