Marylin Monroe: Tithi Kar

“Dogs never bite me. Just Humans”. Despite getting bitten by humans numerous times, she proved herself as a successful actress and model. Magnanimous, majestic, bold, and blonde- that's how she should be described. The journey of becoming Marylin Monroe from Norma Jeane Mortenson was incredible and wavy. Her life graph is full of ups and downs and never was straight at any point. From childhood to career to death, every event is full of criticism.

Born on June 1, 1926, and raised in Los Angeles, the most popular sensation of the 1950s spent her childhood in foster homes and orphanages. While living with the Atkinsons, she was sexually abused. Always a shy girl, she now developed a Stutter and became withdrawn. In the summer of 1935, she briefly stayed with Grace and her husband Erwin "Doc" Goddard along with two other families, but in September, Grace placed her in the Los Angeles Orphans Home. Monroe's second stay with the Goddards lasted only a few months because she got molested again, now by Doc. Monroe found a more permanent home in September 1938, when she began living with Grace's aunt, Ana Lower, in Sawtelle. She studied at Emerson Junior High School and Van Nuys High School. She married their neighbours' 21-year-old son, factory worker James Doughtery, on June 19, 1942, just after her 16th birthday.

While working in a factory during World War II, she met a photographer of the First Motion Picture Unit which eventually became a turning point in her life and her career. She was featured mostly in advertisements and men's magazines. To make herself more employable, she straightened her hair and dyed it blonde. By early 1946, she had appeared on 33 magazine covers for publications such as Pageant, U.S camera, Laff, and peek. Monroe signed a contract with an acting agency in June 1946. From there she started her full-time and lifelong career as a model and actress. Monroe's contract began in August 1946, and she and Lyon selected the stage name "Marilyn Monroe". The first name was picked by Lyon, who was reminded of Broadway star ‘’ Marilyn Miller’’. The last was Norma's mother's maiden name. She was given her first film roles, bit parts in “ Dangerous years” and ‘’ Scudda hoo! Scudda hay!”. At Columbia, Monroe's look was modeled after Rita Hayworth and her hair was bleached platinum blonde. She worked under some short-lived contracts with 20th-century fox and Columbia pictures. After a series of minor film roles, she signed a new contract with Fox in late 1950. In December 1950, Hyde, the vice president of William Morris Agency, negotiated a seven-year contract for Monroe with 20th Century-Fox. According to its terms, Fox could opt to not renew the contract after each year.

Monroe had supporting roles in three quite successful comedies of Fox - “ As Young As You Feel”, “ Love nest”, “Let’s Make it Legal”. Spoto stated that portrayed her “essentially as a sexy ornament”. But she was praised by critics. The Los Angeles Daily News called her “one of the brightest up-and-coming actresses “ for Love Nest. The army newspaper Star and Stripes declared her “Miss Cheesecake of 1951”. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association named Monroe “best young box office personality”. But, a scandal became the topic of the town claiming that she had posed for nude photos before she became a star and she admitted it as she posed in artistic nudes for John Baumgarth Calendars and previously posed topless or clad in a bikini for other artists such as Earl Moran. Instead of destroying her career, this story increased the interest of people in her films. Due to the scandals, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper declared her the “cheesecake queen” turned “ box office smash!”. Fox released three of Monroe’s films- “Clash by Night”, “Don’t Bother to Knock”, and ” We’re Not Married”- soon after the interest in Monroe peaked. She received positive reviews. The Hollywood Reporters commented, “she has an ease of delivery which makes her a cinch for popularity”.

In 1953, Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars. Gossip Columnist Frolabel Muir named her “It Girl of 1952”. The same year, her nude images were used as the centerfold and on the cover of the first issue of Playboy which made her the most popular sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s and was emblematic of the era's sexual revolution. Monroe starred in three movies that were released in 1953 and emerged as a major sex symbol and one of Hollywood's most bankable performers. These were “Technicolor film noir Niagara”, “Gentlemen prefer Blondes”, and “ How to Marry a Millionaire”. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project but returned to star in “The seven-year Itch”, one of the biggest box office successes of her career. Later that year, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Monroe began filming the drama “Bus Stop”, her first film under the new contract. “Bus Stop” was released in August 1956 and became a critical and commercial success. She didn't stop at just acting in other studios’ contracts. Rather she founded her own film production company in 1954. She spent 1955 building the company and began studying method acting under Lee Strasberg at the actor's studio. Her first independent production was “The Prince and the Showgirl”- which was unpopular in America but well received in Europe. Her subsequent roles included a critically acclaimed performance in “Bus Stop''. She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work in “Some Like it Hot”, a critical and commercial success. Her last completed film was the drama “The Misfits” which was failing at the box office. Monroe next filmed a scene for "Something's Got to Give" in which she swam naked in a swimming pool. To generate advance publicity, the press was invited to take photographs; these were later published in Life. This was the first time a major star had posed nude at the height of their career. When Monroe asked for sick leave Fox sued her and blamed Monroe for the film's demise and began spreading negative publicity about her, even alleging that she was mentally disturbed. Fox soon regretted their decision and re-opened negotiations with Monroe later in June. To repair her public image, Monroe engaged in several publicity ventures, including interviews for Life and Cosmopolitan and her first photoshoot for Vogue.

Marilyn Monroe’s love life was as curly as her professional life and full of ups and downs. After breaking her first marriage, she and Joe DiMaggio were married at the San Francisco City Hall. However, this marriage didn’t last long. The publicity stunt placed Monroe on international front pages, and it also marked the end of her marriage to DiMaggio, who was infuriated by it. The union had been troubled from the start by his jealousy and controlling attitude; he was also physically abusive. After returning from NYC to Hollywood in October 1954, Monroe filed for divorce, after only nine months of marriage. Monroe continued her relationship with DiMaggio despite the ongoing divorce process. She also dated Playwright Arther Miller. The affair between Monroe and Miller became increasingly serious after October 1955, when her divorce was finalized and Miller separated from his wife. On June 29, Monroe and Miller were married at the Westchester County Court in White Plains, New York and she converted to Judaism which resulted in bans on her movies in Egypt. Due to Monroe's status as a sex symbol and Miller's image as an intellectual, the media saw the union as a mismatch, as evidenced by Variety's headline, "Egghead Weds Hourglass”. Monroe and Miller separated after filming wrapped, and she obtained a Mexican Divorce.

Marilyn Monroe died because of an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Los Angeles on the 14th of August 1962 at the age of 36. She struggled with addiction and mood disorders. Her death was ruled a probable suicide, although several conspiracy theories have been proposed in the decades following her death. Monroe's sudden demise was front-page news in the United States and Europe. According to Lois Banner, "it's said that the suicide rate in Los Angeles doubled the month after she died. The circulation rate of most newspapers expanded that month". She will always be remembered as one of Hollywood's brightest stars and her life and death proved her own quote- “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”