A lot has been talked about Marilyn Monroe’s size and body measurements basically since her passing, but the topic has gained momentum after Kim Kardashian decided to wear her famous Happy Birthday see-through dress for this year’s MET Gala.
Much has been said about the risky decision, mainly because it wasn’t Kim’s size and because she had to lose over 16 pounds in a three-week span to fit in, something of course that goes against the healthy standards of weight loss and has been criticized for supporting a hazardous diet culture. But one thing still remains unclear, what was actually Marilyn Monroe’s size and how does it compare to Kim Kardashian’s?
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Marilyn Monroe’s size
When Norma Jeane Baker signed with the Blue Book agency in 1945, the receptionist wrote her measurements. At 19-year-old, she was 36-24-34, which at 5′5″ and 118 pounds, and today’s BMI standards is a completely healthy and average size; however, at that time, the company labeled her as a size 12.
Her hourglass figure later turned Marilyn into one of the sexiest and most glamourous women in the 50s and, as such, her image and her body size and weight became a topic of conversation most of the time, especially after her appearance to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.
But, her size 12 compared to today’s standards is far from being plus size, mainly because sizing has changed ever since, and Marilyn’s size today would be the same as a size 4 or 6.
Why sizes have changed?
According to NPR, before World War II, both men’s and women’s clothing was done equally and the only measurement taken into account was the chest.
After the war, commercial standards began to be taken into account, and women’s clothing sizes would range from 8 to 38 based on bust, height, hips, and girth. It is important to highlight that in the early 50, there was no smaller size than 8; in other words, there were no sizes 0 through 6.
That is why Marilyn’s size was an 8 because she had the smallest available in the market.
As time went by and more and more commercial clothing was produced, and the size and shape of the average American woman began to change, more sizes began to appear. By 2011, the ASTM International, a private standard organization, standardized size 00.
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So, which was Marilyn’s true size
Taking into account Marilyn’s measurements, today her size would roughly be a 6 or an 8 for her and even a 4 for her hips.
Maybe that is the reason why the dress didn’t fit Kim Kardashian’s body, not only the discrepancy in sizes but because of the different measurements.
That is why it is super important to always keep in mind that clothes should adapt to your body and feel comfortable in them, not the other way around.
