Comparison Between Marilyn Monroe and Kate Upton

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Marilyn Monroe created a legendary image and was one of the most beautiful women of her time. Today, Kate Upton is almost the same size and some refer to her as “fat.” The ideal image fifty years ago was much more attainable than today’s standard extremely tall and thin models. What has changed in society to make us think this way? Modeling has changed drastically from an image that was curvy and healthy to an image that is very thin and hard to achieve.

It may come as a surprise to some people, but Marilyn Monroe did not start out how it would seem. In fact, Marilyn Monroe was not even her name. Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1st, 1926 as a brunette. Her mother was not married and suffered from mental issues and breakdowns. As a result, Norma lived in a number of foster homes until her moms’ best friend, Grace Mckee, took her in for a little while. Grace set her up to marry James Dougherty at the age of 16 to avoid another orphanage. James, a 21 year old air-craft plant worker, helped her escape her old life, however, she felt like the marriage meant nothing. “She felt as though she had been forced into a loveless marriage with no emotions” (Chuck). Although, she didn’t seem too distraught about this as her modeling career began. In 1945, a photographer took a stunning shot of her on the beach and within months she was a successful model securing dozens of magazine covers. Chuck Leddy states, “photographers loved her because getting good shots was such a breeze” (Leddy). She had that natural glow that made her stand out from all the rest of the models. By the end of 1946, her hair became platinum blonde and her name was changed to Marilyn Monroe. As a teen, she was very average looking, not very popular and too shy to ...

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... Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context.

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Leddy, Chuck. "Marilyn preferred books." The Writer Feb. 2011: 12. Student Resources

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Lefkowitz, Frances. Pop Culture Legends Marilyn Monroe. Chelsea House Publishers, 1995. Print.

"Marilyn Monroe." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale,

1998. Student Resources in Context. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.

"Marilyn Monroe." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale,

1998. Student Resources in Context. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

"Marilyn Monroe." International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Vol. 3. Gale, 2000.

Student Resources in Context. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

Ownings, Lisa. Marilyn Monroe Hollywood Icon. ABDO, 2012. Print.

Pearson, Stephan. “Fashion and Accessories of the 1950’s.” Thepeoplehistory. Copyscape. Web. 13.

Mar. 2014

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