100 Years of Marilyn Monroe: The tragic icon's rise and struggle

As the world marks the 100th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's birth on June 1, 1926, her enduring legacy as a cultural icon is being re-examined. While her image, blonde hair, red lipstick, and the white dress from 'The Seven Year Itch', is instantly recognizable, her life was a profound struggle against adversity. Film producer Nunnally Johnson once described her as a "natural phenomenon, like the Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon," but behind the glamour lay a difficult journey.

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Marilyn is a natural phenomenon, like the Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. One can only stand by in awe.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson in Los Angeles, Monroe's early life was far from the glitz of Hollywood. Her mother, a film editor, was eventually institutionalized due to mental health problems, diagnosed later with schizophrenia. This led to Norma Jeane spending much of her childhood in a series of foster homes, experiencing frequent changes and instability. By the age of ten, she had already endured sexual abuse, which resulted in a stutter. She never knew her father.

At 16, she married her neighbor Jimmy Dougherty. While he served in the Merchant Marine, Monroe took a job in an armament factory. It was there that an Army photographer captured her image, leading to her appearance in Army magazines and subsequently, a modeling contract. Her agent encouraged her to bleach her naturally brown hair blonde to secure more work. Monroe harbored dreams of becoming an actress from a young age, captivated by the film industry regardless of the quality of the productions.

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Then they put me in a bathing suit and I was suddenly in demand.

Her marriage to Dougherty ended in 1946, the same year she signed with Twentieth Century Fox and adopted the name Marilyn Monroe. After taking on minor roles, her breakthrough came in 1953 with the thriller 'Niagara.' This success paved the way for leading roles in popular films such as 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'How to Marry a Millionaire.' In 1953, Monroe also unwillingly appeared on the first cover of Playboy, featuring nude photos taken years earlier, which publisher Hugh Hefner had acquired indirectly.

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Whether good or bad, it didn't matter.