Marilyn Monroe was the largest sex symbol ever to come out of Hollywood, and she is still an unparalleled cultural phenomenon over 50 years after her death. Despite her complete lack of work ethic, 3 divorces, and multiple affairs with married men, her public “happy birthday” singing stunt – humiliating the first lady-, her frequent abuse of drugs and alcohol, making a career solely based on her sexuality, regular threats of suicide, total self-absorption, and dying from an overdose, generations of women continue to look to her as an inspiration and role model. But surely any woman can understand that none of these qualities are ones that women should actively pursue today?
True, she had a bad childhood, but millions of individuals had difficult upbringings and overcome them. Instead of conquering problems, Monroe spent most of her life wallowing in them, using personal misery to escape accepting responsibility for their own lives.
She complained about becoming a celebrity, yet she was ruthlessly ambitious in her quest of fame. She cried over becoming a sex symbol, yet she did all she could to promote such an image. Despite her privileged position, frequently unforgivable conduct, and riches, she enjoyed playing the victim.
She was unhappy, her moral compass was entirely wrong, she lacked empathy, and she was never clever. Still, I see a lot of females on Twitter and Instagram referencing her as if she were some kind of heroine or philosopher. She was a conceited narcissist. So, unless you want to be a self-centered narcissist, Marilyn Monroe is not someone you should listen to.
To properly highlight the problem of women turning to Marilyn for direction, consider Lindsay Lohan as a modern-day Marilyn Monroe.
They both have a poor work ethic and are notorious for their utterly unprofessional conduct on set, such as coming late, being drunk/on drugs, not knowing their lines, and so on. They both have/had major drinking and drug issues. Their love life is well-known to be a shambles. They are renowned for struggling with inner demons and being self-destructive, rather than for being cheerful. Both capitalized on their sexuality and appeared in playboy. And, to be honest, no sane woman would ever claim that Lindsay Lohan is a god role model for anyone, so why would Marilyn?
I agree with Jenna that Marilyn Monroe should be respected as an individual; however, ladies, don’t look to her for life advice. Look for women who are strong, independent, and educated; women who have a voice and an opinion.
