Joe Zee`s Take on Classic Marilyn Monroe Fashion

Transcription

Modern Marilyn Monroe Looks - Joe Zee's Take on Classic Marilyn Monroe Fashion - ELLE
SUBSCRIBE
RUNWAY
GIVE A GIFT
CUSTOMER SERVICE
FASHION
SWEEPSTAKES
HAIR & BEAUTY
DIGITAL EDITION
POP CULTURE
10/19/12 11:20 AM
HOROSCOPES
LIFE & LOVE
JOIN FREE
ACCESSORIES
ELLE SHOPS
ELLE › FA SHION › FA SHION SPOTLIGHT
SIGN IN WITH FACEBOOK
NEWS
SIGN IN
Search ELLE.com
CONNECT WITH ELLE
A TO ZEE: MARILYN RISING
When fashion fixates on a particular trend, it’s rarely mere coincidence. Creative Director
Joe Zee dissects our current infatuation with a certain twentieth-century fox and shows us
A DV E R TISE M E N T
how to make her look work today
BY
JOE ZEE
M A Y 17 , 20 12
2
Like
1
Tweet
0
When I worked at Women's Wear Daily in
the '90s, we followed a simple unwritten rule
in analyzing the runways each season: Twice
is a coincidence, three times a trend. But the
real moments—those inexplicable,
aha fashion happenings that we all lived for
—were the times when every designer
seemed to show the same far-fetched, out-ofnowhere idea. An obscure inspiration cited
by one or even two designers is to be
expected (they are artistes, after all), but
when a bunch of designers with very
different sensibilities hit upon the same
trend, we were left scratching our heads.
How to explain why collections from New
York to Milan were suddenly covered in
paint splatters? Or referenced
Hao Zeng (top model); courtesy of Salvatore Ferragamo (shoe);
courtesy of Little, Brown and Company; published by Thomas
Dunne Books, imprint of St. Martin's Press; {{{copy}}} Sam
Shaw/courtesy of the
VIEW THE SLIDESHOW
RELATED LINKS
Marilyn Monroe Inspired
Look Video
Makeup like Marilyn Monroe
Japanimation? Sometimes you can trace
those ideas back to a popular art exhibition,
or the work of a favorite fabric supplier, or a
particularly influential precedent set by a
designer such as Miuccia Prada or Marc
Jacobs. But then there are moments when
you think, Where the hell did that come
from?
We all recall that scene in The Devil Wears Prada when
Meryl Streep's cliché fashion editor, Miranda Priestly,
explains to a bemused Anne Hathaway how the "cerulean"
sweater on her back trickled down from the runways to the
masses.
http://www.elle.com/fashion/spotlight/a-to-zee-marilyn-rising-655726
THE HOT LIST
Fall Wardrobe Essentials
Street Style: Spring 2013
Fall 2012 Hair Trends
Freshest Street Style: NYC
This Season's Designer Boot Guide
The Ultimate Layering Staple for Fall
Page 1 of 5
Modern Marilyn Monroe Looks - Joe Zee's Take on Classic Marilyn Monroe Fashion - ELLE
Makeup like Marilyn Monroe
Video
Sometimes, though, the idea bubbles up in the culture and is
then embraced by fashion. On my birthday last year, I saw
Michelle Williams' Oscar-nominated spin in My Week With Marilyn. A few months later, I
caught NBC's Smash, about the making of a Broadway musical in which two stars vie for the
role of—you guessed it—Marilyn. Then Nicki Minaj dropped a new single titled "Marilyn
Monroe." Could this sudden—and simultaneous—renewed interest be mere coincidence?
Here's what I also noted: August marks the fiftieth anniversary of Monroe's death. And since
January 2011, Authentic Brands Group, the company that acquired the rights to her estate,
has been working to elevate her image, name, and likeness. It spent 2011 distancing itself
from the Hollywood Boulevard postcards and pillows by partnering with more sophisticated
brands such as M.A.C and NBC.
10/19/12 11:20 AM
Shop Now Costumes
Leather Leggings and Pants to Buy Now
Most-Requested Hairstyles
Attention-Demanding Hues of the Season
Shop the Trend: Coats
What to Wear on an Interview
Fall's Top Nail Colors
Red-Carpet Beauty
Chanel's 1932 Collection
The Classic Pattern to Wear This Fall
This month in our Body Issue, I pay tribute to the original body-and-soul bombshell, with
new renditions of her classic (and, please note, generally demure) style, using looks straight
from this season's runways. That, I can say without a doubt, is a trend.
Check out the six Monroe-inspired looks here!
The Marilyn Monroe Mark on Pop Culture
SPE CIAL OF F E R
The Retrospective: For the opening of its June exhibition, "Marilyn," in Florence, Italy,
the house of Ferragamo has reissued Monroe's favorite '50s pumps.
The Book(s): This summer, the lit crowd gets Monroe fever, with Michel Schneider's
Marilyn's Last Sessions; Keith Badman's Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years; and Lois
Banner's Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox.
ELLE.COM NEWSLETTER
Get the latest ELLE news
right in your inbox
The Album: In April, Nicki Minaj released "Marilyn Monroe": "Call me cursed/ or just call
me blessed/ if you can't handle my worst/ you ain't getting my best."
The Makeup: In October, M.A.C will launch a limited-edition Marilyn-inspired collection.
Will beauty marks be included?
The TV Show: NBC debuted Smash in February, pitting Katharine McPhee (right) against
Megan Hilty (below) in a Broadway-style simper-off.
http://www.elle.com/fashion/spotlight/a-to-zee-marilyn-rising-655726
Y OU R E M A I L A D D R E S S
S I G N U P N OW !
OBSESSION OF THE DAY
Page 2 of 5
10/19/12 11:37 AM
The Chronicle Review
Home Opinion & Ideas The Chronicle Review
July 16, 2012
Marilyn Still Bewitches Biographers
By Britt Peterson
"A new biography by the feminist historian Lois Banner, Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox
(Bloomsbury USA), argues for Monroe as 'a third-wave feminist, who sees her body and her sexuality as a
way to get power.' Banner's archival work is thorough and impressive, her sympathy with her subject
obvious."
"Banner's new book is the realization of the postfeminist Monroe in biographical form, coming out of 10
years of archival research that also produced Banner's last book, MM-Personal: From the Private Archive
of Marilyn Monroe, an edited collection of previously unpublished Monroe documents.
Banner, a professor of history and gender studies at the University of Southern California, is herself a
Monroe collector and a member of the Los Angeles fan community, with some personal identification with
Monroe: 'Blonde and blue- eyed, I had her body dimensions and won beauty contests,' she writes of her
Southern California childhood, not far removed in space or time from Monroe's."
"Banner's own journey mirrors the evolution of the feminist viewpoint on Monroe at large: She writes
about having, in her early years as a founder of the second-wave-inspired women's-history movement,
'dismissed Marilyn as a sex object for men,' and then later become inspired by third-wave feminists among
her students to give Monroe a second look."
"Banner's version is more complete, more sensitive, more entrenched in archival data than any before..."
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
Marilyn Monroe's legend lives on 50 years after her death – USATODAY.com
Books
Home
Life:
Subscribe
News
10/19/12 11:44 AM
Join USA TODAY
Sign in | Become a member
Google USA TODAY stories, photos and more
Mobile
Travel
Money
Sports
Life
Tech
Weather
People | TV | Movies | Music | Books | Lifestyle | Games | Comics | Blogs | TV on the Web
Books Home
Best-Selling Books
Book Reviews
Blogs
Marilyn Monroe in pop culture
Even 50 years after her death, the beloved bombshell has proven she's here to stay.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe: Popculture icon
Fifty years after her death, the beloved
bombshell is a contemporary icon. From
stamps to magazine covers to the big screen,
see how Monroe has remained at the
forefront of pop culture.
By Matty Zimmerman, AP
By Lindsay Deutsch, USA TODAY
Marilyn Monroe's legend lives on 50 years after
her death
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
Recommend
Updated 7/31/2012 8:14 AM
0
Tweet
64
3
Reprints & Permissions
Marilyn Monroe is dead. Long live Marilyn Monroe.
Indeed. Could the iconic bombshell be any more alive?
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-07-30/marilyn-monroe-50-years/56596566/1
Page 1 of 7
10/19/12 11:44 AM
It was 50 years ago, on Aug. 5, 1962, that the star was
found dead in her Brentwood home in Los Angeles,
naked and still clutching a phone. She was 36. Accidental
drug overdose? Suicide? Murder at the hands of a
powerful political clan? The Mob?
1
Heroes of Olympus: The
Mark of Athena
by Rick Riordan
PHOTOS: Marilyn Monroe, 50 years later
By Gene Kornman, 20th Century Fox/The Kobal
Collection
A fascinating figure: Marilyn Monroe had the
looks, the talent, the fame — and the suspicious
death almost 50 years ago (on Aug. 5, 1962) at
age 36.
MORE: Pinterest: Buy a piece of Marilyn Monroe culture
The story is still fresh today, thanks to Monroe's magic
together with a giant dollop of mystery, a potion that has
Marilyn has never really gone away. She still graces the
FTTN Strikes Oil
Demand for this Commodity is Rising Fast Get In Now, Buy Shares!
www.FirstTitanEnergy.com
covers of magazines — three times on the front of Vanity
Protect what's important to you! Learn about
LifeLock® services now.
www.LifeLock.com
flood of new books — fiction and non-fiction — analyzing
her childhood, her final days, her passions and
paradoxes. Photo books, too. Lovely photos. Fashion
RBCC Hot Stock Pick
photos. Nude photos. From highbrow — dressed in
Set to Capitalize on Profitable Scientific
Breakthroughs - Buy Now!
Lanvin — to high camp, her skirt famously airborne in
www.RainbowBioSciences.com
Buy a link here
3
NYPD Red
4
Fifty Shades of Grey
5
Fifty Shades Freed
by James Patterson, Marshall Karp
by E.L. James
Fair in the past four years alone.
She also remains a publishing phenomenon. There is a
Protect Your Identity!
Killing Kennedy: The End of
Camelot
by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
potion: beauty, sensuality, insecurity and talent, all mixed
only grown stronger over the years.
Sponsored Links
2
TheSeven Year Itch.
She still appears on both the big screen — last year's My
Week With Marilyn, with Michelle Williams as Monroe — and the small one, in NBC's
by E.L. James
GO TO OUR BEST-SELLER LIST
USA TODAY Book Reviews
An autistic boy steals your heart in 'Love
Anthony'
Lisa Genova is back with her third
novel, this one dealing with a young
boy who is autistic.
Smash.Turner Classic Movies will run a day-long Marilyn marathon on Saturday, and a
documentary, Love, Marilyn, will make the rounds at film festivals nationwide this fall.
Walk in Marilyn's shoes
Megan Hilty, who plays Ivy on Smash, spent this past
Want to take a spin around the block with
Marilyn? You still can, although you might
have to wait in line. Marilyn can still be a sellout.
Broadway musical. (She lost out to Karen, played by
• L.A. Woman Tour Co. is launching its
“Marilyn’s Hollywood” designed to educate
people about “the life, career, adventures and
passions of Marilyn Monroe.” On Sunday,
Aug. 5 there will be tours that include the
orphanage where Monroe dreamed of
becoming a star, the former beauty salon
where she first became a blonde, the
restaurant where she met second hubby Joe
DiMaggio on a blind date, and the nightclub
where she stood up for civil rights.
"What stands out about her for me is her basic human
• Four days of events in early August in Los
Angeles are built around the anniversary of
her death. Included are tours hosted by
ImmortalMarilyn, lunch at the 20th Century
Fox Commissary(strict dress code of red,
white, or/and black) and a Marilyn: Forever
Blonde! stage play.
• It all culminates with Marilyn’s Memorial
Service at noon on Sunday, Aug. 5, at
Westwood Memorial Park, hosted by the
Marilyn Remembered Fan Club. A reception
follows the memorial service at the
USA TODAY Rating:
season competing on the show to star as Monroe in a
Katharine McPhee, a rivalry that will continue to play out
next season.)
desire to be loved, and how alone she felt," Hilty says.
1
2
3
4
5
VIEW ALL BOOK REVIEWS
"Everybody can connect to that. It makes her accessible."
She had 'something else'
Follow
@USATODAYbooks on
Subscribe to our weekly
USA TODAY Books
Newsletter
Hilty, 31, says she became a fan after reading a
biography of Arthur Miller, one of Monroe's three
husbands. "I became fascinated with her, and I continue
to do research on her. I did before I even got this role."
While Hilty, a voluptuous blonde herself, doesn't think she
is "channeling" Monroe, she says she tries to pay
homage to her and what she represents. "I try to capture
her essence."
Easier said than done. Monroe was one-of-a-kind.
Born Norma Jean Baker on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles,
she endured a fatherless childhood, living in orphanages
Page 2 of 7
Westwood Presbyterian Church fellowship
hall.
and foster homes after her mentally ill mother was
• Lonely Planet’s U.S. travel editor, Robert
Reid, has pulled together a guide to the top
Marilyn Monroe sites nationwide.
by a boarder in one of the foster homes and, at 16,
By Craig Wilson
10/19/12 11:44 AM
institutionalized. She said she was sexually abused at 8
married the first of her three husbands to escape.
Shortly after, she began modeling bathing suits, then
posed for pinups with her newly bleached blond hair.
People quickly noticed. Howard Hughes tried to get her a
screen test but was beaten to the punch by 20th Century Fox, which signed her to a
contract — at $125 a week for six months — and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe.
She went on to make such classics as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a
Millionaire and Some Like It Hot.
Leon Shamroy, a 20th Century Fox cinematographer, perhaps summed up the Monroe
mystique best when he shot her first screen test in 1946:
"I got a cold chill," he said at the time. "This girl had something else — something I hadn't
seen since silent pictures. She didn't need a soundtrack to tell her story."
The woman who inspired Elton John to write (the original) Candle in the Wind is still
working her charms.
"Many women wanted to be her, and many men wanted to be with her," says Keith
Badman, author of the just-released Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years (Thomas Dunne
Books, $25.99).
Beautiful but relatable
And then there was her vulnerability, which has made her fan base as much female as
male, Badman says.
"A good friend of mine once said she could relate to Marilyn because she was sometimes
insecure," Badman says from his native England. "What I think was very good about her
was that she was determined, as well. She was one of the first stars to break out of the
system, out of a film company. That was a big thing for her to do. She freed a lot of
people."
Melinda Mason understands Monroe's power.
Mason started her Marilyn-centric website (marilynmonroe.ca) — one of the most popular
of the many Marilyn sites — 12 years ago. It has received more than 1 million visitors,
about 5,000 a month. Visits spike during anniversaries.
"I think initially people are drawn to Marilyn's image. She had a relationship with the
camera that has never been matched," says Mason, who is based in Ontario, Canada.
"People who know nothing about her are walking around with purses or T-shirts featuring
her image.
Her story never gets old. She's timeless."
The folks at the Cannes Film Festival understood this. She was poster girl for this year's
festival — a photo of her blowing out a candle on her 30th birthday cake. Doesn't matter
that she never attended the festival.
She's ready for yet another close-up, too. MAC Cosmetics will launch a limited-edition
Marilyn Monroe makeup collection of 30 products this October.
Page 3 of 7
10/19/12 11:44 AM
"Her look defined not only a generation but is as relevant today as it ever was," says MAC
creative director James Gager. "You merely have to look at stars like Madonna or Lady
Gaga to see her influence. Between My Week With Marilyn and Smash, Marilyn is back in
the zeitgeist."
Lois Banner, author of the just-published Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox
(Bloomsbury, $30), is not the least bit surprised there's a new Marilyn Monroe lipstick.
"She died young and still beautiful," says Banner, a professor of gender studies at the
University of Southern California. "She was the best sex icon of her age. She was as
renowned then as she is now … and then (her legend) was driven by the mystery of her
death. Did she die or was she killed?"
Banner says Monroe's unsolved death (suicide by drug overdose was the coroner's report
at the time, although homicide rumors persist) sums up her life perfectly. "She loved to live
in a mysterious way."
Donald Wolfe, author of just-reissued The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (Morrow, $18.99),
puts Robert Kennedy at the star's home the day she died, adding to the intrigue.
"The riddle that is Marilyn Monroe will never be solved, and because of this, people will
always want to read about her," says Marie Coolman of Bloomsbury, Banner's publishing
house. "In all her brilliance, even Marilyn probably never dreamed her legacy would live on
the way it has."
Insatiable interest
Novelists find Monroe's death irresistible, too. A new novel by J.I. Baker, The Empty Glass
(Blue Rider Press, $25.95), revolves around evidence found, and not found, when police
first searched Monroe's bedroom.
Adam Braver's new novel, Misfit (TinHouse, $15.95), centers on Monroe's last weekend,
spent at Frank Sinatra's resort Cal Neva Lodge, where she went to escape the stress of a
lawsuit filed against her by 20th Century Fox.
"There will always be interest in books offering new perspectives on her life," says Rob
Kirkpatrick, senior editor at Thomas Dunne Books, which published Badman's book. "One
of our fellow imprints in the Macmillan group did enormously well two years ago with a
collection of photos and writings from Monroe, for example."
An always-evolving image
Monroe "was originally overlooked because of her sensuality and voluptuousness. Then
she became just as imitated and enduring as Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy," says
celebrity biographer Christopher Nickens, who co-wrote the recently released Marilyn in
Fashion with George Zeno.
Nickens says Monroe succeeded in mixing elegance with her sensuality: "She was a work
in progress. She didn't stay stuck in any kind of image."
Think of the pink satin gown she wore when singing Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.
The airborne pleated white dress from The Seven Year Itch. The nude sheath she wore to
sing Happy Birthday to JFK.
Nickens says that once Monroe realized that what she had was marketable — as early as
age 12 — she went for it "hammer and tong. … The fact that she has endured is a tribute
to the hold she had over people."
Page 4 of 7
10/19/12 11:44 AM
Would Monroe be surprised by all this hoopla 50 years after her death?
"I think she'd be gratified," Banner says. "A friend of hers said to me that Marilyn would be
just thrilled to have a book about her written by an academic. She wanted to be taken
seriously. … She was the greatest dumb blonde of the 20th century. The dumb blonde
was really smart. She outwitted them all."
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards
Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name,
phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
Posted 7/30/2012 8:44 PM | Updated 7/31/2012 8:14 AM
More from USATODAY
More from the web
'666 Park Avenue' is missing a lot of
necessary evil USATODAY.COM in Life
Drop Dead Georgeous Hair: Keira
Knightley's Face-Framing Bob StyleBistro
'Seinfeld' star: 'I am hard-core middle class'
USATODAY.COM in LifeLine Live
PIC: Skinny Sarah Palin Wears Off-theShoulder Shirt in Los Angeles Us Weekly
Final Word: Beware of anything written in red
Kim Kardashian's Tangerine Lip Makeup.com
Familiar faces lead the way in Thursday
premieres USATODAY.COM in Life
Katherine McPhee's Transformation In Style
USATODAY.COM in Life
Tour Sally Field's Malibu Home for Sale HGTV
FrontDoor
[?]
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post
a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of
the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.
16 comments
Add a comment
William E. Mansfield ·
Top Commenter · Golden West College
Sadly another victim of the Kennedy murdering clan...
Reply ·
8 · Like · July 30 at 7:18pm
Ian Cooke ·
Top Commenter
Based on what reputable facts/reporting?
Reply ·
3 · Like · July 31 at 6:43am
Daniel Hamilton ·
Top Commenter
William E. Mansfield ----HAHAHAHAHAHA! I love people who actually fall for stories
like this? Hey Bill, how many people did Clinton kill? 3, 4? HAHAHA!
Reply ·
Daniel Hamilton ...Sadly not enough, you're still amongst us..
Reply · Like · July 31 at 9:31am
View 1 more
Jeff Hammond ·
Top Commenter
God bless that beautiful creature.
Reply ·
3 · Like · July 30 at 7:14pm
Doak Turner ·
Top Commenter · Owner at Doakturner.com · 847 subscribers
WHY all the fuss? I do not get it - just because of who she did she became famous - all the
politicians and their friends - then she knew too much and she was killed for knowing too much.
Reply ·
Between Bobby and John vieing for her attentions it became a bit of an embarrassment
for the family... Hence, suicide by barbituates which were suppository form... Strange
way to commit suicide most would agree..
Reply ·
Page 5 of 7
Book review: Marilyn Monroe, 50 years after death | WashingtonExaminer.com
10/19/12 11:52 AM
Entertainment: Movies
Book review: Marilyn Monroe, 50 years after death
August 1, 2012
0 Comments
http://washingtonexaminer.com/book-review-marilyn-monroe-50-years-after-death/article/feed/2018645#.UIF28rTOwyE
Page 1 of 3
Book review: Marilyn Monroe, 50 years after death | WashingtonExaminer.com
10/19/12 11:52 AM
This book cover image released by Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, shows "Marilyn in Fashion: The enduring Influence of
Marilyn Monroe," by Christopher Nickens and George Zeno. (AP Photo/Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group)
AP Staff
Writer
The Associated Press
More Photos
Marilyn Monroe died 50 years ago on Aug. 5, 1962, at age 36. Timed to the anniversary of her death — ruled a
probable suicide from acute barbiturate poisoning — are a host of books that celebrate and analyze the screen
icon.
There have been numerous books written about Monroe in the years since her death, and the new batch
doesn't offer that much revelatory new information about the film star. But some offer interesting new takes on
Monroe and illustrate how much her iconic image still captivates and confounds.
Here's a look at some of the latest books:
— "Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" (Bloomsbury USA), by Lois Banner: Author Lois Banner, an
academic and gender historian, makes the case in this comprehensive biography that Monroe was a protofeminist, overcoming a difficult childhood to create a movie star persona, taking complete control of her media
image and starting her own production company to fight against an unfair and sexist Hollywood system. It's an
interesting, methodically researched take on the star, and it delves into areas such as Marilyn's stammer and
her possible bisexuality at greater length than other biographies.
Popular in
Entertainment
1
Roger Moore dishes
on 007 in 'Bond on
Bond'
Fox
2 Megan
announces birth of
baby boy on
Facebook
hoops and the
3 Hula
hula, too, at Fall for
Dance
4 The List for Oct. 18
odds on next
5 Tracing
show to get the ax
—"Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years" (St. Martin's Press), by Keith Badman: Author Keith Badman takes a
meticulously detailed look at the year and a half leading up to Marilyn's death. He adopts a breezy authoritative
tone, but the narrative sometimes gets bogged down with unnecessary details, such as exact amounts on
receipts, and Badman's asides about what other biographers have gotten wrong.
— "Marilyn in Fashion: The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe (Running Press, a member of the Perseus
Books Group), by Christopher Nickens and George Zeno: Putting the spotlight on the designers that decorated
Marilyn's famous figure, "Marilyn in Fashion" is an intriguing look at the way Monroe controlled her self-image
via fashion. Full of full-color photos and divided in sections by designers such as Oleg Cassini and Emilio
Pucci, the book tells the rarely told stories behind iconic looks such as the white dress she wore over the
subway grate in "The Seven Year Itch" and the sequined gown she wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to President
John Kennedy.
— "Marilyn: Intimate Exposures" (Sterling Publishing), by Susan Bernard: Packed with pictures, outtakes and
memorabilia from author Susan Bernard's father, photographer Bruno Bernard, "Marilyn: Intimate Exposures"
chronicles Bernard's photos of Monroe in the 1940s and 1950s as she transforms from bubbly pin-up girl
Norma Jeane to the glamorous movie star Marilyn, along with his memories of the actress.
— "Marilyn & Me: A Photographer's Memories" (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday), by Lawrence Schiller: Another
memoir by a photographer, this slim volume recounts several photo shoots by Lawrence Schiller, including
Marilyn's last, when Monroe filmed a nude scene in a pool for "Something's Got to Give." Monroe conceived
the stunt to draw attention away from Elizabeth Taylor, who was filming "Cleopatra," but Schiller used it as his
big break, garnering exclusive rights to the photos and selling them to Life magazine to land the cover.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/book-review-marilyn-monroe-50-years-after-death/article/feed/2018645#.UIF28rTOwyE
Page 3 of 3
10/19/12 11:56 AM
LISTEN
COMMENTS (11)
TRANSCRIPT
ORDER A CD
SHARE
Lois Banner: "Marilyn"
Thursday, August 2, 2012 - 11:06 a.m.
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most well-known American icons of the twentieth century. But did we
really know her at all? A new book titled “Marilyn” reveals a deep and complicated woman full of
contradiction. She was sensual but painfully insecure, devout but sexually uninhibited, disciplined
but self-destructive, cerebral but naïf-like. Many of her complexities were rooted in her unstable
childhood. She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in a charity ward in Los Angeles. She grew up in
eleven different foster homes, with a mother in a mental institution and a father she never knew.
Diane talks with Author Lois Banner about Marilyn Monroe.
Guests
Lois Banner professor of history and gender studies at the University of Southern California, co-founder of the
Berkshire Conference of Women Historians and author of ten books, including "American Beauty."
Related Links
Author Lois Banner's Website
Related Items
Marilyn: The Passion and Paradox of Marilyn Monroe
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
10/19/12 12:05 PM
ft.com
August 3, 2012 5:35 pm
The making of Marilyn
Review by Susie Boyt
Fifty years after her controversial death, an in-depth attempt to demystify Monroe ©AP
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, by Lois Banner, Bloomsbury, RRP£20, 528pp
"Banner’s admiration of, and belief in, her subject really animate the text. The quotations she chooses are particularly
piquant."
"Almost like a proud mother, Banner stresses the sheer hard work and willpower that transformed the fledgling Marilyn into
a superstar. Of her first forays into show business, Monroe herself said: 'I knew how third rate I was. I could actually feel
my lack of talent, as if it were cheap clothes I was wearing inside. But, my God, how I wanted to learn, to change, to
improve.'"
"Some of the descriptions of Monroe’s physicality that Banner quotes are really bewitching. Ralph Roberts, an actor and
masseur to Marilyn, described her skin as having the 'blue whiteness one sees sometimes in the stars of a desert night'.
Banner also refers winningly to the 'lyricism of her courtship' with Arthur Miller: 'It’s easy to mistake a wife for a god ... you
make her happy some night and you begin to think you settled something global,' Miller wrote."
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
‘Marilyn,’ by Lois Banner - NYTimes.com
HOME PAGE
TODAY'S PAPER
VIDEO
10/19/12 12:08 PM
MOST POPULAR
Subscribe: Digital / Home Delivery
U.S. Edition
Search All NYTimes.com
Sunday Book Review
WORLD
U.S.
N.Y. / REGION
ART & DESIGN
BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
BOOKS Sunday Book Review
SCIENCE
HEALTH
Best Sellers
DANCE
SPORTS
MOVIES
Log In Register Now Help
OPINION
MUSIC
ARTS
TELEVISION
The Misfit
STYLE
TRAVEL
THEATER
JOBS
VIDEO GAMES
Log in to see what your friends
are sharing on nytimes.com.
Privacy Policy | What’s This?
‘Marilyn,’ by Lois Banner
REAL ESTATE
AUTOS
EVENTS
Log In With Facebook
What’s Popular Now
Mitt Romney’s
Version of Equal
Rights
Scott’s Story and
the Election
Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives — Getty Images
Marilyn Monroe in 1955.
TicketWatch: Theater Offers by E-Mail
By ZOË SLUTZKY
Published: August 3, 2012
In 1972, on the 10th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death, Gloria
Steinem wrote an essay for Ms. magazine titled “The Woman Who
Died Too Soon.” As a teenager, Steinem had relished the celluloid
darkness of the matinee: the sci-fi flicks, the serials, the stubborn
charm of Doris Day. She loved them all, however improbable the
plots or poor the acting. But she walked out of “Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes.” The sight of Marilyn as the diamond-obsessed showgirl
Lorelei Lee, “huge as a colossus doll, mincing and whispering and
simply hoping her way into total vulnerability,” enraged her.
MARILYN
The Passion and the Paradox
By Lois Banner
Illustrated. 515 pp. Bloomsbury.
$30.
Related
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
Sign up for ticket offers from Broadway shows and other
advertisers.
See Sample | Privacy Policy
GOOGLE+
E-MAIL
SHARE
MOST E-MAILED
1.
Lorelei’s doe-eyed desire for approval
felt dangerous to Steinem — an
affirmation of the power of the male
gaze. But she would come to see, in the star’s own sadness,
in her winking innocence and complex sexuality, a woman
straddling the puritanism of postwar America and its
dissolution in the ’60s. Marilyn died, at 36, on the eve of
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/books/review/marilyn-by-lois-banner.html?_r=2&
PAUL KRUGMAN
Snow Job on Jobs
PRINT
REPRINTS
MOST VIEWED
2.
WELL
Get Up. Get Out. Don't Sit.
3.
GAIL COLLINS
Women and the Men Who Yell
4.
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Scott’s Story and the Election
5.
EDITORIAL
Page 1 of 3
10/19/12 12:08 PM
Times Topic: Marilyn Monroe
the publication of “The Feminine Mystique” and the rise of
second-wave feminism. What if she had lived? Who would
she — who could she — have become? “When the past dies there is mourning,” Steinem
later wrote, “but when the future dies, our imaginations are compelled to carry it on.”
Mr. Romney’s Version of Equal Rights
6.
CAMPAIGN STOPS
A Financier in Chief
7.
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Would You Please Let Me Finish ...
It has been 50 years to the day since Marilyn died. There have been countless biographies,
novels, plays (including Arthur Miller’s “After the Fall,” with its grotesque caricature),
conspiracy-oriented chronicles of her final days, and her own ghostwritten autobiography,
published posthumously. There have been almost as many versions of Marilyn: she was
brazenly sexual, shy and insecure, a dumb blonde and a bookworm who read Dostoyevsky;
she was gentle and free-spirited, spiteful and cannily controlling; she could barely act,
vamping for the camera, or she was a brilliant comedian, playing a pinup version of
Shakespeare’s fool.
Nobody is one thing all the time. Yet Marilyn is steeped in paradoxes so profound that,
even under the microscope, they stir and shift without ever settling into a singular picture.
Such is the premise of Lois Banner’s new biography, “Marilyn: The Passion and the
Paradox,” which behaves a little like its subject. Weaving together exclusive interviews,
material from previous books and, most significantly, the contents of Monroe’s two longlost personal filing cabinets (made available to the public only last year, when Banner
published a selection from them in “MM — Personal”), Banner presents a rich and often
imaginative narrative of Marilyn’s life. By the end, Monroe feels at once like an earthly
being — an almost-friend — and an enigma, still slightly out of focus and just beyond
reach. That seems right.
Banner is less interested in definitively collapsing the poles than in teasing out the
contradictions and underlying motives of a complex character. She takes us through
Marilyn’s nomadic childhood to her breakthrough in Hollywood and her storybook
marriage to Joe DiMaggio, to her escape to Miller and acting classes in New York, to her
brief and ultimately tragic return to Hollywood. Unsurprisingly, sex suffuses it all. Banner
traces an endless stream of affairs — Marilyn justified promiscuity with the conviction that
sex was “an act that brought friends closer together” — including several with women and
those with Bobby and Jack Kennedy, her most dangerous liaisons. The Kennedys reappear
in the final chapters, probably if murkily involved in a cover-up of the events surrounding
her death, from an apparent overdose of sleeping pills.
Banner seldom takes sides, concentrating instead on the “geography of gender” that
shaped Marilyn’s early development, her subsequent relationships and the ambivalent
bombshell she would become. Tellingly, the first section of the book is the longest,
detailing her childhood in 11 foster homes. Her mother, Gladys, was a film cutter for a
Hollywood studio and living alone when she gave birth to Marilyn, who never knew her
father. Gladys drifted in and out of her life and eventually developed serious psychological
problems, a fate Marilyn feared she would repeat. Meanwhile, she was sexually abused by
men in several of her foster families. Banner credits her with revealing the abuse later in
life, and she sees it as a formative precursor of Marilyn’s erratic sexuality as an adult: “We
now know that such abuse can produce lesbianism, sex addiction, exhibitionism and an
angry, frightened adult.” If this is a strange formulation, it is still not too far off. Marilyn
had dreams of Boschian witches and demons from childhood onward, and a recurring
vision of striding — like Steinem’s colossus — over a supine row of church congregants
who peered up her skirt. The “passion” of the book’s subtitle is a double entendre, another
paradox: as much a nod to early episodes of religious repression, and later suffering, as it
is an expression of joy.
8. U.S. Marriage Act Is Unfair to Gays, Court
Panel Says
9. A Rogue Climate Experiment Outrages
Scientists
10.
TIMOTHY EGAN
The Other Missing Man
Go to Complete List »
Show My Recommendations
Katie Finneran in "Annie"
ALSO IN THEATER »
The time for 'Glengarry Glen Ross'
He knew it when he saw (and heard) it
ADVERTISEMENTS
Election 2012 - Definitive Coverage
Ads by Google
what's this?
Search Genealogy Records:
Newspaper archive 1690-today
Millions of obituaries and more!
www.GenealogyBank.com
Like Steinem, Banner, a professor of history and gender studies at the University of
Page 2 of 3
10/19/12 12:08 PM
Southern California, dismissed Marilyn as a sex object at first. But she found herself drawn
to her over the years, struck by their similar upbringings. They both grew up near Los
Angeles, both in fundamentalist Christian families, both blond and blue-eyed and
curvaceous. Banner began to wonder if Marilyn was not a harbinger of ’60s feminism, as
strong as she was weak, empowered by her sexuality if little else. In an afterword, she
envisions an alternate trajectory in the career of another sexpot, who played Marilyn in
“After the Fall.” The actress, Barbara Loden, left Hollywood to write feminist screenplays,
dressing like her male counterparts in “trousers, leather jackets and boots.” Marilyn,
wearying of her sex-symbol status, might have done the same. Or she might not have: “In
the case of Marilyn, people believe what they want to believe.” And paradox, it seems,
makes for a very long afterlife.
Zoë Slutzky has written for Bookforum, The Los Angeles Times and Mother Jones.
A version of this review appeared in print on August 5, 2012, on page BR9 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline:
The Misfit.
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
E-MAIL
SHARE
Get 50% Off The New York Times & Free All Digital Access.
Get Free E-mail Alerts on These Topics
Monroe, Marilyn
Books and Literature
Banner, Lois W
Ads by Google
what's this?
Best View Restaurant NYC
Bar & Lounge on the 39th Floor
Serving Authentic Korean Cuisine
www.gaonnurinyc.com
INSIDE NYTIMES.COM
HEALTH »
ART & DESIGN »
TELEVISION »
OPINION »
REAL ESTATE »
OPINION »
In San Francisco, HighRises by the Bay
Townies: A Dog’s Grace
Editorial: An
HPV Vaccine
Myth
Debunked
Chemo on the Rocks
Home
World
Cool. Commercial.
Unmistakable.
U.S.
N.Y. / Region
© 2012 The New York Times Company
‘The Girl,’ on HBO, With
Sienna Miller
Business
Privacy
Technology
Your Ad Choices
Science
Health
Terms of Service
A study has repudiated
the preposterous
argument that
vaccinating girls might
encourage promiscuity.
Sports
Opinion
Terms of Sale
Arts
Corrections
Style
Travel
RSS
Help
Jobs
Real Estate
Contact Us
Autos
Work With Us
Site Map
Advertise
MORE IN SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW
The Searcher
Read More »
Page 3 of 3
The Love Goddess Who Keeps Right on Seducing - NYTimes.com
HOME PAGE
TODAY'S PAPER
VIDEO
MOST POPULAR
10/19/12 12:18 PM
U.S. Edition
WORLD
U.S.
N.Y. / REGION
BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
SCIENCE
HEALTH
SPORTS
OPINION
ARTS
STYLE
TRAVEL
JOBS
REAL ESTATE
AUTOS
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Love Goddess Who Keeps Right on Seducing
By MAUREEN DOWD
233 Comments
MIKE NICHOLS claims he called Marilyn Monroe to work on a
scene.
“Are you sure you weren’t hitting on
her?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t have dared dream of it,”
he replied.
It was the mid-1950s, and they were
both taking an acting class in New
York with Lee Strasberg. Nichols
recounted his conversation with the
woman with the familiar breathy
voice:
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
Mitt Romney’s
Version of Equal
Rights
Scott’s Story and
the Election
E-MAIL
SHARE
PRINT
SINGLE PAGE
REPRINTS
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Go to Columnist Page »
Related
Enlarge This Image
“The phone rang and somebody said, ‘Hello,’ and I said,
‘Hi, is Marilyn there?’ and she said, ‘No, she’s not,’ and I
said, ‘Well, this is Mike. I’m in class with her. Could you
take a message?’ And she said, ‘Well, it’s a holiday,’ because
it was the Fourth of July weekend, and that, to her, was an
excuse for not taking a message for herself.”
No one ever said Marilyn wasn’t complicated.
Nichols directed the Tony Award-winning revival of her
third husband’s play, “Death of a Salesman.” I interviewed
him for a BBC radio show based on a column I wrote for
The Times about how we have devolved from Marilyn’s
aspirational attitude toward knowledge, in which she
wanted to collect great books and meet authors and
intellectuals — even marrying one — to Sarah Palin’s antielitist scorn about reading and intellectuals.
Istvan Banyai
Readers’ Comments
Nichols surprised me when he said he was present at what
he dryly calls the “historic moment” in May 1962 when
Marilyn sang “Happy Birthday” to Jack Kennedy, who was
turning 45. Marilyn was wearing that shrink-wrap, sheer
Get the Opinion Today E-Mail
Sign up for the highlights of the day in Opinion, sent
weekday afternoons.
MOST E-MAILED
1.
MOST VIEWED
PAUL KRUGMAN
Snow Job on Jobs
2.
WELL
3.
GAIL COLLINS
4.
CAMPAIGN STOPS
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/dowd-the-love-go…s-who-keeps-right-on-seducing.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4&ref=opinion
Page 1 of 3
Readers shared their thoughts
on this article.
Read All Comments (233) »
10/19/12 12:18 PM
Jean Louis gown ablaze with rhinestones — “skin and
beads,” she called it. Nichols and Elaine May were also
performing that night in Madison Square Garden, not that
anyone remembers.
“I was standing right behind Marilyn, completely invisible, when she sang ‘Happy
birthday, Mr. President,’ ” Nichols said. “And indeed, the corny thing happened: Her dress
split for my benefit, and there was Marilyn, and yes, indeed, she didn’t wear any
underwear.”
At a party afterward, “Elaine and I were dancing, and Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn danced
by us, and I swear to God the conversation was as follows — ”
5.
Panel Says
7.
TIMOTHY EGAN
8.
EDITORIAL
Scientists
10.
Here Nichols put on, first, a feathery voice and then a nasal one:
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
“ ‘I like you, Bobby.’
“ ‘I like you too, Marilyn.’ ”
The famous director has worked with many famous beauties. So I asked him, as we mark
the 50th anniversary of Marilyn’s death, if he could explain her astonishing staying power.
“I think that the easy answer might be that she had the greatest need,” he said. “She wasn’t
particularly a great beauty, that is to say, Hedy Lamarr or Ava Gardner would knock the
hell out of her in a contest, but she was almost superhumanly sexual.”
Feminism has come and gone, and women now routinely puff their lips, inflate their
chests, dye their hair and dress with sultry abandon. But Nichols said Marilyn’s heat went
deeper, with a walk, a look and movements that were an “out-and-out open seduction right
in front of everyone.”
Arthur Gelb, the former Times managing editor, likes to tell how he won a $10 bet as a
slightly inebriated rewrite man in the ’50s when he reached out and, much to her
annoyance, touched Marilyn’s flawless porcelain back as she dined with friends at Sardi’s.
“When she walked, it was as though she had a hundred body parts that moved separately
in different directions,” Gelb told me on the BBC show. “I mean, you didn’t know what
body part to follow.”
What's next for Newsweek?
ALSO IN BUSINESS »
Jon Stewart's entrepreneurial policy
The hidden costs of retirement
ADVERTISEMENTS
Wherever I travel in the world, I run across the luminous image of the heartbreaking and
breathtaking sex symbol who was smart enough to become the most famous “dumb
blonde” of the 20th century. Marilyn, her white pleated halter dress flying up over the New
York subway grate, is as deeply etched in the global imagination as Audrey Hepburn in a
black Givenchy dress at Tiffany’s.
Ads by Google
1
2
what's this?
NEXT PAGE »
Save With Sungevity Solar
A version of this op-ed appeared in print on August 5, 2012, on page SR1 of the New York edition with the headline: The
Love Goddess Who Keeps Right on Seducing.
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
E-MAIL
Sungevity® 0% Down & Free install.
Save $1,000 - Offer Ends 10/31
www.sungevity.com/sungevity-solar
SHARE
233 Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
ALL
READER PICKS
NYT PICKS
Newest
Comments Closed
Page 2 of 3
HOME PAGE
TODAY'S PAPER
VIDEO
MOST POPULAR
10/19/12 12:20 PM
U.S. Edition
WORLD
U.S.
N.Y. / REGION
BUSINESS
TECHNOLOGY
SCIENCE
HEALTH
SPORTS
OPINION
ARTS
STYLE
TRAVEL
JOBS
REAL ESTATE
AUTOS
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Love Goddess Who Keeps Right on Seducing
233 Comments
(Page 2 of 2)
Starting as the 1948 Castroville, Calif., artichoke queen, Marilyn was
a genius at self-creation, high gloss over deep wounds. “Marilyn’s like
a veil I wear over Norma Jeane,” she said.
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
Mitt Romney’s
Version of Equal
Rights
Scott’s Story and
the Election
E-MAIL
SHARE
Lois Banner, a professor of history
Go to Columnist Page »
PRINT
and gender studies at the University of
SINGLE PAGE
Southern California, hails the star in
Related
her new book, “Marilyn: The Passion
REPRINTS
and the Paradox,” as a proto-feminist
who had to swim upstream past a
Readers’ Comments
mentally ill mother, 12 foster homes, a
Readers shared their thoughts
stutter, sexual abuse as a child, sexism
on this article.
as a star, manic-depressive cycles,
Read All Comments (233) »
addiction, Joe DiMaggio’s abuse and Arthur Miller’s
condescension. “She is the child in all of us,” Banner writes,
“the child we want to forget but can’t dismiss.”
Half a century after Marilyn was found on Aug. 5, 1962, in her Brentwood bedroom, nude,
holding her phone, soaked in drugs, she continues to bewitch: her death at 36 and the
sketchy cover-up; her tempestuous marriages to a famous baseball player and famous
playwright; her role, with Jack and Bobby Kennedy, in the most intriguing film noir
triangle of all time.
She gazes wistfully from the latest People, beside Rob and Kristen, with the headline, “Was
Marilyn Murdered?”
“Could the iconic bombshell,” USA Today asked, “be any more alive?”
She made $27 million last year, gobs more than she ever earned in life. She was the poster
girl at Cannes, a festival she never attended. And her time in England making “The Prince
and the Showgirl” was the subject of a movie that got two Oscar nominations, even though
the golden girl never won a gold statuette herself.
There’s a fresh cascade of books, photos, Twitter messages, Blu-ray box sets, Marilyn
Monroe Cafes, Marilyn nail salons, and a MAC makeup collection.
Today's Headlines Daily E-Mail
Sign up for a roundup of the day's top stories, sent every
morning.
MOST E-MAILED
1.
MOST VIEWED
PAUL KRUGMAN
Snow Job on Jobs
2.
WELL
3.
GAIL COLLINS
4.
CAMPAIGN STOPS
NBC’s “Smash” is set behind the scenes of a Broadway show based on Marilyn’s life; Nicki
Page 1 of 3
10/19/12 12:20 PM
Minaj has a song called “Marilyn Monroe,” and the documentary “Love, Marilyn” will have
its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month. There had even been talk about
revivifying the sex kitten for a hologram show.
While making her last movie, “Something’s Got to Give,” Marilyn posed nude for a young
photographer, Larry Schiller, hoping to ratchet up her $100,000 salary to Elizabeth
Taylor’s million-dollar territory for “Cleopatra.”
5.
Panel Says
7.
TIMOTHY EGAN
8.
Schiller wrote in Vanity Fair that he saw the confidence that spurred Marilyn to become
one of the first stars to create her own production company. “There isn’t anybody that
looks like me without clothes on,” she laughed.
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
EDITORIAL
Scientists
He also saw her dark companion, insecurity. “Is that all I’m good for?” she keened about
nudity.
Yet Schiller told The Associated Press that “it’s women that have kept Marilyn alive, not
men.” He says teenage girls flock to see gallery shows, and that the photos selling now
accentuate her humanity, not her anatomy.
10.
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
“I think,” he said, “people want to see her now as a real person.”
1
« PREVIOUS PAGE
2
A version of this op-ed appeared in print on August 5, 2012, on page SR1 of the New York edition with the headline: The
Love Goddess Who Keeps Right on Seducing.
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOOGLE+
E-MAIL
SHARE
What's next for Newsweek?
ALSO IN BUSINESS »
Jon Stewart's entrepreneurial policy
The hidden costs of retirement
233 Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
ALL
READER PICKS
NYT PICKS
Newest
Comments Closed
ADVERTISEMENTS
Get Free E-mail Alerts on These Topics
Monroe, Marilyn
Movies
Actors and Actresses
Ads by Google
Ads by Google
what's this?
what's this?
Save With Sungevity Solar
Sungevity® 0% Down & Free install.
Ramsay Chef Found Dead
Save $1,000 - Offer Ends 10/31
in Hudson River. Ruled a suicide.
www.sungevity.com/sungevity-solar
See details.
www.DNAinfo.com
INSIDE NYTIMES.COM
HEALTH »
ART & DESIGN »
TELEVISION »
OPINION »
REAL ESTATE »
OPINION »
Page 2 of 3
50 Years Without Marilyn: A Look Back | Kirkus Book Blog Network | Kirkus Book Reviews
10/19/12 12:22 PM
home > blogs > nonfiction > 50 years without marilyn: a look back
50 Years Without Marilyn: A Look Back
by Gerald Bartell on July 17, 2012 | Posted in Nonfiction
Tweet
This summer, at least three new books commemorate the 50th anniversary of Marilyn
Monroe’s death on Aug. 5, 1962. Lois Banner brings to her biography, Marilyn: The Passion
and the Paradox, the dedication of an academic and a feminist, as she is a professor of history
and gender studies at the University of Southern California and a co-founder of the Berkshire
Conference of Women Historians.
Read more books about Marilyn.
Here, Banner discusses how her background brought Monroe into focus:
In the preface, you write that before 1990 you “dismissed Marilyn too easily” as “a sex
object.” What caused you to take her more seriously?
My students were being influenced by third-wave feminism, which I was teaching. Third-wave
feminism looks on fashion and wearing make-up and beautifying oneself as empowering for women. I realized Marilyn Monroe could
be looked at as representative of that point of view. I wanted to see if there were parts of her that I could respect as a feminist.
And what did you find?
I saw the power she could attain by using her body to attract men. Of course, her body attracted women, too, which is one of the
many ironies about Marilyn. She knew exactly what she was doing. She put together the “Marilyn” character very calculatingly—she
realized its power. She’d been getting nowhere. She made herself a star by becoming the sexiest woman in Hollywood. I began to
see her as broadening the concept of feminism.
At the same time, I realized she was a great comic artist and that she had great abilities as an actress. Her clown figure is brilliant.
The dumb blond character [she played] is a major figure in the western comic tradition.
She became the most complex biographical subject I had ever analyzed. Her complexity is where I found my subtitle, “The Passion
and the Paradox.” The paradox is that every time you find some characteristic about Marilyn, you also see she had its opposite. She
was fragmented. But she controlled the different parts of her personality. She could bring various characters to the surface when
she wanted. She would say, I’m going to bring up Marilyn Monroe and she would shake her body and be Marilyn Monroe.
Reading your account of her childhood, I got the impression it wounded her beyond healing.
I was surprised by the extent of the wounds in her childhood. But Marilyn always tried to fix everything. She was a person filled with
energy and drive. She was in analysis her whole life.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/nonfiction/50-years-without-marilyn-monroe-look-back/
Page 1 of 2
50 Years Without Marilyn: A Look Back | Kirkus Book Blog Network | Kirkus Book Reviews
10/19/12 12:22 PM
[But] in the ’50s psychoanalysis was not all that unsympathetic to male abuse of children, which is what happened to Marilyn. The
kind of therapy she needed wasn’t around. She was, in a sense, a victim of her times. Her therapist claimed he had helped her. But
every time she hit a crisis, she was back taking the drugs. The drug situation was overwhelming. I don’t know if she could have
gotten over it.
It often seems that in life and in her career, people would not let her be the person she wanted to be.
Producers in Hollywood did not want her doing any dramatic acting. She was quite good in [dramatic roles]. She’s amazing in Clash
by Night and quite good in Don’t Bother to Knock. But Fox did not want to put her in anything like Niagara again. [In the film, Monroe
plays an adulterer plotting with her paramour to murder her husband.] They put her in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she was
exquisite. Then it went on from there.
Some journalists saw her acting genius and others dissed her no matter what she did. The big problem is that she had no control of
the nude photos she had done when she was younger. Even when she was at the Actors Studio in New York and proving her worth
as a woman of elegance, those old pinups were running.
Many great stars communicate something special in their eyes. Was this the case with Monroe?
Joshua Logan [Monroe’s director in Bus Stop] said she tremendously resembled [Charlie] Chaplin in her ability to show happiness
and sadness in her eyes. Biographers have talked about other parts of her body, but not her eyes. I think [her eyes are] why people
respond to her. As she became older, the eyes became mesmeric. She could charm people like Cleopatra.
Recent Blog Posts in Nonfiction
Christopher Hitchens Faces
Mortality
'Life After Death' with Damien
Echols
SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
SEPTEMBER 18, 2012
Twenty-odd years ago, when he
was in my town for a reading, I
asked Allen Ginsberg that most
unbearable of questions for a
working writer ...
Read the full post
It is a moniker charged with high
emotion, outrage and injustice for
the three young men who came to
be known as “the West Memphis
...
Read the full post
PREVIOUS POST
‘Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David
Wojnarowicz’
NEXT POST
Excerpt: Sam Kean’s ‘The Violinist’s Thumb’
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/nonfiction/50-years-without-marilyn-monroe-look-back/
Page 2 of 2
Nonfiction Review: Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner. Bloomsbury, $30 (512p) ISBN 978-1-60819-531-2
10/19/12 12:23 PM
SUBSCRIBE: PRINT + DIGITAL
LIBRARIES
NEWS
REVIEWS
SELF PUBLISHING
BESTSELLERS
JOBZONE
CHILDREN'S
NONFICTION
CHILDREN'S
E-NEWSLETTERS
Search Publishers Weekly
AUTHORS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DIGITAL
INTERNATIONAL
OPINION
QUICKLINKS
Home > Reviews > 978-1-60819-531-2
FICTION
LOGIN
RELIGION
AUDIO
COMICS
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox
PW SELECT
SEARCH
Like
Tweet
5
1
Lois Banner. Bloomsbury, $30 (512p) ISBN 978-1-60819-531-2
ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR
Finding Fran: History and
Memory in the Lives of Two
Women
RELATED
More about Lois Banner
More about Banner
978-1-60819-531-2
More about Bloomsbury
Publishing PLC
More in Reviews -> Nonfiction
Show other formats
Fifty years after her mysterious death, Marilyn Monroe remains
an enigma. Drawing on new interviews with friends of Monroe’s
who have never talked to other biographers and on newly
available archival material about Monroe’s childhood, her
marriages, and her death, historian and gender theorist Banner
elegantly and skillfully chronicles Monroe’s short life from her
transient childhood in foster homes and her early, unhappy
marriage to Jim Dougherty to her rise to screen star and sex
symbol and her unfortunate early death. Banner paints a portrait
of Monroe as a complicated, many-faceted woman who studied
mystical texts, read widely and took courses at UCLA, pioneered
the sexual revolution and challenged censorship codes, honored
the working-class individuals whose adoration had made her a
star through their fan mail, and strove for perfection even though
she very often spiraled out of control. Like other Monroe
biographers, Banner ranges over the best-known facts of
Monroe’s life—the affair with Jack Kennedy, her tempestuous
relationship with Arthur Miller, Joe DiMaggio’s love for her—but
she offers a lengthy discussion of theories about the cause of
Monroe’s death. Banner points to Gene Kelly’s recollection,
among others, that Monroe was very happy and very excited
about her future projects as evidence that perhaps the actress’s
death was not suicide. In the end, Monroe’s life was so full of
paradox, passion, magic, and mystery that it has made her into a
symbol of the American imagination that transcends time and
place. Agent: William Clark. (Aug.)
Reviewed on: 05/14/2012
SEARCH REVIEWS:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-60819-531-2
You must be a PW Subscriber to
access the reviews archive.
BLOGS
PWxyz Blog
Peter Brantley
Bookshout: Managing
Bookshelves, Not
Books
Bookshout's model is
potentially liberating for
readers, libraries, and
publishers.
Beyond Her Book
Barbara Vey
Ellora’s Cave
RomantiCon 2012
RomantiCon 2012 was
held this past week in
Canton, Ohio.
ShelfTalker
Josie Leavitt
Dying of Cuteness
There is something
utterly delightful in
taking a few minutes
out of my busy day and
playing with kids.
Genreville
Rose Fox
Whither Portal
Fantasy?
Portal fantasy's
disappearance, science
fiction's exhaustion.
Page 1 of 3
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, by Lois Banner | Booklist Online
10/19/12 12:24 PM
Username:
Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for
librarians, book groups, and book lovers—from the
trusted experts at the American Library Association
First time here?
Password:
You must be logged in to read full
text of reviews.
> Logged-in users can make lists, save
searches, e-mail, and more!
> Try a free trial or subscribe today
Forgot your password?
HOME
| ABOUT US | AWARDS | GREAT READS |
BLOGS
| NEWSLETTERS | WEBINARS |
MY ALERTS
|
MY LISTS
|
MY PROFILE
|
HELP
|
SUBSCRIBE
Booklist Review
Adult Books - Nonfiction - Arts
Title
All Content
All Sections
Go to Advanced Search
Like
0
Tweet
0
0
Marilyn: The Passion and the
Paradox.
Banner, Lois (author).
Aug. 2012. 512p. illus. Bloomsbury,
hardcover, $30 (9781608195312).
791.430.
REVIEW. First published June 1, 2012
(Booklist).
Booklist Editors
Recommend
Titles similar to Marilyn
Marilyn & Me
Marilyn
Related Features
October 15, 2012
BOOKLIST
Spotlight on First
Novels
Top 10 First Novels
Read-alikes: After the
Great Migration
The Booklist Interview:
Rachel Hartman
Top 10 First Novels for
Youth
Listen-alikes: Debut
Novels on Audio
Features
Carte Blanche: Unlisted
By dint of exhaustive research and uniquely informed
analysis, distinguished and trailblazing feminist historian
Banner has written a profoundly redefining bombshell
biography of artist and icon Marilyn Monroe. Banner is the
first to bring a scholar’s perspective to bear on the
influence of postwar misogyny and sexual hypocrisy on
Monroe’s life and work as she painstakingly chronicles
Monroe’s shunting from one foster home to another, her
sexual abuse and subsequent stutter, evangelical
upbringing, daring foray into modeling, and epic battle for
Hollywood success. Intellectual rigor and insight shape
Banner’s coverage of Monroe’s debilitating endometriosis,
chronic insomnia, prescription-drug addiction, numerous
sexual relationships, reliance on psychoanalysis, and
three troubled marriages. Banner breaks new ground with
her sensitive disclosure of the star’s toxic fear of the
exposure of her sexual attraction to women, an utter
disgrace for a reigning sex symbol in a harshly
homophobic time. And her revelations about the role of
the Kennedys and the FBI in Monroe’s death are
appalling. On the upside, Banner celebrates Monroe’s
perfectionism, generosity, humanist political views,
trickster humor, covert brilliance, daunting “process of
self-creation,” and immense cultural resonance. A passion
Great Reads: Sex
Symbols
Story behind the Story:
Lois Banner's Marilyn:
The Passion and the
Paradox
for precision and truth fuels Banner’s electrifying portrait
of an artist caught in a maze of paradoxes and betrayals.
Here is Marilyn as we’ve never seen her before.— Donna
Seaman
WEB EXCLUSIVES
He Reads: Second Novels
She Reads: Second Efforts
Great Reads: Great Group
Reads
You're Doing It Wrong:
Lee Child vs. Joseph
Finder, Part 1
You're Doing It Wrong:
Lee Child vs. Joseph
Finder, Part 2
Find more titles by Lois Banner
Adult Books - Nonfiction - Arts
http://booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=5421079&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Page 1 of 2
10/19/12 12:28 PM
Marilyn Monroe Biographies
BY LJ REVIEWS ON
JULY 23, 2012
LEAVE A COMMENT
Like
9
3
Banner, Lois. Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox. Bloomsbury, dist. by
Macmillan. Aug. 2012. c.512p. photogs. ISBN 9781608195312. $30.FILM
This new biography of Marilyn Monroe explores the many contradictory aspects of
her life. A turbulent and conflicted childhood‚ with multiple foster families, sexual
abuse, rejection, and the influence of a troubled mother‚ all had a deep impact.
Banner (history and gender studies, Univ. of Southern California;Intertwined Lives:
Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict, and Their Circle) carefully scrutinizes these
formative years, analyzing their effect on her career, relationships, and identity as
a woman. Banner deftly incorporates new research and interview material into
existing information to candidly delve into Monroe’s contrasting sides: from her
intelligent approach to acting, intense desire to learn, and caring humanity, to her
façade as a na√Øve beauty, casual affairs and multiple marriages, and childlike
quest for acceptance. While navigating the psychological complexities of Monroe
as an individual, Banner also examines her role as a cultural icon and trendsetter,
as well as a woman outside the conventional boundaries of her time‚ all offering
fresh insight into the bewildering turns of a talented and tragic life. VERDICTThis
well-written work contributes to a fresh understanding of Monroe’s life on multiple
levels. Fans will want to read this, as will readers who want to discover more about the star from an informed gender and
cultural studies perspective.‚ Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
50 years later, her star still shines | BookPage
10/19/12 12:29 PM
Login/Register
August 2012
50 YEARS LATER, HER STAR STILL SHINES
by PAT BROESKE
T
he passage of time and occasional discoveries of new source materials have made
Marilyn Monroe an ever-evolving presence. Marking the 50th anniversary of her
death on August 5, 1962, two revisionist biographies offer divergent views of the
blonde icon.
No votes yet
Marilyn: The
Passion and the
Paradox
By Lois Banner
Bloomsbury
$30.00
ISBN
9781608195312
published
07/17/2012
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, by USC gender studies professor, feminist
historian and unabashed Monroe fan Lois Banner, seeks to quash the notion of Monroe
as damaged victim. Marilyn is instead the one on top—a smart cookie, largely in control
of her self-created sexy persona and career.
Adept at depicting time and place in authentic detail, Banner digs deep into the
fractured childhood of Norma Jeane Mortenson, showing that Monroe exaggerated
chapters of her life (her foster families were relatives/friends, not total strangers), while
downplaying probable childhood sexual abuse.
Growing up in the shadow of Southern California’s film industry, Monroe did more
than dream of stardom; she set out to make it happen. After being snapped by a
photographer for a recruiting magazine, she became an eager and astute photo subject,
then a possible “party girl” (serving up sex and drinks to the powerful) and studio
contract player. Her star was rising when rumors hit that she’d once posed nude for a
calendar pin-up. Instead of today’s typical insincere apology, Monroe owned up to it.
Asked if she had anything on during the shoot, she quipped, “The radio.”
Seeking self-improvement she frequented bookstores, took classes at UCLA, studied
acting. She confounded studio executives by wanting control over her movies, and
infuriated the same crowd when she went out without donning underwear.
No votes yet
Banner takes us through the films, love affairs, the shrinks, the medication and a pivotal
weekend during which something murky transpired at Frank Sinatra’s Cal Neva Lodge.
A drunken Monroe may have been sexually violated; she was certainly humiliated. Days
later she was dead, at 36. Banner recounts various Monroe death theories, including
those with a conspiratorial edge involving the Kennedys, and wonders if, had she lived,
she would have embraced the sisterhood of feminism.
Marilyn Monroe:
The Final Years
In Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years British author Keith Badman charts similar
biographical terrain, but steadfastly refutes an affair with JFK—beyond a one-nighter—
By Keith Badman and shoots down a rumored RFK romance. Itineraries prove both were logistically
Thomas Dunne impossible, Badman argues. He also claims to have solved the mystery of Monroe’s
death, via copious data regarding her lengthy use of prescription meds. Well, maybe. . . .
$25.99
ISBN
9780312607142
Like Banner, he delves into the creepy goings-on at Cal Neva, while taking a magnifying
glass to the actresses’ final films, The Misfits and the never-completed Something’s Got to
http://bookpage.com/feature/50-years-later-her-star-still-shines
Page 1 of 2
50 years later, her star still shines | BookPage
published
07/17/2012
10/19/12 12:29 PM
Give.
Author of books on the Beach Boys, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Badman is
gifted at depicting Monroe’s colorful supporting cast, including longtime acting coach
Paula Strasberg (dubbed Black Bart by crew members) and publicist Pat Newcomb, who
remains a tantalizing figure in the life of the ultimate mystery woman.
Author Pat H. Broeske is also a Hollywood journalist whose byline appears in the latest issue of
Emmy magazine.
http://bookpage.com/feature/50-years-later-her-star-still-shines
Page 2 of 2
Lois Banner: Immortal Marilyn
10/19/12 12:31 PM
October 19, 2012
Immortal Marilyn
Posted: 05/16/2012 10:49 am
From the earliest of times, humans have ennobled outstanding individuals as icons of the imagination to represent
transcendent cultural meanings. Our icons can be saints or sinners; the word "icon" (derived from the Greek word "eikon,"
meaning "image") entered modern English in the late 19th century by way of the small portraits of saints with gold halos that
originated in the Byzantine Empire and became all the rage in Europe at the turn of the 20th century.
Even today, centuries later, we extol Cleopatra and Joan of Arc as overarching representatives of Western culture, symbols of
female strength and fascination. We still revere Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy as symbols of the United States in the
20th century. Given her continual representations in cultures worldwide, Marilyn Monroe is also becoming a major historical
icon. Why has this happened? Why has a girl from humble circumstances become a secular goddess? My students today have
never heard of the great film stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, but they all know Marilyn Monroe.
In the first place, she died young, under perplexing circumstances, creating a mystery that everyone has tried -- and failed -- to
solve. She may have committed suicide; she may have been killed. And, only 36 when she died, she was at the height of her
beauty; we have no images of an aging Marilyn. She is fixed in time and space, eternally young, eternally beautiful. Moreover,
beginning with Madonna and extending to Lady Gaga, many major female performers have drawn from Marilyn to create their
image, extending Marilyn's fame in the process. Is there anyone unfamiliar with the image of Marilyn in the bright pink dress
with the pouf on the back singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," or standing in the white dress with the skirt flying up in
the scene on the subway grate in The Seven-Year Itch?
As time goes by and thousands of photographs of her surface, taken by amateurs as well as esteemed professionals, we
realize that Marilyn was indeed the major photographic model of the 20th century. Her nude photographs are unsurpassed in
the genre of aesthetic nudes. She became dramatic and comic in turn in representations of her as a sad ballerina by Milton
Greene, as an innocent geisha girl by Cecil Beaton, or as an Eve coming to life as a "leopard in the bulrushes" by Eve Arnold.
Above all, she lived a life beyond measure. She was the greatest hetaera in history since Cleopatra, as she married the
greatest baseball player and the greatest playwright of her age and had affairs with great actors and directors, and with the
Kennedy brothers, perhaps the greatest politicians of her age.
Above all, Marilyn created an image for the ages, in one of the great personal transformations of the American experience. A
failure as an actress through high school, an ugly duckling until great beauty descended on her with puberty, she overcame her
debilitating shyness to create a public person with many personalities, each unique, and all interconnected. There was a
glamorous Marilyn, a comic Marilyn, a deeply sensual Marilyn, and a Marilyn who was an excellent businesswoman. The
greatest screen personality since Greta Garbo, she could, like Garbo, project happiness and sadness in her eyes at the same
time. Those eyes were mesmerizing; even today we easily fall under her spell. She is the child that is in all of us, the person we
want to protect, as well as the sex goddess we want to possess.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lois-banner/immortal-marilyn_b_1521007.html
Page 1 of 1
10/19/12 12:32 PM
Log in
Create Account
October 19, 2012
Search The Huffington Post
Edition: U.S.
FRONT PAGE
Entertainment
ENTERTAINMENT
Celebrity
Celebrity Skin
TV
MEDIA
Kristen Stewart
These Stars Once Lit The Red Carpet
On Fire
COMEDY
Amanda Bynes
Like
STYLE
Rihanna
CRIME
The Kardashians
WEIRD NEWS
Katie Holmes
PHOTO: Kim And Kanye Kiss In Rome
FOOD
ARTS
Moviefone
Follow
88k
BOOKS
StyleList
LIVE
ALL SECTIONS
Fergie Talks Josh Duhamel Infidelity
To Oprah
HOT ON THE BLOG
Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from
HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Login with Facebook to see what your friends are reading
Lois Banner
Robert Redford
Gary Hart
Enable Social Reading
Jillian Michaels
Daniel Ellsberg
i
Happy
Birthday, Marilyn
GET UPDATES FROM LOIS BANNER
Like
Professor of history and gender
studies, University of Southern
California; author, 'Marilyn: The
Passion and the Paradox'
4
Posted: 05/31/2012 2:34 pm
React
Follow
Amazing
Inspiring
Funny
Scary
Hot
Crazy
Important
Weird
Hollywood , Classic Hollywood , Hollywood Golden Days , Marilyn Monroe , Old
Hollywood , Marilyn Monroe Birthday , Remembering Marilyn Monroe , Celebrity
News
Monroe
was born on June 1, 1926. If she were alive today, she
SHARE THIS STORY
Like
Marilyn
would be celebrating her 86th birthday, not an
75 people like this.
impossible age to reach these days of increasing
longevity. The date of her birth was important to her. A
27
2
3
2
deeply spiritual individual and a believer in astrology,
she considered her sign -- Gemini, identified with "the
twins" -- to be an indicator of who she was. Geminis
Submit this story
supposedly have shape-shifting personalities that swing
between opposites: happiness and sadness; kindness and
narcissism, shyness and ebullience. Such swings were
standard for Marilyn, who could be so shy that she would stammer in confusion; so bold that she could
swear like a trooper; so mesmeric that she drew everyone's attention; so ordinary that she drew no
attention. She could be withdrawn or ebullient, downcast or laughing, with an ability to make hilarious
puns or tell jokes. She could be a seductress to men or a buddy, playing pranks as one of the boys.
She was proud of her mercurial self, as difficult as it could be to handle. A reporter once asked her: "Did
you know that you were born under the same sign as Rosalind Russell and Judy Garland?" Showing her
considerable intelligence, Marilyn replied: "I know nothing of these people. I was born under the same
sign as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Queen Victoria and Walt Whitman."
We don't know how Marilyn celebrated her birthdays in the foster homes in which she was raised:
probably with a cake and candles on the cake that she blew out after making a wish, which was the
practice then, as it is today. On her birthday in 1952, Darryl Zanuck, head of Twentieth-Century Fox, her
studio, told her that she had won the role of Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -- a role coveted by
many Hollywood actresses. It was an amazing birthday present, especially since she was celebrating her
birthday alone in her suite at the Hotel Bel-Air, before she went to Niagara, New York, to make the
movieNiagara.
In 1955 Henry Rosenfeld, a manufacturer of women's dresses in New York and a wealthy friend and
occasional lover, gave her a 200-carat diamond bracelet for her birthday, with the note, "I want you to be
happy above everything else in the world." (Marilyn owned mostly costume jewelry; the real diamonds
must have thrilled her.) Marilyn and Henry, who met by accident in New York in 1949, when she went on
about:blank
Page 1 of 2
10/19/12 12:32 PM
a tour to promote Love Happy, were very close throughout the rest of her life; before Marilyn married
Arthur Miller, he was jealous of Henry.
Some years later, on June 1, 1962, during the filming of Something's Got to Give, Fox executives had a
very negative reaction to her birthday. They were so angry with her for leaving filming in late May to go to
New York to sing at the John F. Kennedy birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden that they paid
no attention to her thirty-sixth birthday. In fact, they failed to show up when Evelyn Moriarty, her standin, brought a birthday cake and a bottle of champagne to the set to honor her. It was a serious insult. Even
worse was her firing a week later.
But the indomitable Marilyn fought back, using publicity as her weapon. During the next several months,
she posed for major photographers George Barris and Bert Stern, showing that she was as beautiful as
ever. She did interviews for Life, Redbook, and Look, presenting her side of the story. Unsolicited letters
from the public to Fox about the matter were overwhelmingly in her favor. Before she died, Fox reinstated
her, agreeing to a contract in which she would be paid $1,000,000 for completing Something's Got to
Giveand a second picture. Her death on August 5th cancelled the arrangement. With her goals achieved,
commanding the adulation of the nation, she had clearly won her struggles with Twentieth-Century Fox.
This Blogger's Books from
Marilyn: The Passion
and the Paradox
by Lois Banner
MM-Personal: From
the Private Archive of
Marilyn Monroe
by Lois Banner
about:blank
Page 2 of 2
"Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" by Lois Banner | TheCelebrityCafe.com
10/19/12 12:33 PM
Login | Register
HOME
FEATURES
SPECIAL FEATURES
BLOGS & COLUMNS
Like
6
0
CONTESTS
FUN & GAMES
|
OTHERS
Sign up for our Free Newsletter
32
"Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" by Lois Banner
JOIN
John Neal
7/4/2012
Fifty years after her death, Marilyn
Monroe remains one of Hollywood's
most beloved figures. Born as Norma
Jean Mortenson, she grew up in
several foster homes, became a
model during World War II, and made
her mark in movies. But America's
biggest sex symbol had a dark side.
Her personal relationships were
tumultuous, her rise to stardom was
costly, and her emotional weakness
and physical ailments would plague
her to the end.
Marilyn
Lois Banner
Best Price $13.98
or Buy New $16.12
Like
Send
50,480 people like this.
Privacy Information
None of this is very new. After all there are literally dozens and dozens of
biographies about Marilyn (some worthwhile and others salacious or outright
fraudulent), including her memoir "My Story". But Lois Banner is able to take
an oft-told story and present it in a new light with stunning conclusions and
amazing results.
Banner is a feminist author and professor of history and women's studies,
which makes for a curious combination of writer and subject. At first glance,
Marilyn Monroe was the furthest thing from a feminist. Whether her dress is
billowing up around her while standing on the grates over a New York subway
or purring "Happy Birthday Mister President" Marilyn was seen as an object of
sex and desire, a comic genius on the big screen who's portrayals enabled her
critics to dismiss her as a bimbo. Banner, as a student in the 1960s, showed
little interest in the movie star and dismissed her as a sex object. It wasn't until
the 1990s that Marilyn Monroe started gaining recognition as an early feminist.
Bombshell and "dumb-blonde" image aside, she was a perfectionist and
thrived for control, capable of fighting with studio bosses and domineering
husbands without losing her charm.
Popular Threads
Motion Picture Academy announces plans
for museum
1 comment · 3 hours ago
Donald Trump thinks Kristen Stewart will
cheat on Robert Pattinson again, 'like a dog'
5 comments · 17 hours ago
Top 10 breakout hits of fall TV
Jill Zarin confronts Andy Cohen in one on
one interview on ‘Watch What Happens Live’
(Video)
'The Dark Knight Rises' Cinematographer
bashes 'Avengers'
Banner spent 10 years researching Marilyn's life, and her dedication to her
subject shows. She covers Norma Jean's shaky childhood spent in the shadow
of her mentally unstable mother and explores the struggling actress's path to
stardom – a treacherous journey through the darkest sides of Hollywood –
culminating in her position as the biggest star on film and head of her own
production company. She examines Marilyn's relationships with her husbands
and inner circle, and her battles with her personal demons to include sexual
abuse received as a child to her fears of succumbing to her own homosexual
impulses. And without delving too much into conspiracy theories, she explores
the conditions surrounding Marilyn's death.
This is not a simple rehashing of worn material. Banner busts through myths
and rumors through recently discovered letters and exclusive interviews with
those who were close to Marilyn (yet ignored by previous biographers) to paint
a stunningly clear picture of a complex woman.
Kim Kardashian wears completely seethrough pencil skirt with bra top while dining
out in Miami with Kanye West
'Boardwalk Empire' Season 3 Ep. 5 Recap
Top 10 Celebs and Canine Pals
Drake graduates high school at 25
Chris Brown and Rihanna already fighting,
http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/2012/06/marilyn-passion-and-paradox-lois-banner
Page 1 of 3
"Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" by Lois Banner | TheCelebrityCafe.com
10/19/12 12:33 PM
The result is a fascinating, compelling and absorbing book, and a fitting
contribution to Marilyn Monroe's legacy.
according to report
5 stars
Reviewer Rating: 5.00Stars
Average: 2 (2 votes)
Your rating: None
Follow us on Twitter! Follow us on Facebook!
More Articles By John Neal
Featured Stories
Review: "The Last Newspaperman"
by Mark Di Ionno
Review: "The Godfather's Daughter"
by Rita Gigante
Review: "Hollywood Enigma" by Carl
Rollyson
Review: "Planet Taco" by Jeffrey
Pilcher
Review: "Island Apart" by Steven
Raichlen
more
Wyclef Jean tweets picture of
himself in underwear on 43rd
birthday (TheCelebrityCafe.com)
Actress Sylvia Kristel dies
(TheCelebrityCafe.com)
Uma Thurman gives her daughter a
long name (TheCelebrityCafe.com)
Tigers sweep Yankees with 8-1 win,
headed to World Series
Miley Cyrus posts Halloweeninspired picture, poses without
pants with sister Noah
We Recommend
From Around the Web
'Boardwalk Empire' Season 3 Episode 2
recap
5 Women Whose Age Will Shock You
Former 'Seinfeld' star tries to commit
suicide by shooting himself in the head
and surivives
They Dated? Celebrity Couples We
Forgot Were Once an Item (Who
Would’ve Thunk?) (Styleblazer)
DreamWorks Pictures’ ‘War Horse’
original soundtrack review
Tour Renee Zellweger's Former New
York City Home (HGTV FrontDoor)
'Boardwalk Empire' Season 3 Ep. 5
Recap
Hilarious Photo of Katy Perry (LOL
Between the Buried and Me's Parallax II:
Future Sequence review
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Divorce
Details (Brides.com)
Britney Spears
Works It in Itty
Bitty Shorts &
Stilettos
Selena Gomez
Wants Justin
Bieber to "Man
Up"
Kim Kardashian
Pregnancy
Photos
Kardashians in
Lingerie!
International
Scandal Over
Kate Middleton
Topless Pics
Katie Holmes'
Mystery Man
Revealed
(Life Goes Strong)
Fanatic!)
[?]
Like
1 person liked this.
Login
Add New Comment
Type your comment here.
Sort by popular now
Showing 0 comments
M Subscribe by email S RSS
Reality Tea
Bullz Eye
ET Online
The Frisky
Jersey Shore Recap: Arrested
Developments
Mob Wives Star Renee Graziano Is In
Rehab
Kim Smiley Speaks Out About Being
Sued By LeAnn Rimes for Tweeting,
Claims LeAnn Won’t Like “What’s Going
A Chat with Melissa George (Cinemax’s
“Hunted”)
Sons of Anarchy 5.06: Small World
The Light from the TV Shows: A Chat
with Kathleen Robertson (“Boss”)
Bullz-Eye Interviews Packers Pro Bowl
Wide Receiver Greg Jennings
Daily Full Episode
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel's
Relationship In Pics
LL Cool J Performs a Private Concert at
Parris Island Marine Base
Chris Jacobs Transforms into a 'Walking
Dead' Zombie
Girl Talk: I Wanted To Be A Quaker
Joanna Krupa Has Some Boobs With
Dinner (NSFW)
Britney Spears Was A Meth Addict, ExManager Blabs
Astrology 101: What Mythical Creature
Are You?
http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/2012/06/marilyn-passion-and-paradox-lois-banner
Page 2 of 3
Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways: Lois Banner - Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox - Author Interview
Share
Blog Tour with Us
2
Buy Our Books
More
10/19/12 12:35 PM
Next Blog»
Our Sites
Previous Reviews by Author
Create Blog
Previous Reviews by Title
Sign In
Review Policy
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012
Lois Banner - Marilyn: The Passion and the
Paradox - Author Interview
Author Interview
FOLLOWERS
Join this site
with Google Friend Connect
1. How did you come up with the title?
Marilyn was very passionate—on many levels—but
she was also a complex, contradictory human being
—a paradox in many ways. 2. Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
Since Marilyn is emerging as an icon for the
twentieth century, I wanted readers to realize that
her many complexities—she is everywoman writ
large. Above all, I wanted readers to understand the
effect of childhood sex abuse on her life. 3. How much of the book is realistic?
It’s a biography, so it’s totally taken from reality. 4. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
No.
5. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Organizing it was very difficult. In the end, I varied the normal progression of biography,
adding a chapter in the middle of the book that is an analysis of her. 6. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Every biography I write is a total learning experience—about places, people, events I
knew very little about.
7. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
When I was a Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University and then a university professor. 8. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I read the work of Erik Larson because I like his blending of fact and fiction. Favorite
author? Edith Wharton, Betty Friedan. http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/lois-banner-marilyn-passion-and-paradox.html
Members (595) More »
Already a member? Sign in
SCHEDULED
October 23
John Worsley Simpson
October 24
Giacomo Giammatteo
November 2
Vanessa Morgan
November 9
Jennifer Laurens
and
Shari Guess
November 10
Abigail Keam
November 12
Tonya Cannariato
November 19
Timothy L. O’Brien
Page 1 of 5
Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways: Lois Banner - Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox - Author Interview
9. Tell us your latest news.
I’m preparing my course on Beauty and the Body in history—it should turn into my next
book. 10. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Marilyn Monroe is probably quite different from the person you think she is. 10/19/12 12:35 PM
December 7
John Catenacci
SUBSCRIBE
Posts
Comments
About the Book
Marilyn Monroe is an icon whose life and legacy
continues to be shrouded in contradictions and
inaccuracies. As an academic who has been at the
forefront of women’s issues for the last half decade,
Banner spent nine years researching the intimate
details of Monroe’s life, interviewing more than one
hundred people in her inner circle and fan club, and
examining confidential papers and ledgers in the
final years of her life that previous biographers have
failed to analyze.
FOLLOW BY EMAIL
Submit
Email address...
PROFILE
Tribute Books
View my complete profile
Through this meticulous research, Banner refutes
much of the mythology surrounding Monroe, offering
a depth to her story that has never been fully told,
and exposing new facets of her personality and facts
surrounding her life—the childhood foster homes and sexual abuse, Hollywood
persona, multiple marriages, Kennedy access, physical and mental health issues, sex
and drug addictions, and chain of events leading up to her tragic death—in order to
present an accurate depiction of this flawed, yet heroic figure. Through her lens, we see
a very different Marilyn Monroe—not merely a blond bombshell nor a fragile victim—but
someone she reveals as a radical, an intellectual, someone with a deep interest in
spirituality, and one of the most important women of the 20th century.
Since Marilyn’s death on August 5, 1962, the appetite for information about her has
been insatiable with recent depictions in the critically acclaimed film My Week with
Marilyn and the new television series Smash. In MARILYN, Lois Banner takes Marilyn
Monroe seriously and dignifies her as no biographer ever has, presenting a thoughtful
treatment that Monroe fans and the new wave of feminists are sure to appreciate.
Price: $30.00
Pages: 431
Genre: biography
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release date: August 1, 2012
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
About the Author
Lois Banner was a founder of the field of women's history and
cofounder of the Berkshire Conference in Women's History, the
major academic event in the field. She is the author of ten
books, including her acclaimed American Beauty and most
recently MM–Personal, which reproduces and discusses items
from Marilyn's personal archives. In addition to her books on
Monroe, Banner is a major collector of her artifacts. She is also
a professor of history and gender studies at USC and lives in
Southern California.
Links to connect with Lois:
http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/lois-banner-marilyn-passion-and-paradox.html
BLOG ARCHIVE
▼ 2012 (148)
► October (12)
► September (16)
► August (17)
▼ July (25)
Leigh K. Cunningham - Being Anti-Social
- Author I...
Summer Giveaway Hop
Guy J. Tirondola - The Accidental Don Author Int...
Brenda Stanley - The Color of Snow Guest Post & ...
Lois Banner - Marilyn: The Passion and
the Paradox...
Young Adult Giveaway Hop
Katie Ganshert - Wildflowers from Winter
- Author ...
L.M. Preston - Flutter of Luv - Review
Diana M. Raab - Listening to Africa Spotlight
Chris Mendius - Spoonful - Author
Interview
Rick D. Niece, Ph.D. - The Band Plays
On - Author ...
Benedict Kuah - Fons of War & Death Author Inter...
Page 2 of 5
10/19/12 12:37 PM
Home
My Books
Friends
Recommendations
Explore
Discover new books on Goodreads
Sign in to see your friends' reviews:
Join Goodreads
Marilyn: The Passion and Paradox of Marilyn
Monroe
by Lois Banner
3.56 ·
rating details · 101 ratings · 33 reviews
Like her art, Marilyn Monroe was rooted in paradox: She was a powerful
star and a childlike waif; a joyful, irreverent party girl with a deeply
spiritual side; a superb friend and a narcissist; a dumb blonde and an
intellectual. No previous biographer has recognized—much less
attempted to analyze—most of these aspects of her personality. Lois
Banner has.
Want to Read
Rate this book
Since Marilyn’s death in August of 1962, the appetite for information
about her has been insatiable. Biographies of Marilyn abound, and
whether these books are sensational or flawed, Marilyn’s fans have
always come out in bestselling numbers. This time, with Lois
Banner’sRevelations, the fans won’t be disappointed. This is no retread of
recycled material. As one of the founders of the field of women’s history,
Banner will reveal Marilyn Monroe in the way that only a top-notch
historian and biographer could.
In researching Revelations, Banner’s credentials opened doors. She
gained access to Marilyn intimates who hadn’t spoken to other
biographers, and to private material unseen, ignored, or misinterpreted
by her predecessors. With new details about Marilyn’s childhood foster
homes, her sexual abuse, her multiple marriages, her affairs, and her
untimely death at the age of thirty-six, Revelations is, at last, the nuanced
biography Marilyn fans have been waiting for.(less)
Hardcover, 528 pages
Published July 17th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA
more details...
about:blank
edit details
Page 1 of 1
Marilyn Monroe's Childhood Sexual Abuse, Secret Life Revealed in New Biography - Los Angeles - News - The Informer
10/19/12 12:39 PM
Browse Voice Nation
Join
Log In
Blogs
Search
NEWS HOME
NEWS BLOG
ASK A MEXICAN
ARCHIVES SEARCH
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Porn
Porn Star
Endorses
Condom
Measure
TOP
blog
STORIES
By Dennis Romero
GET MOBILE
Accidents
Horrific Death at
Hollywood
Subway Stop
By Dennis Romero
Race and ethnicity
Meet Disney's
Blue-Eyed Latina
Pricness
By Dennis Romero
Marilyn Monroe's Childhood Sexual Abuse,
Secret Life Revealed in New Biography
Top Halloween Costumes of 2012: Fifty Shades
of Grey vs. Big Bird
By Dennis Romero Thu., Aug. 2 2012 at 9:00 AM
Categories: Celebrities
37
Send
Tweet
19
By Dennis Romero
Now Trending
Celebrities
Like
Porn
Strange
Bedfellows For
Porn Politics
Jimmy Kimmel: Folks Describe Watching
Presidential Debate Before It Aired (VIDEO)
2
StumbleUpon
Marijuana's Medical Value On Trial In U.S. Court
Marilyn Monroe lived a strange, secret life that
involved wearing disguises.
She also indeed suffered sexual abuse as a child. Those
facts and more were confirmed in a thorough new
biography by USC history professor Lois Banner, who
found that the original blonde bombshell was much
more intellectual than history has given her credit for.
The recently released book Marilyn: The Passion and
the Paradox bring's L.A.'s late leading lady to life via
...
Bloomsbury USA
... more than 100 interviews with Monroe's friends and associates, according to USC.
She read Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekov and once took a UCLA course on Renaissance
art. Monroe was "completely determined" to be culturally fluent -- to be, as USC states,
"the best."
Banner's research found Monroe's claim of having been sexually abused as a child to be
true. According to the school:
She also confirmed the childhood sexual abuse that would sometimes manifest itself
in aberrant behavior. Later in life, Monroe would speak publicly about that abuse -a bold act for any national celebrity, but particularly for a woman in the conservative
1950s.
The actress' "hidden life," which involved disguises and aliases, was also revealed in the
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/08/marilyn_monroe_sex_abuse_secret_life_biography_usc.php
Page 1 of 4
Marilyn Monroe's Childhood Sexual Abuse, Secret Life Revealed in New Biography - Los Angeles - News - The Informer
10/19/12 12:39 PM
book. Banner:
From
the
Vault
She had put together this whole fantasy world for herself in addition to the regular
world in which she lived. She liked to do daring and dangerous things.
Banner will be signing The Passion Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at the Egyptian Theater in
Hollywood, which is marking the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death with a 7:30
screening of River of No Return.
Top 5 Worst Criminal Nicknames:
"Sneezing Sex Bandit," "Bubble...
LA Weekly on Facebook
Like
41,174 people like LA Weekly.
Derek
Shawn
Evys
Paul
Karen
Nicole
Facebook social plugin
Slideshows
CuriousJosh: Knowphest
©2012 Google Map data ©2012 Google -
CuriousJosh: LA Burning Man
Decompression
View Larger Map
[@dennisjromero / [email protected] / @LAWeeklyNews]
GET THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Carrie Underwood @ The
Staples Center
Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent
directly to your inbox.
enter email
More Slideshows >>
Tags: biography, books, Egyptian Theater, Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, sex
abuse, USC
Write Comment
Email to Friend
Print Article
Related Content
Paid Distribution
Daughter shoots &
stabs father, then
finishes killing him in
hospital (VIDEO)
(MamasLatinas)
The End of L.A.'s
Porn Industry?
(The Informer)
Marijuana
Dispensaries in
Downtown L.A.
Visited by DEA as
Feds Warn Them to
Close
Bicycle Friendly
Award For Los
Angeles, Home of
The Hit-And-Run
(The Informer)
(The Informer)
[?]
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/08/marilyn_monroe_sex_abuse_secret_life_biography_usc.php
Page 2 of 4
Women of History: Marilyn by Lois Banner
Share
1
10/19/12 12:40 PM
More
Next Blog»
Create Blog
Sign In
Dedicated to the women who have graced the pages of history, from ancient to modern times.
Home
Abundance of Authors
Bundle of Blogs
Historical References
Notable Women
Women of ......
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Women of History
Marilyn by Lois Banner
~~~ a site providing biographies of
some of the fascinating women who
have graced the pages of history, in
addition to articles pertaining to history,
and medieval and modern women.
MARILYN: The Passion and the Paradox - Hers was a life lived fully and ambitiously, and
cut short tragically; this much we all know is true. But beyond the public persona that
Norma Jeane Mortenson put forth, do we really know all that much about the reality
behind Marilyn Monroe’s storied thirty-six years on this earth?
Musings on Melisende
Upon the fiftieth anniversary of Monroe’s death, feminist and historian Lois W. Banner
Melisende
presents us with a new, all-encompassing study of the star’s tumultuous life and mysterysodden death. Through her lens, we see a very different Marilyn Monroe—not merely a
blond bombshell nor a fragile victim—but someone she reveals as a radical, an intellectual,
someone with a deep interest in spirituality, and one of the most important women of the
~~~ I am the author of
medieval biographies &
history related articles,
and enjoy writing about
the achievements of women throughout
time.
20th century.
Lois Banner was a founder of the field of women's history and cofounder of the Berkshire
Conference in Women's History, the major academic event in the field. She is the author of
ten books, including her acclaimed American Beauty and most recently MM–
Personal, which reproduces and discusses items from Marilyn's personal archives. In
addition to her books on Monroe, Banner is a major collector of her artifacts. She is also a
professor of history and gender studies at USC and lives in Southern California.
View my complete profile
Contact Melisende
Melisende on Facebook
Melisende on Goodreads
Lois Banner on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hag9eb8GTVg
Follow @mzmelisende
708 followers
Women of History Archives
Posted by Melisende at 9:39 PM
▼ 2012 (151)
+1 Recommend this on Google
► October (6)
Labels: 20th century, books, female actresses, lois banner, marilyn monroe, notable women
Reactions:
inspirational (1)
interesting (0)
alarming (0)
► September (10)
noteworthy (0)
▼ August (23)
Evelyn McHale - Most
Beautiful Suicide
No comments:
Obstetric Fistula - Ignored
Post a Comment
Oceanographer Marie
Tharp
Links to this post
Interview: Irene Bedard
Create a Link
Amelia Earhart - Case
Closed
Amelia Earhart - Lost
Evidence?
Newer Post
Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Older Post
Iran: Women Banned
From University
Programs
Mary Toft - Bunnies In The
Oven
The Daylight Gate
Queen Victoria's Bad Boy
Bertie
http://womenofhistory.blogspot.com/2012/08/marilyn-by-lois-banner.html
Page 1 of 5
AMBITION Is Not A Dirty Word - MARILYN: Feminist Intellectual | WebTalkRadio.net
10/19/12 12:45 PM
#1 in Internet Talk Radio
Friday, October 19, 2012
Home
About
Shows
Sponsor a Show
Contact Us
Brad Saul on Radio
Search...
AMBITION Is Not A Dirty Word – MARILYN: The Feminist, Intellectual, Savvy Ambition Strategist Behind the Dumb
AMBITION Is Not A Dirty Word – MARILYN: The Feminist,
Intellectual, Savvy Ambition Strategist Behind the Dumb
Bombshell Persona
I’ll bet when you see photos of Marilyn Monroe your first thoughts are, “Sexy, dumb-blond bombshell. I’ll bet what you
DON’T think is, “Now THERE was a smart and complex woman of many parts: savvy business woman with a brilliant
intellect; a genius at recruiting key mentors; a master at strategically achieving her ambitious goals even after countless
failures, rejections, and firings. You don’t think, “She was a feminist, a progressive thinker.” Nor do you you think,
“There was a woman with fierce anti-racist attitudes” – and you aren’t reminded of her radical politics throughout her
career. Photos of her almost certainly don’t trigger thoughts of a woman with a deep and ongoing interest in spirituality.
In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death comes a revelatory new biography by my guest
on this week’s show, leading feminist historian Dr. Lois Banner, author of MARILYN: The Passion and the Paradox
(Bloomsbury; August 1, 2012). Banner has written MARILYN to illuminate a new Marilyn. Dr. Banner believes that
Marilyn was one of the great female figures of the twentieth century and that her life should stand as a beacon to women
of the modern age. While most biographers have credited others for crafting Marilyn’s success, Banner proves that she
did it mostly on her own, with a driving ambition; a savvy understanding of the importance of building a trusted advisory
board by going to the top for mentors; a brilliant intellect coupled with a dedication to ongoing education and training;
and a tenacious willingness to take risks, even after having been relentlessly kicked down again and again. Marilyn
battled childhood stuttering, sexual abuse, and later, a sexist patriarchal Hollywood establishment – and triumphed over
it in the end. Tune in to this week’s show for fresh, smart insights behind the dumb, bombshell victim persona—lessons
that are relevant to ambitious women today, going for their dreams in a world that hasn’t changed all that much in the
50 years since Marilyn Monroe’s death.
Podcast: Download
Back to Top
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed on these programs are those of the hosts and participants and are not intended to and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of WebTalk Radio Network its owners and agents. All listeners are advised that neither WebTalk Radio Network, nor its owners and agents shall
be held liable for the content of programs, including any advice given. All listeners are advised to make their own decisions after appropriate consultation
with professionals who have had an opportunity to consider completely each listener's circumstances, and not in reliance upon the content of WebTalk
Radio Network programs.
© Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved
http://webtalkradio.net/2012/08/19/ambition-is-not-a-dirty-word-mari…lectual-savvy-ambition-strategist-behind-the-dumb-bombshell-persona/
Page 1 of 1
10/19/12 12:47 PM
Book Reviews by Critics
Search books by title or author
All Genres
Giveaways
Sign Up
Login
About
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradoxby Lois
Banner
In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe;s death comes a
revelatory new biography by leading feminist historian Lois Banner, Marilyn: The
Passion and the Paradox (Bloomsbury). Marilyn Monroe is an icon whose life and
legacy continues to be shrouded in contradictions and inaccuracies. As an
academic who has been at the forefront of women's issues for the last half
decade, Banner spent nine years researching the intimate details of Monroe's
life, interviewing more than one hundred people in her inner circle and fan club,
and examining confidential papers and ledgers in the final years of her life that
previous biographers have failed to analyze.
About Lois Banner
Lois Banner was a founder of the field of women's history and cofounder of the
Berkshire Conference in Women's History, the major academic event in the field.
She is the author of ten books, including her acclaimed American Beauty and
most recently MM-Personal, which reproduces and discusses items from
Marilyn's personal archives. In addition to her books on Monroe, banner is a
major collector of her artifacts. She is also a professor of history and gender
studies at USC and lives in Southern California.
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner « Little Words
LITTLE WORDS literary hoohah
10/19/12 12:50 PM
HOME
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by
Lois Banner
July 25, 2012 by Lizzi | Leave a comment
ABOUT
SITES
SEARCH
SEARCH
There are countless books on Marilyn Monroe already – so why another? And why did I
choose to read this one? The author of Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, Lois
Banner, is a prominent American feminist scholar and historian, and teaches history at the
University of Southern California. The inside cover of this book, as well as her USC faculty
FOLLOW VIA EMAIL
page, calls her ‘a founder of the field of women’s history’; without knowing anything more
about her, I was impressed by these credentials. With her focus on the role of women in
society and my already being fascinated by Monroe and her life story but never having read
Enter your email address
receive notifications of
new posts.
a book on her, I looked forward to Banner’s viewpoint, which in the prologue she says will be Join 394 other followers
from a specifically feminist point of view.
Follow
TWITTER
"@LitMusings: When I have
children, I will tell them
this.
http://t.co/yJgyZHEq"
Me too. 1 hour ago
Please help support
http://littlewordsreview.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/marilyn-the-passion-and-the-paradox-by-lois-banner/
Page 1 of 7
10/19/12 12:50 PM
#StandUpToCancer - add
a @StandUp2C #Twibbon
now! twb.ly/PAdYAO
1 hour ago
A few pics from the
@StorkPressBooks event
at @belgraviab last night!
facebook.com/pages/StorkPr… 1 hour ago
@Polishbooks
@TinderPress I've read a
bit abt A Possible Life,
looks interesting. I've
never read Faulks so might
be a good place to start!
1 hour ago
@TinderPress I'm reading
My Animal Life by Maggie
Gee ATM and it's really
great. Recommended!
2 hours ago
@PeirenePress Gorgeous!
I've got it on my shelf, will
read it soon! 2 hours ago
Follow @LittleWordsLiz
CURRENTLY READING
2012 hardback edition
The problem with asking whether Monroe was a feminist herself is that the term, Banner
asserts, wasn’t in widespread use at the time. Betty Friedan’s groundbreaking and
controversial feminist text The Feminine Mystique (which contains its own prejudices,
despite extolling equality) was published in 1963, the year after Monroe’s death. Friedan’s
book is credited as ‘sparking’ the beginning of the second-wave feminist movement (firstwave having been suffrage and the women’s vote). Monroe died before feminism became a
populist movement that influenced society. Given men’s treatment of her throughout her
life, I expect that Monroe would have engaged in second-wave feminism in the 1960s, or at
least supported it. If nothing else it would have educated her and perhaps made her think
differently about her relationships with men.
Page 2 of 7
10/19/12 12:50 PM
In the Afterword Banner quotes two of Monroe’s friends, Hedda and Norman Rosten, in
relation to whether she could have been called a feminist. Hedda called Monroe ‘the
quintessential victim of the male’; while her husband Norman stated that she would have
‘quarrelled with her “sisters” on the issue of sexual liberation.’ Banner asserts that in
Norman’s view Monroe sounds like a post-feminist, emphasising ‘the power women possess
through their femininity and sexuality.’ Having read Banner’s biography I think that these two
opposing view points come not necessarily from the fact that Hedda was a woman and
Norman was a man, but the way in which Monroe used her femininity and sexuality.
GOODREADS
The famous subway grate scene from ‘The Seven Year Itch’ which caused a storm of publicity
and controversy
In her early Hollywood years, Monroe slept with a lot of men, some of whom helped
advance her career. Banner states that Monroe had a ‘free love’ attitude and believed that sex
could be part of friendship. She certainly had a lot of lovers over the years and her image,
partly cultivated by the studios she worked for and partly a natural reaction of her own to
her fame, was based around her being blonde, flirty, and sexy. She used her sexiness and the
appeal of her body to promote herself and her movies, rather than shun being ‘sexy’ in order
to be considered ‘serious’. This is why Norman Rosten/Banner calls her a post-feminist.
Hedda Rosten, on the other hand, only sees her as a ‘victim’ of men, partly because of her
forward sexuality, negating her ability to be feminist.
And yet Monroe did strive to be considered serious. Banner states throughout the book that
Monroe would memorise quotes from poetry and novels to recite at parties, and did
genuinely read Dostoyevsky, Joyce, and many other highly respected writers. She was often
spotted reading on movie sets. A great source of frustration was her inability to convince the
bosses at Twentieth-Century Fox to allow her to play a serious dramatic role. She was a
Page 3 of 7
10/19/12 12:50 PM
brilliant comic actor, and her movies brought in a lot of money. They weren’t willing to risk a
failure if she wasn’t as good at dramatic roles as she said she was.
RECENT POSTS
Interview with
Emma Chapman
The Daylight Gate by
Jeanette Winterson
How To Be A Good Wife
by Emma Chapman
Marilyn in New York
Monroe was always unstable. Shy, sensitive and with a warped sense of her value to men and
her role in relationships with them, she made a lot of bad decisions, and took a lot of pills to
contain her nerves and her mood swings. When she entered Hollywood she marketed herself
as ‘Marilyn Monroe, sex kitten’; she never shook this image off. Studio bosses, as well as the
men she had relationships with, refused to see her as anything else than the sexy blonde
bombshell she was on screen, though they often disapproved of her flirtatiousness and
skimpy clothes. She was stubborn and defiant, and fought against the men who tried to
control her, often and ultimately to her detriment. She was brave and at times reckless, but
constantly strove to be successful and happy. Her courage and ambition makes her, in my
view, an early version of a feminist – regardless of her own weaknesses that allowed men to
dominate her.
Illegal Liaisons by
Grazyna Plebanek
Moranthology by
Caitlin Moran
Guest Post by author
Kate Mitchell
The Guardian by
David Hosp
Sea of Ink by Richard
Weihe and a Peirene
Press Experience at
Senate House
Light Falling on Bamboo
by Lawrence Scott
Girls in White Dresses
by Jennifer Close
BLOGS
Book Snob
Page 4 of 7
10/19/12 12:50 PM
Dog Ear Discs
Fiction Uncovered
For Books' Sake
Literary Relish
Me And My Big Mouth
Tolstoy Is My Cat
Word by Word
Words and Pieces
Words of Mercury
Writing About Books
PUBLISHERS
Algonquin Books
Arrow Publishing
Atlantic Books
Bloomsbury
Canongate
A smiling and beautiful Marilyn
Banner’s investigations and research into Monroe’s life are determined
and thorough. In a slightly self-satisfied tone she informs the reader of
all the information overlooked or purposefully omitted by previous
biographers and obviously delights in being able to reveal the truth
about things. Monroe took so many risks and got so carried away with
her own emotions and impulses that the highest levels of American
Ebury Publishing
Henry Holt and Company
Pan Macmillan
Peirene Press
Penguin
Picador
Stork Press
Tindal Street Press
power hid the truth of her death, and some events in her life. Banner’s
work on Monroe has been criticised for various reasons and although I
didn’t always agree with some of her bold assertions about this or that,
I admired her determination to examine Monroe from a new
CATEGORIES
Select Category
perspective. In her short and insightful Afterword, Banner states that
Monroe praised those who rebelled against social conventions, and
liked to place herself among them; in a way, she could – but she also
succumbed to the power of men and became the sexy blonde
ARCHIVES
Select Month
Page 5 of 7
10/19/12 12:50 PM
bombshell they wanted her to be. Had she lived past 1962, or been born
later in the century, she may have been different. She would have been
educated by second-wave feminism and benefitted from the rise in
women’s status and power in society and particularly in the
professional environment.
ADMIN
Register
Log in
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
WordPress.com
Lois Banner with the ‘Japanese photograph’ of Marilyn taken by
Cecil Beaton
This book will not be for everyone, as Banner makes strong assertions and proclaims herself
to be not only groundbreaking in her analysis of Monroe but also Always Right. I, however,
enjoyed her storytelling (though her chronology sometimes gets a little muddled) and
admired her ambition with the project, which in the end took her ten years. She writes a blog
on her website about Monroe, and her book, which I think is definitely worth a read. It is
fascinating to see Monroe considered from a feminist point of view (Banner constantly
defends her and is clearly angered by those who hurt her) and, having never read a book
about Monroe before, I found this a great source of information and wonder. I would
recommend this detailed and passionate biography to anyone seeking to add an extra
dimension or two to the image of the ‘sexy starlet’ of Marilyn Monroe.
Page 6 of 7
The Truth About Marilyn Monroe: How Much Do We Really Know? | Everyday eBook
10/19/12 12:58 PM
Subscribe
Enter email address.
DAILY
View Daily
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
FICTION & LITERATURE
NONFICTION
WEEKLY
View Weekly
YOUNG ADULT
SUNDAY AUGUST 5
RSS
PREVIOUS PICKS
THURSDAY OCTOBER 18
The Truth About Marilyn
Monroe: How Much Do
We Really Know?
ROCK AND ROLL’S ROUGH
RIDE: BETH DITTO’S
MEMOIR, COAL TO DIAMONDS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 17
THE ORIGINAL PULP FICTION:
RAYMOND CHANDLER’S THE
BIG SLEEP
By Kristin Fritz
TUESDAY OCTOBER 16
Hers was a life lived fully and ambitiously, and cut short
tragically; this much we all know is true. But beyond the
public persona that Norma Jeane Mortenson put forth, do we
really know all that much about the reality behind Marilyn
Monroe’s storied thirty-six years on this earth? Upon the
fiftieth anniversary of Monroe’s death, feminist and historian
Lois W. Banner presents us with a new, all-encompassing
study of the star’s tumultuous life and mystery-sodden
death, Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox.
JUSTIN CRONIN’S THE
TWELVE: BOOK TWO EVEN
BETTER THAN THE PASSAGE?
MONDAY OCTOBER 15
AN ELEGANT PORTRAIT OF
DEMENTIA: ALICE
LAPLANTE’S TURN OF MIND
SUNDAY OCTOBER 14
Marilyn Monroe has inspired countless tell-alls, novels,
biopics, songs. She is a muse to many and a mystery to most.
But exactly how did a girl with questionable origins (no one
knows – still – who her real father is) rise up through the
ranks to become a legend? And more important, what
shaped Marilyn into the woman she was at her core? This
latter question is that which Banner explores most heavily in
her biography.
Banner’s expertise serves her well in her writing. As she
walks us through Monroe’s humble beginnings, she focuses
on the foster family experiences that quite deeply affected
Marilyn. Her relationships with her mother, Gladys; her
mother’s best friend, Grace, who became young Marilyn's
guardian after Gladys was institutionalized; and her foster
mothers and fathers all affected Marilyn’s maturation
profoundly, and Banner reports in intricate detail exactly
how. Banner turns a close eye, also, to Marilyn’s sexual self –
her self-image, her love of women, her search for the
adoration of the men in her life – and the effect of Christian
Science on this aspect of her psychology. This particular
study of the star is a meticulously researched look into the
psyche of a young, stability-deprived woman. Suddenly,
we're left thinking less about the what – and more about the
BUY THE EBOOK NOW
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iBookstore
Google Play
Kobo
A Q&A WITH SARAH REES
BRENNAN, AUTHOR OF THE
GOTHIC-INSPIRED
UNSPOKEN
SATURDAY OCTOBER 13
JESSICA SCOTT’S UNTIL
THERE WAS YOU: A STORY OF
LOVE AND WAR
FRIDAY OCTOBER 12
More
Lois W. Banner/Photo © 2003 Michelle Ann Raitano
http://www.everydayebook.com/2012/08/the-truth-about-marilyn-monroe-how-much-do-we-really-know/
Page 1 of 3
The Truth About Marilyn Monroe: How Much Do We Really Know? | Everyday eBook
10/19/12 12:58 PM
why.
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox guides us through
Marilyn’s early life to her start in Hollywood and her eventual
rise to notoriety-nearing fame. No rumor is left unturned in
Banner’s book as the author accompanies us through
Marilyn’s marriage to and divorce from Jim Dougherty, her
intimate relationship with drama coach Natasha Lytess, her
introduction to Arthur Miller, marriage to Joe DiMaggio – and
every lover, friend, and enemy in between and since, finally
bringing us to her involvement with the Kennedys. We all
know the basics of how this story ultimately ends, with
Marilyn perishing from a drug overdose. But here, too,
Banner presents a fresh foundation to the framework.
Banner’s writing covers the legend of Marilyn Monroe in a
brand-new way, with a sympathetic yet deconstructive grip
on the story. Fifty years later, Marilyn is part of American
history, Hollywood history, women’s history. What better
time than now to get all of the details in one comprehensive
and well-written read?
TAGS: History | Hollywood | Lois W. Banner | Marilyn Monroe
Add a comment...
Comment
Kim Cooney ·
Directory
Top Commenter · Editor/Publisher at The Pet
It looks extremely interesting.
Reply · Like · August 5 at 8:44pm
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
Subscribe
DAILY
View Daily
WEEKLY
View Weekly
FICTION & LITERATURE
NONFICTION
YOUNG ADULT
Contact Us at [email protected]
Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.
Copyright © 1995-2012 Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
http://www.everydayebook.com/2012/08/the-truth-about-marilyn-monroe-how-much-do-we-really-know/
Page 2 of 3
Q&A: Feminist Historian Lois Banner on Marilyn Monroe’s Genius | Biography | Biographile
SUBSCRIBE
First Person
Celebrity Lives
10/19/12 12:59 PM
For Inspiration
The Craft of Writing
Roundups & Reviews
News
Q&A: Feminist Historian Lois Banner on Marilyn
Monroe’s Genius
B y J e n n ie Y ab r o ff
http://www.biographile.com/qa-feminist-historian-lois-banner-on-marilyn-monroes-genius/5394/
A u g u st 3, 2012 | 0 Co mme n ts
Page 1 of 8
10/19/12 12:59 PM
BUY THE BOOK AT:
Amazon
Indiebound
Barnes & Noble
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Biography and Memoir Reviews: Naomi Wolf and Tony Danza
There’s Something About Helen
A Conversation with “Klonopin Lunch” author Jessica Dorfman Jones
Page 2 of 8
10/19/12 12:59 PM
On August 5, 1962, the New York Daily News ran a two-word banner headline, proclaiming "Marilyn
Dead." There was no need for a last name: by that point, Marilyn Monroe was simply the most famous
actress in the world, if not of all time. As for the second word in the headline, while her death was officially
ruled a suicide, fifty years later, questions remain about the exact circumstances of her demise at the age of
thirty-six, which may be part of the reason she continues to loom so large in the public imagination. In her
new biography, “Marilyn: the Passion and the Paradox,” feminist scholar Lois Banner writes that Monroe
was a rare genius, completely in control of the image that made her an icon of the twentieth century. Here
she speaks to Biographile about her book.
Why are we still fascinated by Marilyn Monroe fifty years after her death?
She has gotten to have the cult stature of Cleopatra -- there are a few other women in history we do that
with. First, she died young, so she’s immortal in our minds. Second, she had affairs with or married so
many prominent men. The affairs with the Kennedys are still mysterious. She loved to be photographed.
Any time she saw a photographer she’d go into a pose. Another reason is that she has combined in herself a
little girl lost with a very mature sexual woman. She was a brilliant comic, as good as if not better than
Lucille Ball. All of that comes together in a magical package.
In your book, you write that she was bipolar, bisexual, sexually abused as a child, suffered
from a terrible stutter, had endometriosis that made intercourse and menstruation painful
for her, and spent time in eleven foster homes growing up. What will readers find most
surprising?
I really take her seriously. Her sexual bravura doesn’t trouble me. I look at her as a genius. This young
woman, born to a very dysfunctional family, was given elements of genius, and those elements were
enhanced by the horrible experiences she went through and her bipolarity. I see her as every woman writ
large. She faced all the challenges of every woman in the 1950s and '60s. I’m not sure without that
fractured personality she would have been a great actress.
Her rendition of Happy Birthday to Jack Kennedy has become one of her most iconic
appearances, yet you write that the president broke up with her because of it. Were you
surprised to learn that?
I sort of knew that he hadn’t taken well to her singing that song. But I think she was really surprised. All
the Kennedys had encouraged her to sing it that way. Well, maybe not all the Kennedy women. Maybe it
was the [Hearst gossip columnist] Dorothy Kilgallen column saying Marilyn had made love to the
president in front of millions of people. He realized, and his handlers realized, that she had carried it a bit
far. In many ways it’s her most brilliant impersonation, and her most brilliant comic turn. In some way she
is parodying herself. She was very sick, she was on a lot of drugs that night, so maybe in the end she
couldn’t handle herself when she went on stage. But it would have happened with the Kennedys anyway.
The other stars Kennedy was involved with kept quiet, but Marilyn was a loose cannon.
What’s the biggest misconception about her?
Page 3 of 8
10/19/12 12:59 PM
That she was a dumb blond bombshell, that her intellectualism was all phony, a put-on. That’s a male
conception of the ideal woman as a kind of balloon creature that will do what they want. Arthur Miller said
that when he married Marilyn he had married his adolescent fantasy. Norman Mailer said she was spun
sugar candy for men. She was always taking men who were mixed up about their looks and sexuality and
making them feel good about themselves.
What would Marilyn be doing if she were alive today? Would she have her own reality TV
show?
Marilyn didn’t like TV and she didn’t appear on TV very often. She was locked into the belief that there was
a high level theater and a popular theater, and the higher theater was what she wanted. If she had lived,
we’d have to pray she got over the drug addiction. And got out of the Rat Pack. She was so wounded by the
divorce from Arthur Miller she went to the Rat Pack for solace, and that got her into the mob stuff. In those
days you didn’t fool around with the Kennedys and the Rat Pack unless you were very strong and very
tough and knew you were going to be used. She went in that direction because they were a lot of fun. If
she’d only been able to live another couple of years, she’d have been able to take medication for her mental
illness. Her acting career might have continued -- she talked about playing middle-aged roles for woman.
She was changing her image. She had too much of a hurricane force inside her not to continue her career.
Is there a celebrity today that most reminds you of her?
I’m thinking. Angelina Jolie, maybe, because she’s smart and she’s tough. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton,
they’re sort of dumb. Marilyn was never dumb.
Tags: Arthur Miller, bipolar, feminist, genius, JFK, Kennedys, Lois Banner, Marilyn Monroe, Rat Pack, Sex
Like
26
Tweet
8
4
4
5
Add a comment...
Comment
FOLLOW BIOGRAPHILE
Page 4 of 8
A Year of Marilyn (Monroe) « Woman Around Town
10/19/12 1:00 PM
A Year of Marilyn (Monroe)
by Alix Cohen
We seem to be experiencing the resurrection of Marilyn Monroe. With last year’s
preface of Michelle Williams in the film “My Week With Marilyn,” the hit television
series, “Smash” whose premise is the mounting of “Bombshell,” a biographic
musical, Encore’s revival of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and the books “Marilyn’s
Last Sessions” (Michel Schneider), “Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years” (Keith
Badman) and “Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox” (Lois Banner), appreciation
and examination is rampant. It would be lovely if curves and femininity came back
into fashion. Still, there are wardrobe emulations. Some below.
Cancity Dress
Even without curves this would be smashing, but imagine it with your own bust and
hips filling out the shape. Elegant, sexy, yet covered. The less flamboyant side of
Marilyn. Light in which she shone. Long enough to imply modesty. Wrap style dress
in slightly off white using tightly woven, Japanese fabric engineered to create soft,
yet concentrated drape with subtle shine. Hook and eye closure, elastic column and
volume around the collar twisted in direction of wrap to pull in waist and create
waterfall at wrap point. 100% silk, fully lined. Also in vintage pink and salmon
$340.00
Esmeralda Halter Top by Reiss
Definitely her. Fill it out to emphasize your waist. Wear red, red lipstick and a long, pencil skirt or fitted pants and high heels. Terrific
http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/shopping-around/a-year-of-marilyn-monroe
Page 1 of 4
A Year of Marilyn (Monroe) « Woman Around Town
10/19/12 1:00 PM
summer look, show stopping bombshell style. Have a good back please. Sexy top
in bright, sunshiny yellow. Sheer multi-layered pleats with deep v-front, it has a
camisole base for discretion. Nipped waist flares at hem to trend peplum. Secures
at the center of the low, low back with simple hook and eye fastening. $150.00
Bathing Suits
Below Left: Norma Kamali: Bill Mio Swimsuit- Definitely retro
inspired. Once upon a time it was understood that there’s more mystery in less skin
and this not only shows your figure but looks better of you actually HAVE one.
Bright white for great tans, colorful covers and hats. Purity? I don’t think so. Make
the most of the illusion. Norma Jean’s calendar girl years. Classic ruching with
sweetheart neckline. Smooth, couture poly-jersey fabric. $350.00
Above Right: Norma Kamali Ruched Halterneck SwimsuitKamali’s always understood timeless glamour. She was one of the first to bring
back shoulders and nipped waists, peplums and pencils. A plunging neckline truly
worthy of Marilyn. Practice your pout in the mirror. Emphasize breathing out when
you speak just a bit more. And for God’s sakes stand up straight. This is the kind of
garment pin-ups wore in World War II to keep the soldiers going. Slip a skirt on over
it and you’re ready for cocktails on the terrace or beach. Emerald polyester. Low
back, fully lined. Slips on. 100% polyester. Hand wash. $350.00
Golden Goddess
Below Left: Alice by Temperley River Golden Belted, Lame Gown- Red carpet here you come. Marilyn at the
Oscars the year of “The Misfits.” Everything depends on proportion. If it fits, it can be shortened. Draped silhouette in gold lame for
the golden girl of the hour. Draped, wrap effect front, ruched panels at the waist, wrap- around tie belt, concealed hook and zipper
fastening at the back. Fully lined. Polyester/elastane. It travels. Can be hand washed. $545.00
Above Right: Dolce and Gabbana- Beautiful long line sheath. Very simple, very Marilyn. If you want to add a belt, keep it
narrow, don’t gild the lily. Wear with a shrug/cropped jacket. She might wear a little fur. Gold-tone sleeveless satin dress featuring a
scoop neck, front seam detailing, a fitted waist, a central back vent and a back zip fastening. Sheen, not shine. $556.00
Marilyn in the Backyard (yes, she had one)
Below Top: Ralph Lauren Toast Suede Charlize Top - Ok, hers was probably not suede but it would have looked
just like this, the halter with silver-tone front catch, draped bust with keyhole cut-out, concealed side zipper, open back. 100% luxe
lamb leather. $1865.00
http://www.womanaroundtown.com/sections/shopping-around/a-year-of-marilyn-monroe
Page 2 of 4
BEHIND THE BOMBSHELL | UTSanDiego.com
10/19/12 1:04 PM
Friday, Oct. 19th 2012
Hello, Guest Login
Subscribe!
NEWS
News
News
News
Today's Paper
Sports
Sports
Business
Business
Entertainment
Entertainment
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
Opinion
Opinion
Obits
Obits
Deals
Deals
Classifieds
Classifieds
Cars
Cars
Jobs
Jobs
Real
Real Estate
Estate
Partners
Partners
Sports
Weather
Business
Entertainment
70° F Traffic Surf
Lifestyle
Opinion
Obits
Deals
Classifieds
Cars
Search
Jobs
Real Estate
Partners
Prep Sports
BOOK REVIEW
BEHIND THE BOMBSHELL
Lois Banner marks 50 years since Marilyn Monroe’s death with a detailed,
sympathetic biography
Comments (0)
Written by
Alison
Gang
12:01 a.m., July 29, 2012
Updated 6:22 p.m. , July
26, 2012
Also of interest
Michelle Williams
captures the essence of
Monroe
50 YEARS AFTER HER
DEATH, IT’S STILL
‘HELLO, NORMA JEAN’
Book review: Marilyn
Monroe, 50 years after
death
WESTWOOD
THEATERS HAVE THE
FEEL OF OLD
HOLLYWOOD
50 years on, Marilyn's star
power shines bright
Share:
Tweet
Facebook
Email
Print
Save
“Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox”
Even before her untimely, though
not entirely unexpected, death 50
Lois Banner
years ago next month, Marilyn
Bloomsbury; 512 pages; $30
Monroe was the platinum blond
standard of a sex symbol. All
breathy shake and shimmy on the
outside, her high-profile trysts and marriages, notorious work habits and
mental instability also made her perfect fodder for the gossip rags.
Since her death, Monroe’s life has been examined, interpreted and
packaged, the broad sketch of an icon becoming ever more detailed by
new revelations uncovered over the decades. The volume of Monroe
material hitting the marketplace to coincide with the grim anniversary
shows that there’s still plenty of demand for even finer detail about the
troubled star’s life, and feminist scholar Lois Banner answers the call with
her exhaustively researched biography, “Marilyn: The Passion and the
Paradox.”
Monroe scholarship is competitive business, and Banner isn’t shy about
pointing out where her biography trumps those that came before. By
interviewing hundreds of people and combing through reams of records,
Banner fills in the nomadic years of Monroe’s childhood, tracing her
transition from a shy, athletic tomboy with a stuttering problem to a
spiritual adolescent, raised mostly in the Christian Science Church, who
found her place in the world once she hit puberty and selected the perfect,
tightfitting red sweater to win over the boys at school.
Banner delivers the first complete roster of the 11 foster homes Monroe
lived in after her mother’s hospitalization for paranoid schizophrenia and
is the first to identify the likely perpetrators of the sexual abuse that
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/29/tp-behind-the-bombshell/?page=1#article
Page 1 of 5
BEHIND THE BOMBSHELL | UTSanDiego.com
10/19/12 1:04 PM
traumatized Monroe as a child and tormented her as an adult, a fact she
discussed publicly in interviews — a rare and brave act at the time.
Once Monroe hits adulthood, the author evaluates her subject under an
array of lenses — from fashion (no undergarments, please) to Freudian
psychology. We come to know Monroe as an aspiring intellectual and a
fervent supporter of civil rights whose politics veered far left, perhaps
more so than her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, who was famously
investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee. In fact,
Monroe is a featured player in J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI files.
Banner doesn’t just document the star’s promiscuity (the descriptions of
the sexual escapades inside the Lawford-Kennedy compound are seedy, to
say the least), but she puts them into the context of Monroe’s likely sexual
addiction, which the author posits was the result of her sexual abuse and,
quite possibly, her reluctant bisexuality. Banner identifies several of
Monroe’s friendships as long-term lesbian relationships, though it’s not
clear how certain she is of these claims.
But it’s the revelations about Monroe’s strong friendships that make the
star feel most human. Unstable and insecure as she was, Monroe made for
a wonderful friend — especially to men, no surprise — valued for her sense
of humor and intellectual curiosity. It’s hard not to wish you could tag
along with the chummy trio of Monroe, director Elia Kazan and Arthur
Miller (years before their courtship).
More 1 2 Next
Ad
Most Popular
Man Gets Dumped,
Wins Lottery
Romney Jokes
About Himself,
Obama a…
In New York? Cruise Deal
Chelsea Goes
Pantless For
Christina
Comments (0)
Be relevant, respectful, honest, discreet and responsible.
Complete terms »
Most Recent
1. Philip Rivers sees bigger problem than play calling
2. Family, friends say shooting victim was stalked
3. Acee: Chargers showing A.J. Smith same thing
they're showing you
4. Chargers agree to terms with Danario Alexander
5. Pressure on for Navy's futuristic warship
Add a comment...
More
Comment
Today's Paper
PROP. 39: A FAIR TAX
POLICY OR ECONOMIC
...
SAN DIEGAN POSSIBLY
LINKED TO TERROR
SUSPECT
PRESSURE ON FOR
NAVY’S FUTURISTIC
WARSHIP
SCOUTS’ ‘PERVERSION
FILES’ SHOW LOCALS
AIDED SUSPECTS
BUZZ WORTHY
CORRECTIONS
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/29/tp-behind-the-bombshell/?page=1#article
Page 2 of 5
10/19/12 1:06 PM
login
create account
jobs
cars
homes
rentals
pets
services
Vote now for Charleston's Hottest Bartender
Fright Life: Our Guide to all Things Halloween
Play our FREE Pro Football Pick 'Em Contest
ARTS+MOVIES » BOOKS
August 01, 2012
A Kirkus editor weighs in on his top 20
books of the summer
Read This Now
by Eric Liebetrau
Eric Liebetrau is the managing editor and nonfiction editor of Kirkus
Reviews, which has provided industry professionals and consumers
with book reviews since 1933. A Mt. Pleasant resident, Liebetrau's
reviews and features have appeared in a variety of national
publications, including People, the Boston Globe, and The New
Yorker. After sifting through this summer's releases, he selected his
favorite fiction and nonfiction offerings.
Nonfiction
Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox
By Lois Banner
Bloomsbury
The fascination with Marilyn Monroe has
continued unabated since her death in
1962. Timed to coincide with the 50th
anniversary of her death, Lois Banner's
biography provides a sensible, sympathetic
appraisal of the famous sex symbol. The
author also examines each of the theories
about her death, offering no smoking guns
but providing enough context for readers to
make their own judgments.
SHARE ON FACEBOOK
Like
Tweet
129
17
EMAIL A FRIEND
PRINT FRIENDLY
ADD TO FAVORITES
ADD TO CUSTOM LIST
COMMENTS
Latest in Books
CCPL revisits 9/11 with
One Book selection
Sherman Carmichael
summons history in his
second book on the
supernatural
NotSo Hostel manager
releases how-to book
Rabid is a ravenous treat,
packed with terrifying
tidbits and curious facts
South Carolina's journalist
of the year chronicles the
silly, sad tale of Alvin
Greene
More »
about:blank
Page 1 of 1
On the enduring appeal of Marilyn Monroe -- especially to women : page all - NorthJersey.com
:
|
Delivery
|
e-Edition
|
Mobile/Apps
|
Alerts
10/19/12 1:07 PM
|
Place an Ad
Marketplace
|
Garage Sales
|
Jobs
|
Cars
|
Homes
|
Record Getaways
Search
Local
News
Bergen
|
Sports
Passaic
|
Obituaries
Morris
|
Opinion
Essex
|
Columnists
Hudson
|
Sussex
Blogs
|
Real Estate
Towns
|
A&E
High Schools
Food
|
Shopping
Community
|
Events
Travel
Video
More
Forums
NORTHJERSEY.COM : ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Recommend
4 people recommend this.
Send
On the enduring appeal of Marilyn Monroe -especially to women
THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2012, 7:16 AM
BY VIRGINIA ROHAN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
0
PRINT | E-MAIL
Photos: Vintage Marilyn Monroe
NorthJersey.com | Top Stories | Most Read
44 TSA workers at Newark face firing or suspension
You only need two brain cells to figure out why
Police step up patrols and roadblocks after string of luring
reports across North Jersey
straight men would love Marilyn Monroe.
The sumptuous breasts, the rounded hips, the wiggly
Cause cited for delay of Weehawken Grand Prix
walk – she was a male fantasy come to life.
Stand-up: Obama and Romney draw laughs at dinner
But why, 50 years after her death, do so many women
Doblin: Boy Scouts - Not morally straight or mentally
awake
adore Marilyn?
Greek rights groups slam asylum process
"Even when she's doing the voluptuous Marilyn and
French dog poisoned and buried alive survives
the glamorous Marilyn, there's still a sweetness to her
and there's still a kind of shyness to her that makes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
her appeal to feminine sensitivities," says feminist
Photo gallery curator Anna Wolska presents a photo of
historian Lois Banner, who has written a new book
Marylin Monroe by the late celebrity photographer Milton
about Monroe.
H. Greene, in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, July 20, 2012.
Jordanian police say large explosion hits shopping mall in
nation's capital
Malala shooting shows challenge to girls education
Suicide attacker kills 1 near mosque in Iran
Monroe died at age 36, on Aug. 5, 1962 – and half a
century later, signs of her superstar status are everywhere: from Michelle Williams' 2011 film "My Week
With Marilyn" to the NBC series "Smash" (about the making of a fictional Broadway musical about her
called "Bombshell") to recent Vanity Fair covers to a new Blu-ray box set, "Forever Marilyn," out this
week.
Like the limited-edition Marilyn Monroe makeup line that MAC Cosmetics will launch in October, many
of these products are aimed at women, who are among Marilyn's biggest fans. And this is not just women
http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/164701096_On_the_enduring_appeal_of_Marilyn_Monroe_--_especially_to_women.html?page=all
Page 1 of 4
On the enduring appeal of Marilyn Monroe -- especially to women : page all - NorthJersey.com
10/19/12 1:07 PM
old enough to remember her star years, or boomers, like me, who were children at the time of her fatal
overdose. Many of Monroe's female flame-keepers were born decades after her death.
On Facebook, according to Monroe's estate, Marilyn has more than 3 million fans, 70 percent of them
younger than 24, and 85 percent of all fans are female. She also has some 53,000 Twitter followers.
One of those younger fans – 31-year-old Williams, who received an Oscar nomination for playing Monroe
in "My Week With Marilyn" – told Vogue she had photos of the star on her bedroom wall when she was
growing up. She especially loved one of a barefoot Monroe in a white dress, taken in a Connecticut field.
"There was just something about that image of her – so lovely and joyful and free," Williams said.
Banner, whose "Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox" has gotten a lot of attention for chronicling
Monroe's "lesbian side," concedes that she once "dismissed Marilyn as a sex object for men." But now,
Banner views her "as a heroic model for women." She cites the fact that Monroe revealed, in the 1950s,
that she was sexually abused as a child. At the time, the victim, even a little girl, was always blamed for
seducing the abuser.
"She was very, very bold to talk about it publicly," says Banner, who has traced the evolution of Monroe's
fan base.
"What made her a star was her nude picture being hung by the troops in Korea, during the Korean
conflict. It was everywhere," she says. "Then the women started coming aboard when she married Joe
DiMaggio in '54, because he had a huge female fan base."
My own fascination with Marilyn began at the age of 7, when I saw her face on a Life magazine cover that
I now realize was published posthumously.
Besides her beauty – what little girl would not want to grow up to look like her? – she had a haunting
quality.
On a Graveline tour of Los Angeles some years ago, I convinced the driver to make a detour to
Brentwood, to see Monroe's one-story white stucco house on 5th Helena Drive. It was hidden from view
by a high gate with thick canvas behind it, but I jumped up and down – just to get a glimpse of her final
home.
To be sure, Monroe's untimely death – and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it – is a big reason
why she remains so fascinating to fans.
Also adding to her tragic mystique was her troubled childhood in foster homes, her mother's mental
illness, her affairs with President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby, her unhappy marriages.
Monroe was – and is – an enigma.
Many women feel protective toward Monroe, the same way we regarded Princess Diana, who also died at
age 36 and in the month of August. It seemed fitting that Elton John repurposed his ode to Monroe,
"Candle in the Wind," for Diana's funeral, changing "Goodbye, Norma Jeane" to "Goodbye, England's
Rose."
Norman Mailer, who wrote two books about Monroe, once said he passed up what turned out to be his
only opportunity to meet Monroe, at the Actors Studio in Manhattan, because she had a cold that day
and, without makeup, did not look like the fantasy woman. He didn't want to spoil the illusion.
The former Norma Jeane Mortenson Baker was known for her ability to flip her "Marilyn" persona on
and off, as if she had a switch.
Fifty years after her death, it's still very much on.
Email: [email protected]
http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/164701096_On_the_enduring_appeal_of_Marilyn_Monroe_--_especially_to_women.html?page=all
Page 2 of 4
Marilyn Monroe's eternal beauty - latimes.com
Like
Sign In or Sign Up
10/19/12 1:09 PM
349k
Membership Services
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Subscribe
Rentals
Classifieds
LIVING
TRAVEL
OPINION
Custom Publishing Place Ad
IMAGE
LOCAL
HOME
U.S.
WORLD
FOOD
BUSINESS
IMAGE
IN THE NEWS: METEOR SHOWER
SPORTS
BOOKS
ENTERTAINMENT
L.A. AFFAIRS
SILVIO BERLUSCONI
COMICS
HEALTH
READER PHOTOS
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
BOY SCOUTS
Marilyn Monroe's eternal beauty
7
Email
Share
3
Tweet
JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Search
Connect
Marilyn Monroe lives on as a profitable brand, with her image being used to sell everything
from clothing to cars. And there's more up ahead.
Comments
DEALS
134
Recommend
199
Recommended on Facebook
Like
349k
You need to be logged into
Facebook to see your
friends' recommendations.
Login
No recommendations for this website yet.
Put some Like buttons on your website to
engage your users. Details can be found here.
advertisement
Marilyn Monroe redefined sex appeal in the 1950s and still reigns as a fashion and
style influence. (Baron / Getty Images / December 31, 1969)
By Adam Tschorn
Los Angeles Times
July 29, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/features/image/la-ig-marilyn-monroe-20120729,0,5199322.story
Page 1 of 5
Book reviews: All things Marilyn
Monroe
Photos: Marilyn Monroe: Still shining
10/19/12 1:09 PM
Marilyn Monroe certainly achieved fame in the course of her
36-year lifetime, but in the five decades since her death, she's
become such a celebrity-branding superstar, it often feels as
if America's proto-platinum pinup never really left the
building at all. She is routinely referenced in store windows
and on runways; her image graces such products as glossy
magazine covers and wine bottles; and her persona regularly
flickers to new life on TV and movie screens.
The Monroe legacy is larger than her 33 movies, short-lived,
high-profile marriages and messy personal life. Her profound
transformation from a nobody named Norma Jeane
Mortenson into a world-famous actress and blond bombshell
resonates as a quintessential American success story and an
almost impossibly perfect Cinderella story.
Once her metamorphosis was complete, her signature look —
the alabaster skin, ruby red lips, platinum tresses and
curvaceous body sheathed in form-fitting clothes — became a
standard for feminine pulchritude.
Photos: Marilyn Monroe's pop culture
presence
The literary side of Marilyn Monroe
Ads by Google
Woman is 53 But Looks
27
53/YO Mom Reveals 1 simple
Wrinkle Trick that has angered
doctors...
www.NecessarySkinCare.com
Boost Testosterone 40+
LAST CHANCE: $99 for 90minute horseback vineyard tour
& wine tasting (reg. $210)
Hippie chicks and their flower power came and went, and the
sunken cheeks of heroin chic had their moment, but a halfcentury later it's Monroe's recipe for reinvention — since
followed by the likes of Madonna, Anna Nicole Smith,
Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga and others —
that perseveres.
That resonance is one reason why the stiletto-clad footfalls of
Marilyn Monroe seem to be growing ever louder. One can
hardly swing a white mink wrap without hitting a Marilynbranded product or project, such as a CGI appearance in a
Dior fragrance ad with Charlize Theron or her estate's
@MarilynMonroe Twitter feed, which has more than 52,000
followers.
LAPD probes Manson link
to 12 slayings
Twitter blocks neo-Nazi
group
And there's more: If all goes according to plan, Marilyn fans
will be able to end 2012 being able to wrap their bodies in
Marilyn Monroe bathing suits, accessorize with Marilyn
Monroe jewelry, paint their faces with Marilyn Monroe
makeup, get their nails done at a Marilyn Monroe salon, slip
into a pair of Marilyn Monroe stilettos and sip skinny lattes at
a Marilyn Monroe Café.
Living on the kidneys of
others
How to quickly boost your
testosterone so you feel great
There are other factors feeding the current Marilyn frenzy, of
course, including the 50th anniversary of her death, by
barbiturate overdose, on Aug. 5, 1962, and the current trend
www.Nugenix.com
toward anything that smacks of retro-nostalgia (i.e. the"Mad
Men"effect). But the fascination has been on the upswing
longer than that, says Lois Banner, an author and USC history professor whose second book about
the late actress, "Marilyn Monroe: The Passion and the Paradox," was published earlier this month.
"There started to be articles about the ongoing fascination with Marilyn Monroe as far back as the
mid-'70s," says Banner, "after Norman Mailer published his biography. But ... it's really increased in
the last 12 years."
Orionid meteor shower:
Best times to watch
Ads by Google
Banner says the plethora of Monroe biographical material and photographic images have made every
aspect of her life — including a childhood of shuttling between foster homes, sexual abuse and
stuttering — well known to the American public. "This is one of the greatest stories of the American
dream ever personified," Banner said. "It's all in there — how she made herself from nothing into
something, and then how she made herself into all these different Marilyns. ... She could be made
into whatever anyone wanted her to be."
Page 2 of 5
10/19/12 1:09 PM
Currently, her name ranks third on Forbes magazine's annual tally of "top-earning dead celebrities"
for the 12 months ending October 2011, with an estimated $27 million in gross income — behind only
Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Before that, she hadn't been on Forbes' annual list since 2008.
In addition to licensing fees — the amount companies pay for the right to use Monroe's name or
likeness for a commercial or product — the most recent Forbes estimate includes the 2010 purchase
price of a majority interest of the estate by a New York City branding and licensing company called
Authentic Brands Group and its partner NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Assn.) from
Anna Strasberg (the widow of Monroe's acting teacher Lee Strasberg, who inherited the bulk of her
estate). Although the purchase price by the private company was not disclosed, it was reported to be
somewhere north of $20 million.
Authentic's chief marketing officer Nick Woodhouse wouldn't confirm how much the partnership
paid — or offer any guidance on the estate's reported annual earnings, saying only that the Marilyn
Monroe brand is "a very, very good business for us."
Since taking control of La Monroe, Woodhouse said the first order of business was to cut back on the
number of Marilyn-related licenses and focus on brokering deals that move the MM brand upmarket.
He points to the aforementioned Dior TV ad and the poster for this year's Cannes Film Festival
(which featured Marilyn Monroe) as examples.
Most Viewed
Latest News
On 'The Daily Show,' President Obama talks
Libya, economy, debates 10/19/2012, 9:19 a.m.
Rumored 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro to sell for
$1,699, report says 10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Starbucks opens first store in tea-centric India
10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Guerrilla Girls exercise artistic license with
Michele Bachmann 10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Ford's quirky Flex station wagon finds niche in
California 10/19/2012, 9:02 a.m.
But a big part of the overall brand strategy, Woodhouse says, is expanding in the apparel and beauty
categories.
"A larger ready-to-wear collection is the bull's-eye for us," he said. "We already have a strong
intimates business with Dreamwear, which is also our partner for swimwear, which they'll be
launching in November. But apparel is something we're actively pursuing with a number of
partners." Woodhouse hinted that a Marilyn Monroe label could possibly be a retail reality by spring
2013.
When asked about why Monroe continues to be a popular fashion icon, Woodhouse echoes Banner's
comments. "Whether she was rolling around on the beach in Malibu wearing a pair of Levi's and a
white Chino shirt, on stage in a very expensive ball gown singing 'Happy Birthday' to the president or
wearing a simple white dress, she managed to be all things to all people."
Videos
Morosi: ALCS Game 4 Recap
Fox Sports Oct 19, 2012
Woodhouse also noted that the Marilyn Monroe of 1962 will always remain, well, the Marilyn
Monroe circa 1962.
"Look at icons like Michael Jackson or Elizabeth Taylor," he said. "The memories of therm are a little
bit different than maybe what they'd have liked their legacy to be. And with Marilyn it's like she's
encased in Lucite."
There are other projects in the works that leverage the Monroe name — beauty and cosmetics deals
such as a 30-piece limited-edition Marilyn-inspired beauty collection with MAC Cosmetics, due in
October, and an ambitious long-term deal that could result in several hundred Marilyn Monroethemed nail salons and day spas popping up across the country over the next five or six years.
Niki Bryan, chief executive of Orlando, Fla.-based Marilyn Monroe Spas, which is aiming to open its
first nail salon in that city before the end of the year, also points to Monroe's ability to transform
herself as key. But she thinks it's the process — as opposed to the end product — that has real
resonance in the beauty arena.
"That transformation took hard work and determination on her part and it was very skillful," Bryan
said. "She studied it, she learned it, and she made the effort, and it eventually became a seamless part
of her life...."
Other projects currently in the works include a reality TV series titled "Finding Marilyn," (which will
focus on a dozen women who will compete for a chance to make it big in Hollywood), a line of jewelry
inspired by the pieces she wore during her lifetime, the aforementioned spas and even a franchised
chain of Marilyn Monroe-themed cafes.
Morosi: ALCS Game 4
Recap
Obama Presides Over
Gun Boom
Obama Jokes About
Campaign
Romney Jokes About
Himself, O…
Recent efforts to burnish the Marilyn brand make it seem likely that she won't be a stranger to the
Forbes ranking in future years — especially given what the folks at Authentic Brands Group have
learned from mining social media data, which include some 3.3 million Facebook fans.
Page 3 of 5
10/19/12 1:09 PM
"Of all the people who've clicked the 'like' button at [the Marilyn Monroe] Facebook page, the top two
age groups are the 13-to-17-year-old age group and the 18-to-24 group," Woodhouse said. "She really
resonates with youth."
Which means Marilyn Monroe may very well remain pop culture's reigning beauty queen into the
next half-century.
[email protected]
Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times
Comments
7
Email
Share
Tweet
3
134
Recommend
199
MORE FROM THE TIMES
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Five Guys voted favorite burger chain,
McDonald's near bottom
PHOTO: Miley Cyrus Jumps Into Bed with
Ashton Kutcher on 'Two and a Half Men' | iVillage
Google prices its new Web-based Samsung
Chromebook at $249
Ernst & Young: Leslie Blair recognized for
| YouTube
leadership by Consulting Magazine
Lack of sleep can seriously affect metabolism,
study finds
Deborah Norville: "Devastated" By Rheumatoid
Arthritis | Lifescript.com
Candy Crowley defends her Libya fact-checking
during debate
FrontDoor
Timberlake-Biel wedding kicks off with famous
folks, fireworks
Heidi Klum and Seal's Unusual Marriage,
Revealed | StyleBistro
Tour Sally Field's Malibu Home for Sale | HGTV
[what's this]
Ads by Google
Official Obama Website
Millions have signed up to re-elect the President. Add your name. www.barackobama.com
Romney or Obama?
Who would you vote for if the election were held today? Townhall.com/electionpoll
Top-Ranked MBA From UNC
The Online MBA You Probably Can't Get Into. Learn About MBA@UNC. www.OnlineMBA.unc.edu
The Envelope »
Comments (7)
Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ
I Am George Vreeland Hill at 12:23 PM August 04, 2012
I will be at the cemetery tomorrow for the 50th anniversary of her passing.
Marilyn, like Elvis, is proof that death is not the end.
Yes, her beauty is eternal, just like her name.
George Vreeland Hill
Catch up on the latest awards buzz.
Sydney Lawrence at 2:36 PM August 01, 2012
Highpressure would you be so kind, in the interest of sensible and intelligent debate, to
elaborate on your, for me, unintelligible comment.
Highpressure at 10:03 AM July 31, 2012
Actually, I'm getting tired of looking at that moldy mug.
Comments are filtered for language and registration is required. The Times makes no
guarantee of comments' factual accuracy. Readers may report inappropriate comments by
clicking the Report Abuse link next to a comment. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by
using this comment form.
Page 4 of 5
Marilyn Monroe, the eternal shape shifter, still fascinates - latimes.com
Like
Sign In or Sign Up
349k
10/19/12 1:10 PM
Membership Services
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Subscribe
Rentals
Classifieds
TRAVEL
OPINION
Custom Publishing Place Ad
OPINION
LOCAL
U.S.
EDITORIALS
WORLD
OP-ED
BUSINESS
SPORTS
ENDORSEMENTS
IN THE NEWS: METEOR SHOWER
ENTERTAINMENT
LETTERS
SILVIO BERLUSCONI
HEALTH
OPINION L.A.
LIVING
READERS' REP
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
BOY SCOUTS
JOAQUIN PHOENIX
OP-ED
We make her into an icon because we can also make her into whatever we want her to be.
6
Email
Share
0
Tweet
35
Search
Connect
Marilyn Monroe, the eternal shape shifter
Comments
DEALS
Recommend
132
Recommended on Facebook
Like
349k
You need to be logged into
Facebook to see your
friends' recommendations.
Login
No recommendations for this website yet.
Put some Like buttons on your website to
engage your users. Details can be found here.
advertisement
Photographs prove Marilyn Monroe could be a glamour queen on the order of Marlene Dietrich, or a lost waif who
resembled Shirley Temple. From left to right: A 17-year-old Norma Jeane Dougherty on Catalina Island in 1943. Actress
Marilyn Monroe as Rose Loomis from the film "Niagara" in 1953. Monroe with husband Arthur Miller in 1956. (Getty
Images / Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images / Running Press, AP)
Related photos »
By Lois Banner
August 5, 2012
Photos: Marilyn Monroe photos at 50th
anniversary of star's death
Why is Marilyn Monroe still an American icon 50 years after
her death? She is endlessly analyzed in films and biographies;
her image appears on T-shirts and posters; her popularity is
reflected in the 52,000 Marilyn-related items for sale on
Cartoons »
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0805-banner-marilyn-monroe-icon-biography-20120805,0,93579.story
Page 1 of 6
10/19/12 1:10 PM
EBay. My USC students, fixated on contemporary pop
culture, know little about 1950s Hollywood stars, except for
Monroe. Like everyone else, they puzzle over her death,
respond to her beauty, recognize her paradoxes: the ur-blond
child-woman, the virgin-whore of the Western imagination.
Marilyn Monroe, with her guard down:
Photographer's gems
Book reviews: All things Marilyn
Monroe
Marilyn Monroe's eternal beauty
Photos: Marilyn Monroe: Still shining
Ads by Google
But it is another role — that of shape shifter — that makes her
especially relevant. Monroe's multiple transformations allow
each generation, even each individual, to create a Marilyn to
their own specifications.
It is well-known that Norma Jeane Dougherty (her name
when Hollywood discovered her) actively shaped the person
known as Marilyn Monroe after signing a contract with
Twentieth Century Fox in 1946. But the complexity of the
Marilyn that emerged is often overlooked. She wasn't just
split into the shy and angry child Norma Jeane and the
exuberant and sexual adult Marilyn Monroe. "I've got many
quivers to my bow," she told her close friend Susan Strasberg.
"I can become anyone they want me to be."
Photos: Flip through Ted Rall's editorial
cartoons
Photos »
PHOTOS: Marilyn Monroe photos by Phil Stern
She loved intrigue and playing practical jokes, possessed a
self-deprecating wit and had a love-hate relationship with her
celebrity status. She used aliases and wore disguises; she had
secret friends and secret apartments. A psychologist might
say her split self was caused by a childhood spent in 11 homes
and an orphanage, and by episodes of childhood sex abuse.
Such trauma could have fractured her persona and caused
her to "dissociate." We can guess that she drew on this
dissociation as she shaped her many public personas.
By all reports, Monroe could be shy, with no self-confidence,
taking drugs to keep herself on track; or a banshee screaming
in anger; or so charismatic that few could resist her.
Photographs prove she could be a glamour queen on the
order of Marlene Dietrich, or a lost waif who resembled
Shirley Temple. On screen she was a convincing "dumb
blond" clown; in interviews, an ironist who made fun of dumb
blonds; in acting class, a dramatic artist in the making.
Candidates with their baby photo-ops
LAST CHANCE: $99 for 90minute horseback vineyard tour
& wine tasting (reg. $210)
When she married baseball great Joe DiMaggio in 1954 and
famously promised to give up her career, she was the
maternal, domestic Marilyn who liked to cook and clean.
When she married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956, she was
the intellectual Marilyn who read books and wanted to be a serious actress.
PHOTOS: Marilyn Monroe, still shining
Feminists can claim her because she fought the dictatorial Hollywood moguls and won, standing in
the vanguard of the few female stars who created their own production companies. She also took the
extraordinary step of publicly describing the sex abuse visited on her as a child, even though in the
1950s such abuse was likely to be regarded as the fault of the female victim, even if a child.
Naming such abuse was central to 1970s feminism. Post-feminists who dislike victimization theories
can point out that she participated in her own "sexual objectification" — actively presenting herself as
a sex object for men in tight, low-cut dresses and no underwear. She did so, by the accounts of her
friends, because she understood the power that such explicit sexuality gave her over men — a postfeminist stance. She also saw it as rebellious, as furthering the sexual revolution that would peak
after her death.
LAPD probes Manson link
to 12 slayings
Twitter blocks neo-Nazi
group
Living on the kidneys of
others
Orionid meteor shower:
Best times to watch
As new documents surface, new interpretations of Monroe challenge old conclusions about her and
Page 2 of 6
10/19/12 1:10 PM
create new complexities. The latest finding, in line with the rise of queer theory and the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender movements, is that she had lesbian affairs and was bisexual by nature.
Most biographers reject this possibility, but papers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences, combined with a new reading of Monroe's autobiography, "My Story," and revelations in
the papers of Ralph Greenson, her last psychoanalyst, suggest that it's true.
Ads by Google
In the end, Monroe is one of the most complex female public figures in American history, and that
real complexity plays a role in her continuing ability to fascinate us. We admire her beauty, puzzle
over her mysteries and see her as a reflection of the quixotic, multifaceted, always striving and often
contradictory American character.
In the final analysis, however, we make Marilyn an icon because we can also make her into whatever
we want her to be. I think she would be pleased.
Lois Banner, a professor of history and gender studies at USC, is the author of "American Beauty"
and the just-published "Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox."
Most Viewed
Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times
Comments
6
Email
Share
0
Tweet
35
Recommend
132
MORE FROM THE TIMES
FROM AROUND THE WEB
Five Guys voted favorite burger chain,
McDonald's near bottom
KPMG: India’s Economy Growing Faster Than
Most of the World | Big4.com
Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman separate after
decades together
10 Worst-Rated States for Retirement | AARP
Google prices its new Web-based Samsung
Chromebook at $249
Yahoo! News
Candy Crowley defends her Libya fact-checking
during debate
Tom Hanks drops F-bomb on 'Good Morning
America'
Obama to boy: Where’s your birth certificate? |
What is going to keep CFOs up at night for the
| Bank of America Merrill Lynch
rest of 2012?
Latest News
On 'The Daily Show,' President Obama talks
Libya, economy, debates 10/19/2012, 9:19 a.m.
Rumored 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro to sell for
$1,699, report says 10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Starbucks opens first store in tea-centric India
10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Guerrilla Girls exercise artistic license with
Michele Bachmann 10/19/2012, 9:13 a.m.
Ford's quirky Flex station wagon finds niche in
California 10/19/2012, 9:02 a.m.
Demi Moore Is Sorry She Forgot to Lay This One
Rule Down for Ashton Kutcher | CafeMom
[what's this]
Ads by Google
Ramsay Chef Found Dead
in Hudson River. Ruled a suicide. See details. www.DNAinfo.com
Top-Ranked MBA From UNC
The Online MBA You Probably Can't Get Into. Learn About MBA@UNC. www.OnlineMBA.unc.edu
Why Men Pull Away
Videos
10 Ugly Mistakes Women Make That Ruins Any Chances Of A Relationship CatchHimAndKeepHim.com
Page 3 of 6
Is Marilyn Monroe still the perfect beauty ideal? | Patt Morrison | 89.3 KPCC
10/19/12 1:12 PM
PATT MORRISON
Patt Morrison for August 3, 2012
Is Marilyn Monroe still the perfect beauty ideal?
Patt Morrison
AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Picture dated of the fifties showing American actress Marilyn Monroe (L) with her husband baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.
Fifty years ago Sunday, the body of singer, actress, model and icon Marilyn Monroe was found in her Brentwood home on the westside of Los Angeles.
She died at the untimely age of 36, which means that the world never got to see her grow old. Monroe’s visage is locked in our collective consciousness as
the original youthful beauty ideal of a blonde bombshell.
In a 1962 article in the LA Times, author Ayn Rand said, “She projected the sense of a person born and reared in some radiant utopia untouched by
suffering, unable to conceive of ugliness or evil, facing life with the confidence, the benevolence, and the joyous self-flaunting of a child or a kitten who is
happy to display its own attractiveness as the best gift it can offer the world, and who expects to be admired for it, not hurt.”
“She’s had a huge impact in her day and ever since, there’s no doubt about it. I would call her the Cleopatra of the 20th century,” said Lois Banner,
professor of history at USC Dornsife college and author of “Marilyn: the passion and the paradox”
Since Marilyn’s death, many feel the beauty ideal has become focused on waif-thin models. It is worth noting that Monroe’s dressmaker listed her
measurements as 36-22-35, which is more hourglass than stick figure.
In her day, the ideals of beauty ran from the very voluptuous brunette Jane Russell, with whom she starred in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, to the waiflike
Audrey Hepburn.
“She was naturally extremely witty and also very beautiful and she had a natural sort of sexual attraction. And she put it all together into creating the
http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2012/08/03/27728/marilyn-monroes-death-50-years-later/
Page 1 of 3
Is Marilyn Monroe still the perfect beauty ideal? | Patt Morrison | 89.3 KPCC
10/19/12 1:12 PM
Lorelei Lee character...she decided to create the dumb blonde,” said Banner.
The character was such a hit that many, including listener Matthew from La Mirada, see Monroe as the ideal woman.
Bill from Long Beach had a chance encounter with Monroe as a young 7 year old boy on Fire Island in New York.
“I had the fortune of being kissed by Marilyn Monroe back in the early 50s....There was this wonderful aura about her that just drew me in and I walked
over and introduced myself...She had something magical about her that when you just looked at her or talked to her and were in that sphere that
surrounded her you felt like you were in heaven.”
The aura of Marilyn is still a money-maker in today’s world. She is the 3rd highest grossing dead celebrity behind Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley
according to Forbes Magazine.
Whether or not her 20th century icon status will translate throughout the 21st century remains to be seen. One listener from Westlake Village said he
thinks Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is the new icon— for her intelligence, accomplishments and beauty.
WEIGH IN:
Half a century after her death, is Marilyn Monroe still the gold standard for feminine beauty? Or have times and our perception of ideal beauty changed?
How will we look back upon her legacy in another fifty years?
Guest:
Lois Banner, professor of history at USC Dornsife college and author of “Marilyn: the passion and the paradox”
http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2012/08/03/27728/marilyn-monroes-death-50-years-later/
Page 2 of 3
10/19/12 1:17 PM
Back to previous page
“Marilyn Monroe: The
Final Years” by Keith
Badman and “Marilyn: The
Passion and the Paradox”
by Lois Banner
By Mindy Aloff, Published: August 4
Marilyn Monroe: For most Americans in the second half of
the 20th century, the name alone was a sentence. She was Venus, beamed into still photographs and onto
movie screens directly from the Milky Way — vulnerable and childlike and, when she wanted to be, achingly
funny, with goodness knows what darker qualities in reserve.
Other models and movie stars more closely approached physical perfection, with more symmetrical facial
features (Gene Tierney), longer legs (Juliet Prowse), more stylish physiques (Audrey Hepburn) or more
exquisite rear ends (Brigitte Bardot). Physically, though, Monroe — five-foot-six, a size 5 when she was in
her best shape, singing “Happy Birthday” to JFK on national TV — enjoyed a couple of unique perfections.
Her breasts? Well, yes, they were beautiful, and, although nowhere near as large as, say, Marie Wilson’s,
they did something unusual: The muscles beneath them gave them an upward tilt that seemed almost antigravitational. Yet, in terms of Monroe’s physical endowments, the pair I was thinking of were her mouth —
which, in photographs, evokes a countless variety of emotive responses — and her intrinsic glow, a property
of her skin, on which many of those who photographed and filmed her remarked with wonder.
But what made Monroe a goddess wasn’t her body per se: It was the alchemical process between her body
and what, consciously and unconsciously, animated her from within. After she died, 50 years ago today, at
the age of 36, under circumstances that are still inconclusive, the alchemy was reduced to mere chemistry: a
toxic overdose of barbiturates and chloral hydrate, deemed a probable suicide at the time by official sources
but, in the decades since, considered an accident — or even murder — by prominent biographers.
According to one of the biographers here — the British pop-culture chronicler Keith Badman, whose
“Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years” was first published in England in 2010 — nearly 700 books about (and
by) Monroe have appeared so far, a formidable pack for any new biographer to confront. Badman peppers his
prose with sentences that begin “I can reveal” but fails to support them with a bibliography or a single
about:blank
Page 1 of 2
10/19/12 1:17 PM
footnote. He offers a sort of countdown clock to Monroe’s demise, going minute by minute the closer it gets
to the end (Badman actually compares himself to Sherlock Holmes), and thus his biography seems merely
sensational for its first half. Indeed, the other biographer here, Lois Banner, a distinguished professor of
history and gender studies, dismisses Badman’s book out of hand for its lack of scholarly apparatus in a
footnote of her own new book, “Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox.”
Badman could have obtained some of his information — specific times; specific sums for expenditures;
specific knowledge of the hour-by-hour whereabouts of John and Robert Kennedy, rumored to be Monroe’s
lovers and, for some speculators, involved in ordering her death, possibly by a drug-laden enema — only
from documents whose sources he manages to hide. These might include police reports, transcripts of phone
conversations (Monroe’s phone was apparently double-bugged by the FBI and the mobster Sam Giancana)
and presidential papers, but the reader can only guess. To understand why he’s written his book, you have to
read to the very last page: “I seriously hope that, some day, the charge of ‘probable suicide’ on [Monroe’s]
death certificate [will] be changed to simply, ‘accident’. She deserves this. She has not earned the stigma
which suicide brings.”
However, along the way he takes some mighty swipes at the reputations of JFK, whom everyone agrees had a
one-night stand with Monroe at Bing Crosby’s house; Robert Kennedy, whom Badman, proverbially holding
his nose, lets off the hook from both the charges of having an affair with Monroe and being complicit in her
death; Monroe’s last psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson; the actor Peter Lawford; and the suits in the front office of
Twentieth Century-Fox, among others. His hero is baseball icon Joe DiMaggio, the second of Monroe’s three
husbands and the only one to attend her funeral and never to write a confessional book or give interviews
about the actress.
Banner’s ambition is much larger — to consider the living Monroe as a whole person: an unusually
imaginative and loving child; a sufferer for nearly her entire life of a pronounced stammer, which made
public speaking onerous, and of an array of other physical ailments; a victim of childhood abandonment by
her parents, of a murder attempt by her insane mother and of pedophiliac molestation, if not rape; a survivor
of many foster homes, which Banner has tracked down. She was also a largely self-taught connoisseur of art
and photography; an earnest student of Method acting; a reader of the 16th-century anatomist and author
Vesalius, Freud, Lincoln Steffens, I.F. Stone, Willa Cather and of poetry by, among others, her friend Carl
Sandburg; a student of dancing with Lotte Goslar, Jack Cole and Gwen Verdon; a woman known for her
kindness and generosity; a libertine who longed to be an artist; and, perhaps most unusual, a person with an
intensely spiritual side.
Despite its elaborately psychoanalytic perspective — whose speculations as to motives and feelings are
sometimes highly questionable (Banner takes Dr. Greenson’s part) — this is the book to read if you want to
try to understand what made Monroe tick. Where Badman’s book took five years to produce, Banner’s took
10; and, although their background readings seem to overlap in places, Banner keeps asking questions and
weighing evidence long after Badman has settled for his eureka revelations. Banner’s methodical approach
and refusal to give Monroe praise when the actress doesn’t deserve it confer a kind of dignity on the subject
that Badman’s book doesn’t.
about:blank
Page 2 of 2

Joe Zee`s Take on Classic Marilyn Monroe Fashion

Transcription

Similar documents

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES starring MARILYN MONROE by

AUSTIN T. BLAKESLEE NATURAL AREA

View the Event Flyer

Relaxing - Homeworks Builders

John F Jr Kennedy Marilyn Monroe

2012 Marilyn Merlot Nova1.3

monroe crossing is a 396000 square feet regional mall

Monroe College Hosts HS Students for Female Empowerment

The ChamberWorks Newsletter

Monroe County Fall Festival, Ellettsville, IN