Goodbye, Norma Jeane: How Marilyn Monroe changed Hollywood
Long seen primarily as a sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe is now viewed as an early advocate for women in Hollywood. On the 100th anniversary of
Long seen primarily as a sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe is now viewed as an early advocate for women in Hollywood. On the 100th anniversary of her birth, DW looks at the star who balanced fame and feminist agency. For decades,Marilyn Monroe's white dress billowing above a subway grate, red lips and platinum-blonde hair have represented the epitome of Hollywood glamour. The iconic scene from the movie "The Seven Year Itch" (1955) is perhaps one of the most famous moments in film history. Very few women of the 20th century achieved the iconic status Monroe did while simultaneously being ferociously judged for their appearance. This was clearly visible that September night in 1954, when the legendary subway grate scene was filmed in New York City. Hundreds of photographers and onlookers watched as Monroe repeatedly posed above the ventilation shaft, her dress swirling upward as she tried not to reveal too much, all the while looking as if she were having the time of her life. Ironically, the entire scene had to be reshot later in a studio due to excessive background noise in the recordings. Though Monroe's famous subway grate scene had to be refilmed in a studio, the on-site images from New York City were used for publicity Image: Charles K Feldman Group/Collection Christophel/RnB/picture alliance Now, 100 years after her birth and more than 60 years after her death, the world has a new image of Marilyn Monroe. She is no longer seen only as a 1950s sex symbol, but also considered an early figure of female self-determination in a film industry dominated by men — a woman who was contradictory, vulnerable, intelligent and often ahead of her time.
100 years of Marilyn Monroe To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video From Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles. Her childhood was marked by foster homes, orphanages and instability. Early on, she learned that women in Hollywood were judged primarily by their looks. After beginning her career as a model, she was discovered by film studios. Norma Jeane changed her name to "Marilyn Monroe," a name that intentionally sounded like it belonged to a fictional character. Monroe modeled in the early days of her career, before she went platinum-blond, as seen here in 1951 Image: AP Photo/picture alliance Hollywood shaped her into the role of seductive blonde: sensual, playful, seemingly naive. Films such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953), "The Seven Year Itch" and "Some Like It Hot" (1959) brought her global stardom. Literature, politics, art Behind the public image was a woman who wanted to be taken seriously as an actress and a person. While studios confined her to stereotypical roles, Monroe worked intensely on her acting training and read literature, taking a deep interest in politics, art and psychoanalysis. In 1955, photographer Eve Arnold captured a moment that revealed this other side of Monroe: the star sitting on a playground, absorbed in James Joyce's "Ulysses." In Arnold's photo book "The Retrospect," she recalled that Monroe always kept the novel in her car and would read passages aloud because she loved the sound of the language, even if she, like many others, found the book challenging. To this day, people still say Monroe posed with the book only for the camera.
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