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Marilyn Monroe Tragic Hero

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The Tragedy of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is a timeless figure, known for her sensual yet innocent charm. Her platinum blonde hair continues to be a popular trademark today, with other celebrities continuing to imitate her. She is the image of Hollywood and American perfectibility. However, she was not just a beauty queen who seemingly had the world wrapped around her finger. She was also a vulnerable woman, who severely struggled with mental illnesses, neuroticism, and high expectations. Marilyn Monroe is an epitome of a tragic hero, as she was the victim of a downfall caused by irreparable flaws. Monroe was born as Norma Jean Baker on June 1st, 1926. In her childhood, a critical stage in life, she lived without stable parental …show more content…

These titles may sound flattering to some, and maybe at times she enjoyed them. But her restrictive Hollywood image only seemed to add to her insecurity and troubles. The sexual glorification of Monroe stems from the constant exploitation that she has described from her earlier days in the business. While she both despised and played to this, “Marilyn Monroe would resent being typecast as a not-too-smart sex symbol and would fight a very hard but ultimately losing battle to get the public to believe that she was smarter (and less man-hungry) than the women she portrayed on the silver screen” ("Ten Things You Might Not Know About Marilyn Monroe.”). But why did a part of her also accept this? Why did she have this overwhelming need to satisfy the same people who held her down? She feared disappointing the public who put her on this pedestal and seeming imperfect. She was said to wash her face up to 15 times a day in fear of blemishes and sweat ("Marilyn's Beauty and Style."), and at the 1950s Academy Awards, she burst into tears. It seems that she failed to give herself the love and appreciation that she needed. As a result, she mistakenly turned to the camera for

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