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In this Post: Marilyn Monroe:
- 3 BEST FILMS
- HER BEAUTY SECRETS
- HER FASHION
- HER FOOD
I wasn’t born until after Marilyn Monroe’s death, but I’ve admired her as an actress ever since seeing her in Bus Stop.
Her poignancy as the girl who just wanted to be taken seriously seemed to mirror her real life. She’s awkward and entrancing at the same time, as she sings “That Old Black Magic…”, and as she talks to a friend on the bus about wanting someone “to love me for me, without all that lovin’ stuff.” As a little kid I seemed to know that she was drawing upon some inner angst for this role. I was surprised to learn that she wasn’t thoroughly celebrated for her acting talent until after her death, because I could feel the truth she told through her characters.
This post is for anyone who loves her and would like to know more about her. I’ll talk about her life, her movies, and then have some fun with her beauty secrets, fashion and food.
Marilyn Monroe (Born Norma Jean Mortenson– later known as Norma Jean Baker) was an actress, singer, model, sex symbol, and eternal icon, but you probably already knew that.
Known for her overt sexuality, fashion sense, acting ability and tragically rich life, she was a complex, multifaceted figure, celebrated for her roles in both comedy and drama, as well as memorable moments both on and off screen.
Her turbulent childhood provided her with plenty of painful emotion to use in her acting. She had an absent father and her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker, was too mentally and financially unstable to care for her. After a brief period with a foster family, Gladys eventually regained her stability and took 7-year old Norma Jean back into her care. After Gladys suffered a mental breakdown in which she was ultimately diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Norma Jean was cared for by Gladys’ friend Grace Goddard, who then placed Marilyn in numerous foster facilities.
Grace eventually took Marilyn back in her care (Yup, it’s hard to keep track. Imagine how young Norma Jean felt.), but did not stay long once Grace’s husband began sexually abusing her. After briefly living with Grace’s elderly Aunt Ana, Norma Jean returned to the Goddards’ for the last time.
When the Goddards wanted to relocate, they could not bring her along, and Norma Jean’s only options were to return to the orphanage or get married. She ultimately married a neighbor named James Dougherty. They divorced in 1946 once she had begun modeling, and after reclaiming her power by dying her hair blonde and changing her name, Marilyn Monroe was born.
While Marilyn often invokes images of her giggling in a fabulous white dress over a subway grate, or glamorously arm-in-arm with the hottest bachelors of the 1950’s, her ostentatious, bubbly personality hid lifelong struggles with confidence and stability due to her tumultuous upbringing. 
She was often touted as a ditzy, blonde bombshell, but Marilyn strived to prove she was more than a Playboy centerfold. Her lifelong endeavor was to reveal her raw artistry as an actress, rooted in her deep-seated pain and trauma.
FILMS
Marilyn’s film career spanned from 1947 to 1961, and her dream of gaining Hollywood’s respect through exposing various aspects of herself as a serious actress was ultimately realized. Of her myriad performances, some of my personal favorites that beautifully show off her range include:
• Don’t Bother To Knock (1952)
• Bus Stop (1956)
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
Don’t Bother To Knock
In the 1952 film noir Don’t Bother To Knock, Marilyn plays an intricately written woman named Nell Forbes, “silk on one side, sandpaper on the other”.
The film follows Jed, an arrogant, sleazy man who begins the film with a failed attempt to rekindle his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, a hotel lounge singer named Lynne. After his rejection, Jed decides to stay in the hotel for the night to nurse his emotional wounds.
While in his room, he spots Nell across the courtyard who has been put in charge of babysitting a young girl named Bunny for the evening. After essentially spying on Nell, Jed discerns her room number, calls her up, and invites himself over for a drink (the audacity!). After putting Bunny to bed, Nell relents in allowing Jed to come to her room.
While it is obvious that something is a bit “off” about Nell from the jump, Marilyn’s beautifully nuanced performance portraying Nell’s intense descent into a mental breakdown is what ultimately catapulted her to star status. This film surprised everyone, as Marilyn boldly embraced both her beauty and her pain, simultaneously embodying a temptress and woman amidst a breakdown.
Bus Stop
In the 1956 drama Bus Stop, Marilyn shapeshifts to a beguiling, ambitious cafe singer named Chérie who has dreams of taking Hollywood by storm.
The film follows a young, socially awkward rodeo cowboy named Beauregard Decker, who is instantly enamored with Chérie upon seeing her sing. Despite his inexperience and overzealous nature, Beauregard is determined to marry Chérie instantly upon meeting her, despite her repeated resistance to his advances.
Throughout the film, Chérie is the object of Beauregard’s obsession. He takes her to the rodeo parade, and when she flees the scene he tracks her down at a local cafe. When she sneaks out the back window of the cafe, he ultimately catches her and forces her on a bus back to Montana. 
When the bus stops at a local diner, Chérie attempts to escape once again to no avail due to a snowstorm. (Can’t this guy take a hint?)
Stranded at the diner, it comes to light that Beau has kidnapped Chérie and is lording control over her despite her obvious lack of interest. When others at the diner come to Chérie’s defense and beg him to leave her alone, Beau is humiliated and refuses (male egos, right?). I don’t even have to see this through today’s lens to be completely turned off by this clod but hey that’s no reason to ignore a worthy movie.
The next morning once the snowstorm has passed, Beau finally apologizes. Chérie reveals that she’s had many boyfriends, and all she ever wanted from a man was respect. 
When Beau finally shows his vulnerability and opens up about his inexperience, Chérie is attracted to him, and the story concludes with a gentlemanly Beau helping Chérie back on the bus.
She was once again praised by critics and the public for this performance as she built delicate nuance into this character, and proved she was a whole lot more than a buxom beauty.
Some Like It Hot
In 1959’s screwball comedy Some Like It Hot, Marilyn got to show off her comedic timing as Sugar Kane, the sultry lead singer in an all-female band called the Society Syncopators.
The story follows musicians Joe and Jerry, two men desperate to get out of town after witnessing a menacing mob raid. Hilarity ensues as they pursue their only option– to disguise as female musicians “Josephine” and “Daphne” and escape to Miami. 
The two men are instantly attracted to Sugar and compete for her attention while donning their feminine disguises.
The film is a nonstop comedy of errors, packed with multiple aliases (Joe disguises as both “Josephine” and a young millionaire named “Junior”), deception, and romance. After a narrow escape from a grizzly mob death, Joe (aka “Josephine”) reveals his true identity to Sugar, and she forgives him for his deception. The film ends on a millionaire named Osgood’s yacht (who spends most of the film falling for “Daphne”), Joe and Jerry revealing their true identities, and both Sugar and Osgood relatively unfazed!
This film allowed Marilyn to show off her comedic timing, while leaning into the public’s preconceived notions about her as a sex symbol. Her performance allowed her to be in on the joke, while sharply exchanging quippy one-liners with comedic juggernauts Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.
BEAUTY
Marilyn Monroe was famously adored for her iconic platinum blonde locks, dewy glow, beauty mark, and voluptuous pout. With makeup artist Allan (aka “Whitey”) Snyder at the helm, her signature look was born. While some beauty secrets are best left in yesteryear, here are some of Marilyn’s best beauty secrets, sure to make you feel like a leading lady.
• Multiple Shades of Lipstick
Whitey Snyder loved to use different shades of red to contour Marilyn’s lips and make them appear fuller. To do this, he began with a dark red shade on the outside edges of the lips, followed by filling in with a slightly lighter shade of red, and topping the look off with the lightest shade of red towards the center of her lips. To achieve Marilyn’s gorgeous pout, we recommend Mented Cosmetics, whose lipsticks come in a variety of beautiful reds.
He also applied multiple layers of each color, and finished the look with a dab of white powder on the cupid’s bow to highlight, as well as at the center of her bottom lip for a plumping effect.
For an excellent affordable white powder, this will do the trick: 
Finally, he applied many layers of lip gloss to achieve peak fullness, volume and va-va-voom.
• Cut False Lashes In Half
To embrace Marilyn’s signature sleepy-glam look, simply cut a strip of false eyelashes in half and apply to the outer edges of the eye. Marilyn believed this looked more natural, and became a regular part of her beauty routine.
• Use Various Eyeliners
While most of us grab one eyeliner pencil in our daily makeup routines, Whitey used a masterful combination of white, red and brown eyeliners to make Marilyn’s eyes gleam. He applied brown eyeliner on both her upper and lower lids, extending the brown pencil slightly past her lower lid out and down towards the tops of her cheekbones to create a false shadow from her long lashes. Additionally, he used white eyelineron the inner rim of her lower lashes to give that well-rested, fresh-faced look, as well as a small dab of red eyeliner. on the inner corner of her eyes to make the whites of her eyes pop.
If you don’t already have a drawerful of eyeliners, we like these: L’Oreal Paris Makeup Infallible Pro-Last Pencil Eyeliner, Waterproof; Smudge-Resistant, brown
Mehron Makeup L.I.P Pencil (POMEGRANATE)
Maybelline New York Lasting Drama Light Eyeliner, White Luster
• Peaked Eyebrows
Long before the days of microblading, statement eyebrows were achieved through precise makeup tricks. Whitey implemented this technique to minimize Marilyn’s forehead and give a wide-eyed effect. To do this, he penciled her eyebrows into peaks and brushed them to mimic the desired shape. While peaked eyebrows ooze glamour, be careful with this one! After all, we’re going for Marilyn, not Maleficent.
• Vaseline As Moisturizer and Highlighter
With a low price point and wide accessibility, this is a beauty trend you could get behind, as long as petroleum jelly doesn’t clog your pores. Marilyn moisturized her face with thick layers of vaseline at night, applied it as primer before foundation, and Whitey also used it on her cheekbones and brow bones as highlighter.
• Chanel No.5
There is nothing more iconic than having a signature scent, and Marilyn was definitely known for hers. When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn infamously replied, “I only wear Chanel No. 5.” Five drops to be exact.
Source: https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/a16013/marilyn-monroe-beauty-secrets/
FASHION
Marilyn was widely adored for her onscreen transformations, and her frisky approach to fashion was no different. While some looks delivered jaw-dropping sex appeal, others celebrated her soft femininity. Here are some of Marilyn’s most iconic outfits, and their amazon counterparts (because everyone deserves to feel like a movie star!).
With its gauzy texture, coquettish polka-dots and innocent pastel hue, this frock beautifully showed off Marilyn’s vulnerable femininity.
Find a similar version here
Or a similar feeling here
This effortlessly chic combo of lightweight capri pants and a black turtleneck sweater communicates laid-back, breezy elegance.
Get the look with these simple pieces:
This casual combo of a crop top with high-waisted shorts paired with playful strappy sandals accentuates Marilyn’s figure while gushing easygoing glamour.
Channel your inner vacation-chic Marilyn by adding these staples to your wardrobe:
The silhouette of this demure two-piece suit is classically elegant, and the powder-blue hue adds a frisky pop of color.
While finding an exact replica of this iconic set posed a bit of a challenge, here are a few similar options in varying shades and styles to execute that “movie star on a press tour” vibe. (We even included the heels.)
A classic little black dress (or “LBD”) is essential in every fashion icon’s wardrobe. With its sophisticated cocktail length and feminine, form-fitting shape, this number delivers equal parts class and sexiness.
Here’s a similar, vintage-inspired LBD, to channel your inner Marilyn. With its body-skimming, sexy silhouette and flirtatious off-the-shoulder neckline, this look is an absolute showstopper. Add these strappy black heels and opulent necklace, and the paparazzi will be following you all night, darling! (Red lipstick is not required, but highly encouraged.)
FOOD
Long before the days of intermittent fasting or the Atkins Diet, Marilyn Monroe forged her own path when it came to what kept her feeling sexy and in shape. Her secrets? Carrots (both raw and cooked), and lots of rich protein. From steak, to lamb, to two eggs stirred into milk, Marilyn was known for her unique tastes and approach to dieting.
Marilyn famously scrawled this stuffing recipe on insurance company letterhead, and it is believed that the Italian spin on traditional stuffing throughout the recipe was influenced by her then-husband Joe DiMaggio. Nothing says coziness and comfort like stuffing with a side of glazed carrots. For a vegetarian take on Marilyn’s classic, I simply substitute 1/2 lb. of smoky tempeh for the ground beef, and 1/2 lb. of firm tofu, frozen then thawed, and crumbled. You can braise each of these in the pan just as you would meat. (Studies show that Fermented soy foods like tempeh are especially healthful. They promote digestion and improve the nutritional content. Bioflavonoids in soy serve to provide cancer prevention, improve skin tone, and are antioxidant protection.) Be sure your soy is certified organic and Non-GMO. For more information on soy you can see my article Why Don’t People Like Soy?
CONCLUSION
Marilyn Monroe was equal parts beautiful and beguiling. While so much of who she was remains a tragic mystery, in honoring her various performances, vulnerabilities and idiosyncrasies, we can continue to celebrate who she was. By embracing her films, her fashion, and everything in-between, we can keep her gentle, vivacious spirit alive, and ensure she remains a Hollywood legend.
If you like reading about Old Hollywood, enjoy my post on Bette Davis here.
4 thoughts on “Marilyn Monroe: Tragedy, talent and triumph: Plus: Get her Look, Beauty Secrets, and her recipe”
Thank you for a wonderful reconsideration of a truly talented actress. And for a look at make up and diet I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Please keep writing these insightful articles.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Great article packed with interesting tidbits. Love the beauty tips and am so impressed by how many outfits you found that Marilyn would have loved. You did this icon justice!
Thanks for the feedback!