Marilyn Monroe & Audrey Hepburn

I know tons of girls who say all the time that they “love” Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. Whenever they say that I always wonder, “do they really love them or do they love the idea of them?” Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are the flawless icons of the 1950’s. Everyone wanted to be them then, and it is still true today. 

It is like a tradition. All girls must love Monroe and Hepburn. Ever since I was little there has always been posters of them or their quotes on, the old social network, myspace. Finally I motivated myself to do a little research. Now, I am fully educated. I have seen most of the movies and understand their lives. This is why I can successfully write a compare and contrast summary on their lives. 

Childhood

Both women did not have simple or easy lives. Fame and money was not given to either women on a sliver plater. Monroe was born June 1926 in Los Angles, CA. However then she was known by Norma Jene Mortenson. Monroe never knew her father and her mother was clinically psychotic and was unable to take care of Monroe. Her childhood was spent in foster care and orphanages. She married young so that she would be able to leave the system before the legal age. 

Hepburn also had a tough childhood. Born May 1929 in Belgium, she also was not given any special treatment. Her childhood was during the middle of World War II. During the war the Nazis invaded her town and Hepburn and her family struggled to survive. 

Roads to Success

If Monroe had aspirations they were certainly unclear during her childhood. After she married her husband, Jimmy Doughnerty, left to fight in the war. During her visit to him, Monroe was discovered. A photographer thought she was stunning, which starting her modeling career. 

The modeling career for Monroe changed her life. Monroe divorced her husband, changed her name to something more exciting, and dyed her hair blonde. She was a new person. Her first movie was “The Asphalt Jungle” in 1950. After that her acting career grew flourished, like Hepburn she just needed the door to be opened.

After the war, Hepburn took ballet so she could pursue her dream of being in the theater. Her stage debut was a musical in London in 1948. For Hepburn, this musical would be the door opener to numerous jobs. 

Hepburn grew in the theater industry all the way to New York City, where she starred in a Broadway Musical. The tabloids raved about her, “how she was headi’n straight to Hollywood.” They were right, in 1953 she starred in her first movie, “Roman Holiday.” Her performance won her an Academy Award for best actress.

Careers 

Monroe was different, she was not seen as a serious actress. Her blonde hair, short dress’, and hour glass figure won her numerous “dumb blonde” roles. Although she was not taken serious, the world loved her. During this time she married her second husband, the famous baseball star, Joe Dimaggio. This marriage lasted only nine months due to her being “inappropriate.” 

Monroe became sick of the “dumb blonde” films and finally resorted to acting lessons to try and be received as a more professional actress. While all the changes went on in her life, Monroe married again, this time to a screen writer names Arthur Miller in 1956. Rumor was she was cheating on him the full six years they were married with either JFK or his brother.

Hepburn continued with her acting career. She married her co worker, Mel Ferrer, in 1954. During this time her career was flourishing. She was nominated for four academy awards and the business offers continued. It was not until 1960 when she had her first child that her movie production slowed. 

The End

Monroe gave a huge attempt to be taken serious. “The Bus Stop” which was her one and only movie she was not acting like her persona, I personally believed was a huge success. However, the fact was, Monroe was only going to be successful by acting “like a dumb blonde.”

Monroe completed two more movies after “The Bus Stop.” In August of 1962 she took her own life. She died of a drug overdose. 

Hepburn continued with acting however her new goal was becoming a philanthropist. She dedicated her life to helping children in need. She traveled the world, helping children across the country. 

Hepburn died in 1993 due to Collin cancer. She did not live to see it, but that year Hepburn was going to receive an academy award for her humanization work. 

Their similarities? They both started from nothing and worked their way to the top. Both women struggled. Both women conquered their dreams. Both women grew to be icons. Marilyn Monroe will forever be known as a sex icon and Audrey Hepburn will forever be known as a style icon. 

Their differences? Well, there is the obvious one, Monroe took her own life while Hepburn did everything she could for herself as well as everyone around her until the day she died. I believe the reason they both went such opposite directions after their similar childhoods was their personalty differences. Monroe was willing to change herself to please others; she changed her name; she changed her look, she did this to be something she was not; she never seemed to please herself. Hepburn on the other hand, did everything to better herself; she dedicated herself to learning ballet to pursue theater; she stopped work to take care of her family; she became a philanthropist to better the world. 

Marilyn Monroe was a tragedy. Audrey Hepburn was a inspiration. They were so different at the end, yet started out the same. They will both always be icons. Their beauty and talents will forever be remembered.