Gentlemen do seem to prefer Blondes. The Marilyn Monroe movie “Blonde” creates a new rave about her classic bombshell style. And yet all that comes out of these biopics is the fetishization and exploitation of her iconic aesthetic and character. The new Netflix movie Blonde is just another iteration of that plot.
Based on the book “Blonde,” by Joyce Carol Oates, many of the depicted events in the movie are inaccurate. This includes the non-existent throuple storyline and how her relationship with the Kennedys was portrayed. The main storyline follows her romances, insinuating that her life revolved around the man she had at that moment. As if it weren’t enough to have this sexist arc at the forefront of the movie and exploit any of her tragic relationships, director Andrew Dominik made the executive choice to include sexual assault scenes that were deeply disturbing and mentally challenging to watch. Many people have shown interest in having those scenes removed from Hollywood together, and seeing such a beloved actress go through it fuels that resentment.
The storyline also comments heavily on Monroe receiving her roles due to her appearance. It fetishizes her looks, both as the minimalist Norma Jeane and the elegant Marilyn Monroe, and credits all her hard work on her being a “pretty face.” The movie’s exploitation of her looks shows how Monroe’s attitude was represented. People saw Monroe when looking at Norma Jeane, which helped to create Hollywood’s famous “male gaze.” The dumb blonde attitude that the movie adopts casts off any other dreams and thoughts Manroe might have had. It discredits just how hardworking she was, especially when it came to her movies and photoshoots. The director dehumanized her, showing her as just a body for the pleasure of many.
This iconic woman deserves her story to be fairly represented in the media as the intellectual, civil rights activist, and businesswoman that took Hollywood by storm. She deserves not to have her legacy used in a movie based on a book that exploits and dramatizes her traumas.
In response to the new adaptation, many want to create an independent movie based on an accurate representation of her life story. Until then, we should separate her actual life from Hollywood’s Monroe. No one should make another adaptation until they find a way to tell her story without tarnishing it.
Words by: Alexandra Salazar-Rodó.
Graphics by: Anca Dubalaru.