Marilyn Monroe: Popular Culture Icon
The appeal of a perfect body type still exists in American culture. Media and celebrities have always been trend setters, especially during the 1950’s when movie and film stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn made a significant impact on women’s self-image. Monroe's body proportions, attitude, and sex appeal continue to set standards for women in the 21st century. The persistence of Marilyn Monroe exemplifies the importance of the perfect body figure in American Culture.
Monroe's daring persona, sexual appeal, and attitude made her the go to image for artists, musicians, designers and social influencers. From artists such as Lady Gaga and Madonna to Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani, Marilyn Monroe continues to be described as the embodiment of Hollywood glamor. Despite her influence in media 50 years’ postmortem, Monroe still continues to be praised for her curvaceous figure and naturally unobtainable body proportions. American media utilizes this pop culture icon as an image of beauty and empowerment to …show more content…
Devendra Singh found that waist-to-hip ratio was the most important factor in women’s attractiveness to men in eighteen cultures she studied (Akst, 302). Historic body images such as ‘“Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe represented two very different images of beauty to filmgoers in the 1950’s”’ (Akst, 302). Studies showed that the favored shape of a women involves waist/hip ratio of about 0.7 (Akst, 302). Both Hepburn and Monroe shared the same body image but possessed completely different personalities. Apparently having a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 made women more attractive and appealing to society. This consequently lead women to pursue extreme diets, plastic surgery, and even develop eating disorders to achieve American society’s ideal image of
The appeal of a perfect body type still exists in American culture. Media and celebrities have always been trend setters, especially during the 1950’s when movie and film stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn made a significant impact on women’s self-image. Monroe's body proportions, attitude, and sex appeal continue to set standards for women in the 21st century. The persistence of Marilyn Monroe exemplifies the importance of the perfect body figure in American Culture.
Monroe's daring persona, sexual appeal, and attitude made her the go to image for artists, musicians, designers and social influencers. From artists such as Lady Gaga and Madonna to Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani, Marilyn Monroe continues to be described as the embodiment of Hollywood glamor. Despite her influence in media 50 years’ postmortem, Monroe still continues to be praised for her curvaceous figure and naturally unobtainable body proportions. American media utilizes this pop culture icon as an image of beauty and empowerment to …show more content…
Devendra Singh found that waist-to-hip ratio was the most important factor in women’s attractiveness to men in eighteen cultures she studied (Akst, 302). Historic body images such as ‘“Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe represented two very different images of beauty to filmgoers in the 1950’s”’ (Akst, 302). Studies showed that the favored shape of a women involves waist/hip ratio of about 0.7 (Akst, 302). Both Hepburn and Monroe shared the same body image but possessed completely different personalities. Apparently having a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 made women more attractive and appealing to society. This consequently lead women to pursue extreme diets, plastic surgery, and even develop eating disorders to achieve American society’s ideal image of