To this day, the name of this Hollywood starlet is on the minds of many around her as a household name. Marilyn Monroe remains an iconic symbol in pop culture today amongst women. Nobody will forget about her because of the impact she made on history. I introduce to you, Marilyn Monroe.
June 1, 1926; the day that Norma Jeane Baker was born in Los Angeles from her mother Gladys Pearl Baker. She was a little girl raised in a small town with big dreams of becoming a starlet. However, her origin story was anything but glamorous. She bounced around from foster home to foster home and even spent some of her time in an orphanage. However, she did not let that deter her from her success.
Fast forward to the late 1940s - 1960s, she came into her own. She was an actress, singer, model, and comedian all in one. In 1946, she became the persona of Marilyn Monroe when she signed with 20th Century Fox Pictures where she was famous for pin-up photoshoots. In 1953, she starred in many leading roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Niagra. This gave a new era to beauty, making her the original "Blonde Bombshell".
In 1962, her most famous appearance for singing was when she sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy in Madison Square Garden in New York City. She truly put the definition to beauty, brains, and brawn for women.
Behind the flashing lights, she was an advocate for Civil Rights, World War II, and Feminism. She attended rallies that fought against anti-Communist violations of civil liberties. Under Radioplane, she looked at and sprayed parachutes with a fire retardant during World War II. As a proud feminist, she used her connections to start her own production company to show that she was more than what people sexualized women as.
No one knew the truth until it was too late. What Marilyn Monroe faced behind the scenes in Hollywood came to light. She was abused by the people who were supposed to have her back in the industry. The trauma required her to be prescribed powerful medications to treat her. She later died of an overdose in her bedroom alone on August 5, 1962 at just 36 years old.
Marilyn Monroe is a prime example of the term "More than Meets the Eye."