It is almost a hundred years since Marilyn Monroe was born, yet her image very much endures. Even if you haven’t seen a film of hers, you know her image. Maybe it’s the image of her all dolled up in a pink dress for the Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend scene. Or perhaps you know the famous Andy Warhol picture, a picture that has been reprinted thousands of times. Whatever your introduction to Marilyn, she has certainly not been forgotten.
Marilyn: The Exhibition, held at The Arches in London, offered a chance to see the more personal side of the actress. There’d be less of her fabulous gowns and more of the sort of clothes she’d wear around the house. Seeing her items up close, you’d get the feeling as if you really knew her. She wasn’t just a faraway movie star; she was someone you could relate to. Sure, maybe we ourselves don’t regularly walk red carpets or star in films – but many of us can, say, relate to her loneliness, her heartbreak. For those feelings are universal, whatever your status.
I was very happy that the exhibition happened to coincide with my trip to London for a journalism programme. On my final day in the city, I headed over to the exhibition, eager to indulge in the escapism of Old Hollywood.
The exhibition started at the beginning, of course, her childhood in the twenties where she was just Norma Jeane. Her childhood was a sad one: her mother was in a psychiatric hospital, and she went between orphanages and foster families. We were given glimpses of this time: school photographs, drawings, even a graduation programme for her high school.
She found her happiness through the cinema, wishing she could be like her idol Jean Harlow.
“I’m going to be a great movie star someday,” she said.
Going a little later in time, we see her making steps to achieve this dream. She goes through a metamorphosis. Changing her name, dying her hair blonde, curling her hair and experimenting with make-up all to achieve the required look of movie star. We see objects from this period: hair nets, hair rollers and face care products.
Kiri, a mega fan who recently visited the exhibition, stated that she found these items particularly fascinating: “My favourite items in the whole exhibition were a collection of her hair rollers, which still contained two strands of her iconic blonde hair. As someone who does vintage hair myself, I found this such a special item to experience.”
There were all sorts of unique items on display. There was a self-help book, her sunglasses, an original movie contract. There were even the original scripts of “How to Marry a Millionaire” and “Some Like it Hot”. The love note from Arthur Miller was an interesting addition as well, despite the fact their relationship wasn’t always a fairy-tale. There was even a ticket to President Kennedy’s birthday, party, too, from the famous occasion Marilyn sang happy birthday to him. I also liked seeing the mundane items of her life, the sort of stuff we have in our own homes, such as kitchen utensils and a cookbook.
There were several items of her clothing: a brown sweater, a black cocktail dress, a pink stole and a silk blouse. I was especially pleased to see her black polo neck and white capri pants look. It was a look that was very simple, nothing overly fancy. Yet it was an outfit I had found myself recreating when I was younger.
Anne, another fan, expressed her joy at seeing such items. “She has personally chosen, purchased and loved these items. It felt unreal seeing the wear and tear on her shoes, knowing that it was her wearing and tearing these shoes. The normally annoying bobbles, we hate getting on our sweaters. Yet here it felt so special seeing them on her sweaters, knowing that it truly was an item that she has worn many times, creating those little bobbles herself. There was a blouse with a soup stain showing. As funny as it sounds but it felt so special seeing that staining, knowing that it was Marilyn staining the blouse.”
The exhibition made sure to emphasise that despite the “dumb blonde” persona, Marilyn was no simpleton. Indeed, her bookshelf was impressive, with books by the likes of Leo Tolstoy and James Joyce lining her shelves. They also made sure to mention how she had started up her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions.
Kiri mentioned how she enhanced her visit by taking part in the “white glove” experience. “You could hold two items that belonged to Marilyn personally; a black velvet belt she had worn and an award she had hung up in her home for ‘The Sweetest Girl in Motion Pictures’.”
Unfortunately, the sadness and feelings of abandonment so prevalent in her childhood were still there even when she was Marilyn Monroe. Despite her star status she couldn’t find long-lasting love, just one failed marriage after another. There was a quote on the wall that showed perfectly how she felt: “I knew I belonged to the public and to the world. Not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else.”
Really, at the core of it all, as Kiri put it: “She really seemed like someone who deep down just wanted to be loved.”
It may be great to have an image that endures throughout history, yet at what cost?
