Marilyn Monroe Research Paper

Influence of a Legend: Marilyn Monroe

Outline for Research Paper

Thesis: Marilyn Monroe 's status as a sex symbol and popular icon has greatly impacted many artists since her time, including Andy Warhol, Madonna, and even Britney Spears.

I. Introduction

a. Background

b. Thesis

II. Growth of Sex Symbol

a. Becoming Marilyn Monroe

b. Love Life

III. Movie Star

a. Achievements

1. Movies

2. Awards

IV. Impact

a. Andy Warhol

b. Madonna

c. Britney Spears

V. Conclusion

a. Her influence was positive and lasting

Over the years, there have been hundreds of celebrities and stars for people to envy, admire, and enjoy. However, the most lasting image we have of stardom is the image of Marilyn Monroe. "When you speak of the American way of
"She was addictive-so beautiful" (Mailer 192). Norma Jeane had been abused countless times in her years at a foster home, yet she still retained an air of innocence. It was only after she realized her influence on men, that she understood the power it gave her. One day, at the beach, she discovered that there was a different person inside of her who was struggling to get out. She said, "I was full of a strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jeane from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was someone whose name I didn 't know" (Monroe 25). However, it would be several years, and one marriage later, before Norma Jeane discovered who that other person was. Her first marriage was too her neighbor and ended in divorce in 1946, when he returned from military service. That same year, she signed a contract with Fox studios and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, taking the last name from her grandmother. After changing her name, Norma Jeane truly became a different person. No longer would she allow anyone, even her closest friends, to call her by her birth name. She started to walk taller, smile more frequently, and gave off an air of assurance and confidence that people could truly feel. In May of 1949, in desperate need for some cash, Marilyn posed nude for a calendar. However, she was not ashamed of the incident. It "was accepted by the public for what it was, a ghost out of poverty rather than sin risen to haunt me"
Nobody knows what possessed him to choose her as his subject. "Perhaps Warhol could identify with Marilyn 's desperate attempt to rid herself of the dumb-blonde stereotype and to be taken seriously as an artist" (Decker n pag.). At the time in his life when he made the brightly colored piece, Pop Art was being ridiculed as consumerism and a form of advertising. Warhol, like the rest of America, knew of Marilyn 's life and death. He "admired Marilyn 's glittering career and became fascinated and impressed with the amount of publicity her death generated" (Decker npag.). This could be the second main reason he created the image, which was originally from a scene out of the movie Niagara. Whatever his reason for creating this work of art, it has lasted as the most memorable image the world has of big screen sex goddess, Marilyn Monroe. In the 1980 's, a young woman known as Madonna began her climb to the top. Marilyn is "the ultimate role model for young women and girls who admire her glamour and image" (Klein n pag.). She gives them hope for the future. Like Marilyn, Madonna was from a poor background and started with nothing. It is obvious that "Madonna 's idol is Marilyn Monroe-in her early days Madonna dyed her hair blonde and had clothing similar to that of Marilyn" (Klein n pag.). She, like many young girls, viewed Marilyn as the height of sexiness. Madonna