What's your opinion of Marilyn Monroe?

Curious as to what everyone thinks of the iconic Marilyn Monroe? I once had a buddy who was obsessed with her and her likeness. He had pictures of her everywhere, seeing her as a goddess of sorts. My opinion is that she's very fascinating and part of that is because she's very hard to figure out.

I was 6 when she died and I expect I'm among the minority of members who have seen most of the movies she made as a "star". She was an emotionally damaged neurotic who never got the chance to do any acting in more than a couple of movies. I think she's only an icon because of the circumstances of her death. RIP.

Norma Jean was first and foremost an image. I was exposed to her first hit, the famous 1949 pic that a lot of men would see when it made Playboy Magazine in 1953 was also a calendar in my dad's workshop.


I grew up with this icon to beauty but apparently normal ppl don't do well with being thrust into the spotlight by handlers. So, just like so many ghetto kids who become iconic sports figures never really adjust, so do many models and actresses become tragic figures. (Or, are most ppl tragic figures and we only see the ones in the spotlight?)

Don't really have an opinion of her. From what little I know of her work, it seems like death was what made her an icon. She wasn't competing with Liz Taylor in the acting and "sought after" game.

Don't really have an opinion one way or the other. I agree with Jason & wonder if things would be different had she not died. Would anyone really care today? Sometimes I think her death made her as famous as anything she ever did on screen.

Shale, I think she was exposed more than you. Jason, I almost added "she was no Elizabeth Taylor when it came to acting."

Just a earlier better looking version of Monica Lewinsky.

Long before my time. Seems like she was all image and nothing else. I definitely think Elizabeth Taylor was in every way superior, looks included.

I agree that her death overshadowed anything she did in movies, but she really wasn't that bad of an actress. She was pretty, but I think Jayne Mansfield was prettier and a lot sexier than Marilyn.

I think Marilyn did nothing but screw her way to the top, and I also think that Jackie Kennedy's father had her "removed" because she was JFK's little side-dish, and that pissed him off.

Don't have an opinion of her.

She was very limited as an actress, but she had immense star quality and a screen presence that made audiences take notice to her. Having a strong presence and the ability to capture a crowd is just as important as technical range. Had she lived longer, and continued to work, I can believe that she would have become a better actress with time and nailed that "one" serious role that won the critics over.

i know non of y'all will believe this... but when i was younger, and with the platinum hair (and a lot thinner) i looked quite a bit like her. The filipinos at work could not pronounce "Kirsten" so they picked "Marilyn" as my name. I even came to work dressed as her for halloween.

I think she was a very sad person... that she kept trying to find love, but never really felt worthy of it for whatever reason. She screwed everybody.. sure.. but if she was easily manipulated, then was she shrewdly screwing her way to the top or was she used and abuse? I'm not really sure that i can tell from her pictures if she was good or not. Some like it hot was hysterical... but she seemed typecast in the 'cute but stupid' roles. so was she truly acting, or was she really like that in person? idk.