When it was written in 1925, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, by Anita Loos was heralded as a tremendous novel. It was seen as cutting edge and insightful, yet somewhat risqué in its portrayal of Lorelei Lee and her escapades. I can see how this may have been thought at that time, seeing as how women were looked at in such a different way then they are currently. The fact that a women with as little know-how as Lorelei can manipulate men the way that she does, leaves no question as to who is the superior
Films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Imitation of Life all possess strong performative elements that allow their viewers to evaluate the characters in the these films in somewhat unique ways. With these films, the term “performance” seems to be a relative. The primary female characters in both films perform both on and off the stage. The way these women perform off of the stage provides the viewer with an additional layer with which to understand them. This layer opens windows through which we
The majority of commercials for beauty supplies or a clothing line include a beautiful, thin young woman modeling the product. As a result, teenage girls start to believe that they have to be a toothpick to be beautiful or model like. However, this was not true in the 50s. The 50s hit sensation Marilyn Monroe was considered one of the most beautiful women in that time period, yet she did not try lose weight. Marilyn Monroe was definitely one of the most influential women of the 20th century because
Hawks’ Gentle Prefer Blondes, where Lorelei Lee, played by Marilyn Monroe, uses her sexuality as power over her fiancé. Another instance in which sexuality is seen as power is presented in Sam Mendes’ American Beauty, where Angela Hayes , played by Mena Suvari, unknowing uses her sexuality to alter the depressing life of her friend’s father in a mid-life crisis. The disadvantage of power is that the extreme use of it constitutes oppression. Consequently in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and American
places of high culture, and association of gay men with opera, ballet, couture, other fine arts, began with wealthy homosexual men using the straight themes of these mediums to send their own messages. For example, in the heterocentric film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a musical number features Jane Russell singing "Anyone Here for Love" in a gym while muscled men dance around her, many critics theorize that the men dancing around Russell hold more interest in each other than with Russell. It was only
They Live manages to indicate a disruption of the prevailing ideology in the form of resistance. Near the end of the film, Nada and Frank stumble along an underground chamber which houses a small concentration of elites and houses a network station where we learn is where the “signal” is transmitting. When they arrive at a hall in the vicinity, they survey the area like they are security guards. In this portion of the film, it is important to notice that we see the same black-and-white-camera establishing
Gommermann Honors English 10 23 April 2024 Marilyn Monroe: not just any dumb blonde Marilyn Monroe, often referred to as “the blonde bombshell” by Hollywood, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic blondes in all of American pop culture. Monroe is most widely known for her beauty, charm, and striking blonde hair; but she is so much more than your average “dumb blonde”. Before she was known as Marilyn Monroe, the all-American blonde movie star, she was the brunette, orphaned girl, Norma Jeane Baker. Growing
In the 1950’s, men adored her and women wanted to be her. Marilyn Monroe was the sex icon of her time and her legacy continually lives on today. It is hard to believe, but she was not always known as Marilyn Monroe. The name she was given at birth was Norma Jean Mortenson. Many people also do not know the story of Monroe’s youth, but she was not born into fame as some Hollywood stars are. Starting at a young age Monroe lived in foster homes and was transferred between them for most of her youth.
She was a sex symbol of the 1950s. Her image is one of the most widely recognized in the world. Marilyn Monroe was a famous model, actress, and singer. She gained stardom for playing the dumb blonde character in her movies. Marilyn grew to become more than a skirt flying over her knees and a mysterious death. Perhaps one of the most celebrated actresses of all time. Marilyn Monroe was born, Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. She was the third child of Gladys Baker
British Feminist Film theorist Laura Mulvey uses psychoanalysis to show the pre-existing “patterns of fascinations” (Mulvey) with the sexual differences in society that is portrayed through film. She says in her paper “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, that there is a structured film form that feeds a patriarchal order because of social patterns based on the fascinated subject-women. Drawing from Freud’s Three Essays on Sexuality, Mulvey states that cinema allows for a lot of pleasures, and
Hernandez, Stephanie Period 1 Who Killed Marilyn Monroe ? According to American National Biography, Marilyn Monroe was formerly known as Norma Jeane Mortenson. She was an American actress and model. Her mom, Gladys Pearl Baker was a flapper, and was unstable and was not ready for a child so she had financial problems with Marilyn Monroe. After Monroe's birth, Baker placed monroe with Ida and Albert Bolender. They raised their foster kids with a strict
Imagine that you became a well-known women sex symbol. Imagine you went into depression and did an overdose. Those are the things that happened to Marilyn Monroe in the late 1950’s. Monroe impacted many people in the 1960’s and the people she impacted wanted to change. To wrap up the idea, Marilyn Monroe helped change people's lives today. You can see how that happened throughout her early life, rise to fame, and her death and legacy. To start, Marilyn Monroe’s early life was filled with
Also, Marilyn was mostly famous for playing a funny dumb blonde in her movies.{wikipedia.org} Some movies she was famous for are “Some like it hot”,[1959] “Monkey Business”[1952], “How to Marry a Millionaire”[1953] and “Gentlemen prefer Blondes”[1953] .To begin, Marilyn Monroe won a golden globe for playing a role in “Some like it hot” [1959]. Marilyn Monroe won the Golden Globe Henrietta Award for
another foster home. In 1942, at the age of 16, Norma Jean married 21-year-old aircraft plant worker James Dougherty. The marriage only lasted four years, and they divorced in 1946. By this time Marilyn began to model swimsuits and bleached her hair blonde. Various shots made their way into the public eye, where some were eventually seen by RKO Pictures head Howard Hughes. He offered Marilyn a screen test, but an agent suggested that 20th Century-Fox would be the better choice for her, since it was
Angeles on June 1, 1926. Her mother was “emotionally unstable” and was sent to many different insane asylums when Monroe was a young girl. Monroe was known for her acting roles in films such as, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like it Hot, Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Bus Stop. The mystery behind Marilyn Monroe’s death can be summed up in two theories: Murder or Suicide. There are many theories on how Norma died. Most of her life she spent in foster homes, a total of 12. She was rapped at the age
White actors despite Dandridge, Belafonte, having musical backgrounds dubbed their singing voices. Hollywood movies of the era previously dubbed actors/actresses for commercial appeal as evident in films such as Singin in the Rain (1952) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Preminger and Hammerstein represented larger narratives of blacks finding their “voice” through racial prejudices and injustices within Hollywood and the world. Since Carmen’s incarnation in the mid nineteenth-century, over fifty
who frequently featured her in pinup magazines, showcasing her iconic hourglass figure in two-piece bathing suits. Her popularity soared to such heights that her image graced the covers of multiple pinup magazines simultaneously. With her platinum blonde curls and unmistakable glamour, Monroe’s embodied elegance, setting a new standard of beauty in the post-war era. Her modeling career not only catapulted her to fame but also established her as a timeless cultural icon, leaving an indelible mark on
Marilyn Monroe Norma Jean Baker was born on June 1st 1926. She said that she came from an unhappy and deprived childhood. Galdys was Norma's mother. She had two children with Jack Baker (Norma's father) while still very young. Her father died in a car accident soon after she was born and at the age of 26 Galdys remarried to Edward Mortenson. Edward didn't want children but Galdys did so she divorced him. Soon after that Galdys couldn't take care of Norma anymore so she gave her up for adoption
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” This quote made by Marilyn Monroe describes her impeccably. Marilyn lived a very fast-paced life that was anything, but dull. Still, today she is known as one of the biggest sex symbols of all time, but she had not always been in the spotlight. Marilyn had many struggles in her upbringing, but it made her into the icon she is. Marilyn was born as Norma Jeane Mortensen on June 1, 1926. She
Growing up without a mother and father involved in her life, Norma Jeane Mortensen blew past the stereotypes of others about her and became known throughout the whole world for things some would not want to be recognized by. Even though Mortensen had many obstacles that she had to overcome, she tussled through to reach ultimate success and fame. Norma worked continuously in many different movies and T.V. shows to see an outcome in her fame. Norma Jeane Mortensen experienced a crazy childhood and