Monroe has been parodied and referenced, turned into a Halloween costume and slapped onto cardboard cut-outs. She has become a symbol of female sexuality, female madness, Old Hollywood glamour and the romanticized tragedy of movie stardom. Monroe has become a statue, an icon, someone who is engaged with in static images. Even if one has never seen a Monroe movie you know what she looks like, you know that she sang “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and had her skirt lifted up while standing over a subway grate. If you haven’t spent your life underneath a rock you will have seen images of Marilyn Monroe in these two scenes.

The blonde bursts into song proclaiming that “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Marilyn Monroe, the icon She wears matching opera gloves, a diamond necklace and diamond bracelets around each of her wrists. The blonde is clad in a tight, hot pink satin dress with a large bow in the back. All of the men rush toward her, offering boxes of chocolates and jewelry. Couples waltz until a beautiful blonde appears on the stage. Stairs raise from the center of the stage.

She laughs and giggles in delight.Ī stage lit with a fire engine red background. The young woman is standing over a subway grating and the wind created by passing trains is lifting up her dress. Suddenly, the young woman stops in her tracks, gasping in surprise. She is wearing a stark white halter sundress almost the same shade as her platinum blonde hair, and her lips are kissed by red lipstick. A young woman walks down a Manhattan street.

Gold opera gloves