marilyn monroe, blonde bombshell. get out the fire hose. hollywood super star. the late marilyn monroe. tragic victim. the story of marilyn monroe is an authentic tragedy. when we talk about marilyn poor marilyn, this vulnerable passive woman who is being destroyed by hollywood. that s the way the story frames her. after a reckoning in hollywood, it s time to reframe her story. now it can hit pause and roll it back a bit and ask ourselves, okay, what is it that we think we know? she was quite ahead of her time. and she was very much an architect of her own fame. you must think i was born yesterday. her performances are layered. they re funny. they re tender. they re human. they feel modern. bingo. she had a deep inner life. she was an artist. she was a poet. she was a businesswoman. what a power broker she was, renegotiating her contract, creating her own production company, getting films made. it s actually rather frustrating that people can t
this is a moment that doesn t get much attention in the story of marilyn but it s revealing. i wanted my mother s maiden name because i felt that rightfully was my name and true things rarely get into circulation. the fact she chose monroe showed she wanted agency and control over her image right from the very beginning. it s not only her name that gets the hollywood treatment. every studio had a series of publicity men that we d called flacks, who were out promoting the star. they made up stories about them, they created opportunities to get their names in the papers. they were getting them publicized. and the flacks will create a rags to riches story of marilyn,
name. and she said, mr. lyon, could i use my grandmother s name? i said, what was that? she said, monroe. marilyn monroe. now, that s a perfect name for a movie star. there is something about mmmm, those double m sounds are melodious. mel lifluous. this is a moment that doesn t get very much attention in the story about marilyn, but i think it s incredibly revealing. i wanted my mother s maiden name because i felt that rightfully was my name and true things rarely get into circulation. the fact that she chose monroe shows that she wanted to have agency and control over her image right from the very beginning. it s not only her name that gets the hollywood treatment. every studio had a series of publicity men that we call flags
grandmother s name? i said what s that? she said monroe. marilyn monroe. now, that is a perfect name for a movie star. there is something about mm, the double m sounds. this is a moment that doesn t get very much attention in the story about marilyn but i think it s incredibly revealing. i wanted my mother s maiden name because i felt that was my name and two things you rarely get into circulation. the fact that she chose monroe shows that she wanted to have agency and control over her image right from the very begi beginning. it s not only her name that gets the hollywood treatment. every studio had a series of publicity men that we call flags
she said monroe. marilyn monroe. now, that is a perfect name for a movie star. there is something about mm, the double m sounds. it s melodious. this is a moment that doesn t get very much attention in the story about marilyn but i think it s incredibly revealing. i wanted my mother s maiden name because i felt that was my name and two things you rarely get into circulation. the fact that she chose monroe shows that she wanted to have agency and control over her image right from the very beginning. it s not only her name that gets the hollywood treatment. every studio had a series of publicity men that we call flags