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Writer's pictureEmma Hammack
Jun 4, 20233 min read

Marilyn Monroe

Kate Hammack

6/3/2023

Early Life

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, and model during the 1950s and 1960s. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and spent most of her time in foster homes and orphanages. Her real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, who later took her mother’s name, Baker. Her mother was confined in many asylums, which caused Monroe to go into 12 different foster homes.

At the young age of 16, she married James Doughtery and worked in a factory during WWII. Shortly after the war she divorced her husband and signed a modeling contract with a photographer she met in the factory. This started her incredible career.


Accomplishments

In 1946 she signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and turned her name into Marilyn Monroe. She was briefly in some movies by Fox and Columbia Studios, but she became very popular as a model. Her career sprouted as she got major roles in movies such as Let's Make it Legal (1951), Love Nest (1951), and Niagara (1953). Her career continued to grow as she was seen as a “bombshell blonde”, and soon became a sex symbol in Hollywood. However, Marilyn Monroe was so much more than that. Yes, she made millions as an actress and even won the Henriette Award for Best Young Box Office Personality and later 3 Golden Globes, but she also made a huge impact on many different people during her time.

Monroe openly supported the Civil Rights Movement and often donated to charity in many Black communities. She also donated lots of money to children's charities such as the March for Dimes. In 1955 she worked for WAIF, helping the organization place abandoned children in loving homes.

During the Korean War in 1954, she sang to over 100,000 American troops in over 4 days. This was during a trip to Japan with her husband, they took a detour to Korea to entertain thousands of soldiers and marines.

Marilyn Monroe was the 2nd woman in history to open her own production company, called Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP). Even though she was stereotyped as a “dumb blonde”, she was an extremely intelligent woman who produced many movies that focused on female leads.

Throughout her career, Monroe continually spoke about mental health awareness, abuse awareness, and body positivity. She suffered from crippling anxiety and depression, along with sexual abuse from her husbands and her producers on movie sets. She was taken advantage of in many situations. She spoke out about her issues, which led her to later on be confined to a psychiatric hospital in New York. She never stopped writing and talking about her abuse and health, which helped many women at that time to confess their verbal and sexual abuse.

She had many other accomplishments, such as meeting Queen Elizabeth II and singing to President JFK, and being the 2nd most photographed person in the world. She was truly an underrated and inspirational figure in our history.


Death

Marilyn Monroe’s death is still quite a mystery. In 1962, her body was found in her own home, and was declared a suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. Her death caused many theories because her body was missing for 6 hours after she died, and when she was discovered she was nude with several bruises and scratches. Her body even had the DNA of 7 other individuals, which caused a lot of confusion from the police reporting an overdose. No one knows what truly happened to her, but she could have been murdered and raped by many people, before or after her death.


Our Opinion

Marilyn Monroe was one of the most influential women, she was truly an incredible person who inspired many women. She changed the world with her acting and fashion and even broke the stereotype of being a “dumb blonde” with her many accomplishments. She went through so much in her life, dealing with abuse, drugs, and horrible mental health, but she still strived to help others in need. Her life must be honored and her accomplishments should be known, she is one of the most underrated women in history.


Sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2023b, May 28). Marilyn Monroe. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marilyn-Monroe

Hayden, J. (2022, October 4). Not just blonde: 5 of Marilyn Monroe’s greatest achievements during her life and career. Stellar. https://stellar.ie/trending/not-just-blonde-5-of-marilyn-monroes-greatest-achievements-during-her-life-and-career/110573

Coates, H. (2023, June 1). 9 things to know about Marilyn Monroe’s beauty regime. British Vogue. https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/marilyn-monroe-beauty-routine






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