When American photojournalist, designer, George Barris released a book on Hollywood's sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe, it did gain a lot of interest although the writing was not particularly scholarly. The purpose of the book had been to get in touch with the 'real' Marilyn Monroe -- the woman who had her own share of struggles but wore the glamorous mask to cover it all.
This writer assumes, maybe it was an era when there was no easy way to fit the idea of feminism in between a fight that included 'real woman' and the 'cinematic woman' who gained more fame for her physical attribute. In her films, such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, Monroe had largely catered to the male gaze.
Being Marilyn Monroe
Ever since the icon of sex, breathed her last at the age of 36, a multitude of studies started visibly examining her glamour, the fascination the world had for her. She lives in the mind of the audience, and the next generation of cinema lovers as the eternally youthful icon, the symbol of sex.
Her biographies, The Genius and the Goddess, Marilyn Revealed, and The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe were told from the authorship of men, who were back then well-known for writing celebrity biographies for the readers that urged to know more about the cinema culture and attain visual pleasure in staring at the glamourous photographs of the actress.
In all the biographies, Marilyn Monroe was an embodiment of a soft, white, sex kitten, lover of Robert Kennedy. Basically, in the world of men, Monroe was understood as the innocent woman, whose eroticism lied in her childlike sexual appeal.
Barring all the point of views which came from the world of men back then, it is impossible to deny that Monroe made herself successful as the photogenic model, film actress, through her unapologetic sexual drives. She never shied away from the instincts that drove her not to be a conservative, religious American. This was at a time when Hollywood was allegedly a sexist and racist place to be. Even from beyond her graves, Marilyn Monroe's Estate earns an estimated $10 million.
