Norma Jeane Mortenson was Hollywood’s favorite blonde. To this day she still steals the hearts of every man, and women still want to look like her. Marilyn Monroe was her alter ego, who made her into a sex symbol and a beauty icon. It was also a mask she used to protect her fragile heart.
In 1946, a photographer discovered her in a factory and convinced her to become a model. Norma was a gorgeous brunette, and Emmeline Snively persuade her to dye her hair. The platinum blonde tone she chose transformed her into Marilyn and became part of her signature look.
Many things have been said about her, but the myths surrounding her easily get confused with reality. She did lead a tragic life, as a victim of sexual abuse, she had to go to therapy for many years to overcome to a certain extent the violence and pain. She was suffocated by the stereotype her image perpetuated and her intelligence was overlooked by many. She was an avid reader and she found solace in the great works of Joyce, Whitman, and Heine. Her tumultuous relationships always seemed to be more interesting than the well-articulated opinions she only shared with her friends, like Truman Capote.
Despite the tragedy hanging over her, Marilyn always showed a strong persona to the public eye. Her thoughts remain in the hearts of thousands of people because she left behind letters, poems, notes, and even a diary. Through her secrets, her public declarations, and iconic movie lines, Marilyn Monroe shall live forever. These are just a few things she taught us.
“All a girl really wants is for one guy to prove to her that they are not all the same.”
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before.”
“I’m not interested in money, I just want to be wonderful.”
“Your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman but loose enough to show you’re a lady.”
“The disappointments make you open your eyes and close our hearts.”
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.”
“The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up.”
“I’m trying to find myself as a person, sometimes that’s not easy to do. Millions of people live their entire lives without finding themselves.”
“It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone.”
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.”
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
“A career is born in public – talent in privacy.”
“It’s woman’s spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can thrill you by touching your head or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.”
“If you’re gonna be two-faced at least make one of them pretty.”
“I’ve never liked the name Marilyn. I’ve often wished that I had held out that day for Jean Monroe. But I guess it’s too late to do anything about it now.”
“Success makes so many people hate you. I wish it wasn’t that way. It would be wonderful to enjoy success without seeing envy in the eyes of those around you.”
“In Hollywood a girl’s virtue is much less important than her hair-do.”
“Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn’t marry a girl just because she’s pretty, but my goodness, doesn’t it help?” —As Lorelei Lee on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
“Husbands are chiefly good as lovers when they are betraying their wives.”
“People started saying I was a lesbian. I smiled. There is no wrong sex if there is love in it.”
“It’s not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on.” —Regarding her Playboy photos
“I’ve never dropped anyone I believed in.”
“Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature.”
“A girl doesn’t need anyone who doesn’t need her.”
“Dogs never bite me, just humans!”
“Love doesn’t need to be perfect it just need to be true.”
“A career is wonderful thing, but you can’t snuggle up to it on a cold night.”
“So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.”
“When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I’m already better than them.”
“We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.”
“All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren’t.”
“Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together.”
“All we demanded was our right to twinkle.”
