Few figures in mid-20th-century America held sway over the population as Marilyn Monroe! On screen, in magazines, out in the world, no one made people stop and notice like she did. Bottom line is, there is no pop culture without Monroe, which is why she is being inducted to the Pop Culture Hall of Fame as a Legend for 2025.
What sometimes gets forgotten is… she was a talented actress with terrific comic timing. While at first glance she seemingly played the same bubbly blond vixen in every film, in truth, her characters knew they held power over their male counterparts. And she could deliver a comedic line with such conviction that the audience understood the balance of power as well.
Let’s not forget she also married arguably the most talented baseball player of his era, Joe DiMaggio. Talk about a power couple! He became the poster boy for punching way above his weight as the reasonably handsome man who somehow landed the most beautiful bombshell. Men all aspired to be him at that point.
She also exuded a sexy charm that simply had never been seen on screen in the 1950s. Her iconic subway vent scene in Seven Year Itch, or just about any singing number in Some Like it Hot, somehow never got flagged by censors at the time. But, boy, did she move the needle just a little bit towards a less oppressive entertainment culture with every move. Some Like it Hot is widely regarded as one of, if not the single best, Hollywood comedies of all time. Just having good looks doesn’t do the job in that role.
Despite the ditzy comedic charm, she could also portray the vulnerability and sadness of being underestimated and misunderstood. Sadly, those emotions reverberated through her personal life and contributed to her early death. The wonder of “what could have been” contributes to her enduring mythology.
She stretched those boundaries off-screen as well. Monroe was a sex symbol long before that term was invented or even allowed to be spoken in public. She was right there on the cover of the very first issue of Playboy in 1953.
Years after she died, Andy Warhol further immortalized her in a series of prints of celebrities that defined, well, pop art. Really, was there anyone already more identified with pop culture than Marilyn Monroe at the time? The decades since have only deepened the legend. Her iconic style has been unironically referenced by other pop icons such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian. Aside from Elvis Presley, did any
American entertainment icons become so instantly and eternally iconic?
Her enduring and expanding legacy is what makes her a star worthy of a star turn in the Pop Culture Hall of Fame for 2025.
