Marilyn Monroe

            "I never quite understood it-this sex symbol- I always thought symbols were those things that you clashed together. That's the trouble- A sex symbol is just a thing. I hate being a thing. But if I"m going to be something, I "d rather have it be sex than some of the other things that they have symbols for". This famous quote by Marilyn Monroe displays her unique personality in all forms. Although Marilyn is often portrayed as a sex symbol, I want you to know a little about who she was and the life she lived. Beginning with her unhappy childhood, through her rise to fame, and finally to the tragic end, you will become a little more familiar with this Hollywood legend. .
             Marilyn Monroe's childhood was scarred by many emotional struggles. Norma Jean Baker was born to unwed parents in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926. Her mother Gladys gave her up to the Bolender family because she was unable to raise her on her own. After a while of strict religious living, Norma eventually went back yo live with her mother. When Norma was seven years old, her mother was placed in a mental hospital. Norma was sent from orphanage to orphanage and from foster home to foster home. Finally, Norma was sent to live with her old Aunt Ana. The most stable person in Norma's young life. Knowing she could not raise her for much longer, Aunt Ana arranged Norma to be married at age 16 to seaman James Daughtery, thinking that she would be better cared for as a young wife. After adjusting to her new wedded life, she went to work in an aircraft factory as a paint sprayer and parachute packer. Her unhappy and unfulfilled young life was probably the reason for Marilyn's attention-getting behavior in her adulthood. .
             Marilyn Monroe was originally publicized as a dumb blonde, then as a Hollywood sex symbol. She was later recognized as a sensitive and talented performer. In 1943, Norma's life changed when a photographer named David Conover came to the aircraft factory to take pictures of war workers.