On Being Marylin

Even though she has been dead for approximately 50 years, lately, I keep seeing Marylin Monroe everywhere. Part of this has to do with everyone talking about the new NBC show Smash, and I won’t deny that I am not one of them. Those songs seem to be floating around my subconscious 24/7, and yes, I have a strong opinion on the whole Ivy/Karen situation. However, more studios seem to be trying to grab onto the Monroe Fad Gravy Train, and one in particular is making a reality TV show about Miss. Monroe.

How exactly can one make an unscripted show about someone who is not actually living anymore? Easy. Get a group of young girls from the country, send them to L.A., and see who is the best at emulating Marylin. Then, the winner can be known as being super great at trying to live someone else’s life.

Putting that aside, I have to wonder why people would want to be exactly like Marylin Monroe. Yes, she has that special something that has made people adore her long after she was alive, but she also led a very tragic life. For a good portion of her career, she was type cast in the “dumb blonde” roles that made her a quintessential sex symbol, and later, she probably committed suicide. I have to wonder if this lust for fame is enough for a group of young women to try to just become sex symbols themselves rather than be valued for their own work. I mean, Megan Fox has made a career out of it, so maybe that’s enough.