Cultural immersion

While Marilyn Monroe is often remembered through the lens of the “dumb blonde” roles that Hollywood assigned her, film historian Clark Farmer argues that the reality was considerably more complex. Monroe emerged during an era when studios possessed “a vast machinery to manufacture personas for their actors”, yet performers still contributed to the process. Rather than passively accepting the image created for her, Monroe took an active role in shaping it. She collaborated with makeup artist Allan “Whitey” Snyder to develop the signature look she debuted in Niagara – the platinum hair, red lips and carefully crafted glamour that would become one of the most recognisable images in popular culture. While Hollywood helped create Marilyn Monroe, Farmer suggests Monroe played an important role in determining how that image would be presented to audiences.

Farmer also argues that Monroe’s relationship with the famous “dumb blonde” stereotype was more sophisticated than many people assumed. Although studios repeatedly cast her in such roles, she spent years attempting to be recognised as a serious performer. At the same time, he suggests she understood exactly how those characters worked. “Playing a ‘dumb blonde’ who secretly isn’t so dumb is actually very challenging,” Farmer notes. In films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot, he sees Monroe using irony, comic timing and intelligence to subtly undermine the assumptions audiences brought to her roles. More than six decades after her death, Farmer argues that Monroe’s true legacy lies not in the image itself, but in performances that “transcend just being an image”.

To honour her legacy, Los Angeles Tourism invites visitors to experience the city through Marilyn’s eyes, from her favourite restaurants to collections of fascinating memorabilia.