Are Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn Overrated?

Seven Year Itch, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, and Some Like It Hot.

I don't think the word is "over-rated" because the people doing the shallow hero-worship you're describing aren't rating her on any scale other than how cool they find her to be. Her abilities as an actress don't necessarily have to enter into that. Some people are just struck by her presence and that's enough for them, and then there's the whole tragedy thing.

I think the more appropiate phrase to have better steered the conversation is "Do Film Geeks Need to Reclaim Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn from the Clutches of Hipsters?"

edited 30th Mar '13 5:34:08 PM by MistressofCeremonies

That has a whole other set of messy implications, especially when you use the word "reclaim".

And if you are in doubt as to whether a person is that sort of hipster, ask them to name a few silver screen actresses besides Marilyn and Audrey.

I was big into the actors and musicians of that era for a while, mostly due to being a bit of a WW 2 geek. However, it takes a certain appreciation for silver screen films to not find them dry, IMO—I didn't always think they were terribly exciting, except for B-movie scifi films, because those are always fun. Psycho and 36 Hours are the only two black-and-white movies (that aren't scifi) I've seen that've genuinely entertained me.

Also somewhat relevant to the discussion: Have you noticed that there appears to be a bit of animosity between Marilyn fans and Audrey fans? I've always liked both.

I don't see any reason for fans of Hepburn and Monroe to have bad feelings for each other.

I like, nay, love both actresses in their own way and for their own work and take on the role of women in film, which in Monroe's case was a helluva lot more complex than most folks think.

Liking them both sure is. Almost none of their fans have actually seen their movies or can even name them. At best, you have some young fashionistas who "love" Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey's iconic movie that has merchandise featured in tons of stores. None of them know or care about her breakout role of Roman Holiday that kind of defined her persona as the short-haired, classy gamine. I love Audrey but people overrate her without knowing her. Same for Monroe, but Audrey worked hard in her career, and while I used to think her acting ins ome movies was a bit overrated, I'm not pretty impressed that even if she is not Cate Blanchett, she had NO training whatsoever and was going by pure instinct and following her director. Plus, even if she was imperfect she tried not to show it and always put others first.

However, Marilyn was definitely overrated in every way, though. Most of her own fans don't understand that she was not really the confident feminist they like to think she is. I do not believe it was her looks that made her so famous (except for the blonde thing), but rather her "dirty" reputation, which would have been "shocking" back then. People now praise her acting, which was rather mediocre, like a Jennifer Aniston kind of level of acting to me, and got by playing Ms. Fanservice roles almost every time. But it was her scandals and nude photos that captivated people. Like now, it was her glamorization of promiscuity and doing what you want that appeals to our me-first, sex-saturated culture (particular with impressionable teenage girls who love having someone "classy" like that glamorize sleeping around or wearing revealing clothing for attention. I'm not hating on Marilyn for it- though it was wrong- I'm just pointing out that's how they see her).

Not to mention she is extra popular now because for whatever reason, fat women have nabbed her as their poster child, despite how skinny she was (the famous white swimsuit pic they always use as proof was when she was pregnant and possibly on medication as well).

BTW, I despise that "I'm impatient, insecure..." quote. I don't think she ever said it, and even if she did, it's always used by younger women to justify their bad behavior instead of acting mature. Marilyn glamorizes flaws, so it's okay!

Norman Mailer's book did a lot to make sure that Marilyn endured, similar to Princess Diana. During his sex guru phase, he made up much of her image and life (without having ever met her, mind you).

Audrey Hepburn is, I think, one of the few unique beauties of the Sixties. The others were mostly just... blondes in bathing suits. She personified class, just as Jolie personifies gun-toting third wave feminism and Zooey Deschanel personifies hipsters.

edited 9th Jul '13 5:08:44 PM by johnnyfog

Honestly, whenever I see someone "quoting" Marilyn Monroe, I just assume that a) Marilyn Monroe never actually said that, b) that that person is probably an entitled hipster, or is just entitled, and c) that that person doesn't actually know anything about Marilyn Monroe but wants people to think she's SODEEPMAN.

Congrats, you have no idea what a hipster is.

A hipster decries the celebration of anything popular. They are nonconformist by definition. Marilyn is the world's most famous sex symbol. If anything, a hipster would be adverse to quoting from anyone like Miss Monroe.

Which is not to say hipsters hate anything if it's popular.

That more describes kids in their twenties who are starting to grasp the mediocrity of our age, but justify it by dismissing all popular things as "overrated", too.

I'm not even going to get into this argument, it'd be pointless to even start. I know what I'm talking about, believe me.