GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – Decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe remains a sex and beauty symbol. But, have the country’s attitudes about body image shifted since the icon’s time?
Monroe would have celebrated her 90th birthday on June 1, 2016. Born Norma Jean Mortenson, Monroe passed away at the age of 36 on Aug. 5, 1962.
“She is held up today as this iconic beauty and truly an ideal at least for her time, if not for all time,” said Heather Gallivan, Clinical Director at Melrose Center. The clinic specializes in eating disorders. Therapy can even include a mention of Monroe herself.
“It does come up when we are educating people about body acceptance and body image and kind of the history of that,” noted Gallivan.
Monroe was likely a size six or eight when compared with modern day standards. Gallivan said that was encouraging for so-called average women of Monroe’s time. “She looked like all of us. And like the average woman. So, I think it was really easy for people to connect with her.”
One glance at magazine covers today and women may find little to connect with. But, we could be in the middle of a “Monroe Renaissance.”
“We're seeing kind of a swing towards more healthy strong, fit image. There was the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model this year that was plus sized,” said Gallivan. “We're all more than what we look like on the outside.”