Marilyn Monroe As A Role Model

In 1901, she met up with a movie productor named Ben Lyon who would help her get into the cinematography. In the late 1940’s, Marilyn got an offer for a contract with the 20th Century Fox.(Astrum People) Marilyn and Ben made the “dumb blonde” character for Marilyn to play in his film. Before Marilyn starred in this film she had many plastic surgeries. First filming she done for Ben, she did supporting roles meaning she did not talk.

Marilyn Monroe was an unmaterialistic actress, model, singer, and survivor. She was famous for her “blonde bombshell” roles, she also became one of the most popular sex symbols around the 1950’s. One person said, “She went by many names. On her birth certificate she is Norma Jeane Mortenson; she was baptised Norma Jeane Baker; she modelled under the names Jean Norman and Mona Monroe; her initial idea for a screen name was Jean Adair; she signed into hotels as Zelda Zonk and into a psychiatric clinic as Faye Miller. She only legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe in March 1956, when she was already a star.”

In the chapter “Red Clowns”, Esperanza experiences her first sexual encounter, although it was not what she thought it would be. She finds herself being sexually assaulted. Forcibly introduced into the adult world, Esperanza learn that fantasies are not always what they are said to be. Esperanza states, “They all lied. All the books and magazine, everything that told it wrong.

Gangster movies have been successful for many years, these movies depict the real-life experiences of gang members. Furthermore, these movies also portray the views that the gang members have for females. Gwendolyn D. Pough, the author of What It Do, Shorty, stated perfectly the minimal number of roles available for them in hood related movies. Ms. Pough wrote, “However, what does come across clearly as one reads the Steffans’s memoir and Bryan’s tell-all are the ways in which some women have chosen to buy into the sexism and misogyny that limits the roles that women can play in hip-hop culture” (Pough. pg. 83).

In order to highlight her diva- like traits, she uses wigs, jewelry, tight clothing and makeup. One of her most characteristic traits are her eyebrows, Divine needed to shave half of her head in order to make space for the make-up artist to draw her iconic eyebrows. But all those female traits she adopts are exaggerated to the extent that she looks like as a trashy cheap version of a woman. For example, she wears “a series of brightly colored, revealing outfits in order to draw attention and display her body” (Medock 210). Unlike Jane Mansfield that had a nice figure and could rock a tight dress, Divine is “an obese drag queen with huge breasts that dresses in a way that only highlights her fat body” (Hallam).

Why do we remember the name Mata Hari, but we do not know really who she was or what she did? According to Tammy M. Proctor, “Mata Hari captured the public imagination precisely because her invented self – a mysterious, ‘foreign,’ and erotic being – fit perfectly the sexualized myth of women spies constructed in the years before and during the war (82). Mata Hari was a normal women who tried by any mean to become an independent person, in a society where women were not yet equal to men, and she succeeded, even though in the end it was her fame who brought her death. Mata Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in 1876 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, is one of the best known women of the First World War (Proctor 83).

She embodies a typical popular girl stereotype who enjoys overindulging in “retail therapy”, appears ditzy and vain and like most female stereotypes cannot properly drive a car. However, as the audience advances further into the movie they learn that she actually contradicts those stereotypes, or at least in the sense that she is not the average popular girl who is out to sabotage everyone. She enjoys helping others, makes good grades, is assertive without being too bossy, and even proudly boast her virginity. In comparison, Tai’s character is stereotyped as a less desirable, specifically amongst the popular kids. This is evident as she stands out from the crowd based upon her mediocre attire, heavy Bronx accent, references to drug use and general lack of understanding of cliques at the school.

Sherman stated that picking the characters she did had to do with the outlook she had on sexuality and the people she viewed as her role models when she was younger. Sherman wants her viewers to question the outlook on gender roles. Andy Warhol said, “She 's good enough to be a real actress” because she played the characters very well in her photographs. (Encyclopedia of World Biography). In 1995, the Museum of Modern Art bought the ‘Untitled Film Stills’ for one million dollars and has been on display since

Both virgin and slut shaming happen frequently throughout the movie, conveying the message that women should be sexually accessible to men, but not be too available. The message of virgin shaming is strongly carried through this song with lyrics such as “Elvis, Elvis, let me be, keep that pelvis far from me” and the opening line “look at me I’m Sandra Dee, lousy with virginity”. The whole song consists of lyrics to mock Sandy’s views on drinking, smoking and being sexually active, but the worst thing is that it is coming from girls who are supposedly her

In Cat’s Cradle, Vonnegut described Mona Aamons Monzano as a beautiful woman alive who made sexual desire appeared. The character Jonah, the protagonist wanted her as his sexual fantasies that come to life. Lust for Mona have driven most of the main character’s decisions and sees her as a sexpot. As a result, sexual desire for Mona motivated Jonah to go to San Lorenzo. Jonah also accepted the presidency because of his lust for Mona and power.

Actress, writer, flamboyant- these are just the start to a long list of words that describe Mae West. She not only enticed but challenged morality through movies and plays. Her actions and words were anything but the norm during the years of the Great depression. Mae West was a controversial actress and play writer for her time and opened up views to scandalous topics which changed the face of media today. Mae West made a debut on Hal Clarendon’s theatrical company.