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Marilyn Monroe as a Cultural Icon Essay Example

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Marilyn Monroe as a Cultural Icon Essay Example
Marilyn Monroe once said “"If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere." Marilyn did more than just bend a few rules in her lifetime, she revolutionized them. She not only changed society’s views of sexuality but she empowered the way that woman saw themselves. She overcame adversity and rose to fame as a cultural icon who will continue to influence generations to come. Although she is one of the most recognized figures in the world many people do not truly know the legacy she left behind.

As you will learn today she is more than just a sex symbol, she is a heroine that we can all look to as an inspiration. I have been fascinated with Marilyn Monroe for some time now, and throughout my research I have gained a true understanding of her life and the impact she has continued to bestow on the world. Today I will tell you about the obstacles that Marilyn Monroe overcame, explore her rise to fame, and explain the influence she has had on society and popular culture

Marilyn did not grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth, as one would expect of a Hollywood starlet. Her childhood was actually quite the opposite. Marilyn Monroe was born, Norma Jean Mortensen, to Gladys Baker and a father that she would never meet. According to “Marilyn’s Early Life” by pop-culture historian Susan Doll, Marilyn spent her early childhood as a victim of her mother’s emotional turmoil until 1935 when her mother suffered a nervous breakdown and Marilyn was separated from her and sent to the Hollygrove Orphan Home. She spent two years there, before being placed into the foster care system, where she recounts being physically and sexually abused.

In 1941 Marilyn met who she hoped would be her knight in shining armor when she began dating Jim Daugherty. According to Doll, she finally escaped foster care when the pair married in 1942, two weeks after her 16th birthday. The couple spent their newlywed year happy and blissfully in love. In 1943 Jim joined the Marines and was

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