The other day, I saw a skinny Marilyn Monroe. The skinny Marilyn wasn’t a girl in a costume -- it was an advertisement for a museum, at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, documenting the history of the film industry. What irked me wasn’t that the mannequin was of Marilyn Monroe, but that the manufacturer made her a size two when, in actuality, she was a size 12. In fact, her curvy figure was what made her such a trailblazer on the silver screen. What irked me the most about her being modeled into a size two was that the museum this was advertising was supposed to document real history. That made it lose all credibility for me.
While the sizes were different back then, she was never this skinny -- she had bigger boobs, wider hips, and was considered to be an average type. When looking head on, this mannequin is not an average body type. However, this is the society we live in today.
Los Angeles is the shallowest city I’ve ever been in. Most of the people here care more about their looks and their reputations than making real friends or being happy. Most of the people here believe that what’s beautiful isn’t on the inside, but the outside. They believe your reputation defines you. It doesn’t matter what’s in your head; what matters is what’s in your wallet and what dress size you pick up at the store. It doesn’t count other body types as being beautiful.
The other body types are what the media counts on, though; those who they consider to be the insecure wannabes, the people who would do anything to be popular and beautiful. The media and marketing companies target our insecurities by glamorizing a certain type of lifestyle that is not always fulfilling or achievable for the average human being. Walking through Hollywood, I was disgusted not only by the skinny Marilyn Monroe, but even by the advertisements that hung in the metro station.
The above advertisements are for a shopping center. The clothes you wear are supposed to build confidence and the stores know that, which is why they’re trying knock your confidence down first so that you’d be more inclined to shop from them.
Also, the placement of these billboards -- there are two in the metro station -- because the metro station is such an inexpensive, yet effective, way to get around, the advertisers are counting on the fact that a lot of these people may not be the most attractive or wear the best clothes and, therefore, will be more willing to come in and shop.
But they love our insecurities and it’s a shame that we let the media dictate who we should be, especially when they’re in a position that doesn’t necessarily have to have power of us. It’s a shame that they know they have so much power over us, simply because we may not be comfortable in our own skin.
What’s the point though? How do we fix this? While we can’t change the media, we can change how we see ourselves. We can be proud of who we are and recognize the damage that media can do. We can remember that not everybody is going to look or sound like Taylor Swift or Kerry Washington. We all are different body types, skin tones, possess different talents and skills, and are different people.
Marilyn Monroe was, and still is, considered to be one of the most beautiful people in the world, and she was a size 12.
Don’t base your happiness on your looks. Don’t take direction from Hollywood.
