Thursday, November 16, 2006

Sexism 1: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

The biggest of female icons in the twentieth century. Despite Marilyn (Norma Jeane) have been submitted to several changes, to fit in the “stereotyped” sensual woman of the 40’s – such as plastic surgeries to nose and chin, dental surgery and hair lightened down from dark blonde brown to gold brown – she also had two pregnancy interruptions (first one pregnant of her third husband, Arthur Miller, in 1958, and second of one of the Kennedy’s brothers, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy or Senator Robert Kennedy), was the first woman in history to have her own motion picture production company – Marilyn Monroe Productions. She got the central page on the first number of Hugh Hefner’s Playboy.


Some of her appearances changed dramatically the way women were seen in society, as well as the “pop culture”, such has her performance singing “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend” in “Gentlemen Prefer The Blondes” (1953) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045810/ - or one of the most famous ever movie scene, where her skirt is blown upwards revealing her underwear in “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048605/.


But I chose another very famous clip to define sexism – the one I found most sexually appealing, even though there’s nothing explicit about it, her own inner sexuality can be seen in every single gesture or word she says. The world was (and still is) amazed with saw the beautiful Marilyn singing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy (May 1962). Marilyn and JFK spent the night together after that in the Carlyle hotel in New York. This would be their last night spent has “lovers”. Marilyn knew several secrets of the President, that could cause serious problems to the presidency and to the USA. That was a power of a woman, and it is said that a conspiracy against Marilyn Monroe was the cause of her death in August 1962.





No comments: