Remembering Marilyn.

Norma Jeane, Norma Jeane...

 




Tomorrow will be the 50th anniversary of the passing of Marilyn at the age of 36. The good ones never seem to stay too long, and there will never be another like her. In beauty or in spirit. But because of the mark that she made in film, music, and fashion during the short time the world was blessed with her spirit, she has solidified herself as one of the most iconic figures ever. This has allowed her memory to live longer than she herself was able to.
     I've always been intrigued by her beauty, raw talent, personality, and appeal, along with the fact that though she was dubbed by many as the sexiest woman in the world, she was very flawed and unhappy, and was never thought that she was good enough. As I've read bio books and watched documentaries on her life over the years, I have to say that I have learned a lot from her life. I've learned from her positive moments that when you have a dream and desire to be great, no matter how rough your upbringing was or what anyone says about you, your destiny is in your hands, and your goals can be achieved. And at the same token, I learned from the not so glamorous and at times, highly negative aspects of her life as well. I learned that your self-doubt and bad decisions can destroy the main things that you've worked hard for and tried to accomplish. The overall message lesson that I have always take from her life story is that you only have one life. So no matter how unbearable or troubled it seems, you should never make a permanent decision off of temporary feelings and situations.
But one of the main things that I have always loved and admired about her was the way that she showed the world how women are beautiful with real, voluptuous curves, and it is okay not to be a size 2. Now for those of you who think she went about it the wrong way, or that flaunting her body was all she was good for, is your prerogative to think that way, and mine to disagree. Her love for her body has always a positive thing to me because it made me feel better about myself and want to have a better attitude about my curves, and I believe a lot of other women throughout the years have felt the same way as well. No matter what people may say about her promiscuity or "mediocrity", I respect her for who she was, flaws and all, for creating her own brand, and being ahead of her time, her memory lasting half a century after her death.

And if you want to watch your favorite Monroe movies, or see one for the very first time, there is an all day marathon of her films playing on TCM, channel 132 for all of you Dish Network folks. Her talent in film alone proves that she was more than T&A. My two personal favorites have always been How to Marry a Millionaire, a comedy, and Niagra, which is a cross between thriller and drama. I remember seeing both of these as a little kid, before my household had cable, and before I really even knew who she was (I've always been a black and white film junkie). So tune in and enjoy them all if you can!
 
                                   

I also recommend a great book about Marilyn written in a very cute and unique way. It's called The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend, Marilyn Monroe, by Andrew O'Hagan (2010). It is about this little dog named "Maf", which is short for "Mafia Honey", who was given to Marilyn as a gift from Frank Sinatra. The entire novel is told from the point of view of the dog, as he chronicles the emotions, the drama and the real life events that he witnessed being beside Marilyn during the last two years of her life. It is the perfect combination of comedy, biography, drama, and tragedy. It is a very sweet and reflective book, and will take you on an emotional roller coaster I tell ya! You can find it at any Barnes and Noble and Borders Bookstores, Amazon.com, and probably your local library too. It's been out for a couple of years, so I'm quite sure you could find it at a discounted price if you look around for it.

Marilyn with Maf, and a picture of the front cover of the novel.

And on that note, I will end today's post by screaming at the top of my lungs.....

 

*Marilyn Monroe voice. lol*

That is all. :)