For decades, Marilyn Monroe’s white dress fluttering above a subway grate, red lips and platinum-blonde hair have symbolized the height of Hollywood glamour. The famous scene from the film “The Seven Year Itch” (1955) is arguably one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. Few women of the 20th century attained the legendary status Monroe did while also being harshly criticized for their looks.
This was plainly evident on that September night in 1954, when the iconic subway grate sequence was shot in New York City. Hundreds of photographers and spectators observed as Monroe repeatedly positioned herself above the air shaft, her dress swirling upward as she attempted to avoid revealing too much, all while appearing to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Ironically, the entire scene had to be recreated later in a studio because of excessive background noise in the recordings.
Now, a century after her birth and more than six decades after her death, the world holds a fresh image of Marilyn Monroe. She is no longer perceived solely as a 1950s sex symbol, but is also regarded as an early champion of female autonomy in a male-dominated film industry—a woman who was contradictory, vulnerable, intelligent and frequently ahead of her time.
100 years of Marilyn Monroe
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From Norma Jeane to Marilyn Monroe
Norma Jeane Mortenson was born on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles. Her upbringing was characterized by foster homes, orphanages and instability. Early on, she realized that women in Hollywood were primarily evaluated based on their appearance.
After launching her career as a model, she was noticed by film studios. Norma Jeane changed her name to “Marilyn Monroe,” a moniker deliberately crafted to sound like it belonged to a fictional character.
Hollywood molded her into the role of the seductive blonde: sensual, playful, seemingly naive. Movies such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953), “The Seven Year Itch” and “Some Like It Hot” (1959) brought her worldwide fame.
Literature, politics, art
Behind the public persona was a woman who desired to be taken seriously as both an actress and an individual. While studios limited her to stereotypical parts, Monroe dedicated herself intensely to acting training and immersed herself in literature, taking a keen interest in politics, art and psychoanalysis.
In 1955, photographer Eve Arnold captured a moment that revealed this alternative side of Monroe: the star sitting on a playground, engrossed in James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” In Arnold’s photo book “The Retrospect,” she recalled that Monroe always kept the novel in her car and would read passages aloud because she enjoyed the sound of the language, even if she, like many others, found the book difficult.
To this day, people still assert that Monroe posed with the book only for the camera. Yet she repeatedly denied this claim, stating that people often preferred transforming her into a character rather than showing interest in who she truly was.
Defying entertainment industry
Today, many feminists view Monroe as a woman who challenged the workings of the entertainment industry long before others did. She fully understood how her body and mannerisms shaped the way she was marketed; at the same time, she employed this strategically to further her career. Monroe was not simply a victim of a sexist system, as she also attempted to use that system’s limitations to her benefit.
A major milestone came in late 1954, when she established her own production company, a highly unconventional move for an actress at that time. Monroe sought greater authority over her roles, improved contracts and more substantive material. She negotiated higher pay, openly contradicted producers and turned down roles she did not like. In an era when studios largely dictated the lives of their stars, this was a striking display of self-assurance.
Monroe nevertheless remained ensnared in the contradictions of her time. The public celebrated her femininity and sexual allure, yet these same attributes were later wielded against her. The media frequently described her as unstable, difficult or unprofessional—labels that today are still often applied to strong and outspoken women who defy expectations.
Her private life became a public spectacle. Her marriages to baseball star Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller were relentlessly scrutinized in the press, as were her psychological struggles and reliance on medication.
When Monroe died in 1962 at age 36, the mythmaking commenced. Although her death was officially recorded as a likely suicide from a sedative overdose, conspiracy theories continue to this day. Among the most persistent is the assertion that she was silenced due to her connections with the Kennedy family, though no evidence supports this claim.
#MeToo and a new view of Monroe
In recent years, perceptions of Monroe have shifted once more. The #MeToo movement and broader discussions about power abuse in Hollywood have helped reframe her narrative. Many people now recognize the degree to which she suffered under a studio system that both idealized and controlled women.
The 2022 biopic “Blonde,” starring Ana de Armas, also adopted this viewpoint. The film depicted Monroe primarily as a vulnerable, traumatized woman. While some critics saw it as an unflinching examination of Hollywood’s treatment of women, others argued that it once again reduced Monroe to pain and victimhood.
Monroe learned the price of female visibility at a young age. She was desired but seldom respected. Famous but barely protected. Intelligent and well-read yet reduced to a perpetual sex symbol.
But perhaps this is precisely her greatest feminist legacy: Even in the 1950s, Monroe revealed how complex female self-determination can be in a world that both admires and controls women. The fact that her image remains globally recognizable a hundred years after her birth demonstrates just how profoundly she shaped modern pop culture.
This article was translated from German.