The Blonde Bombshell...
One of my biggest interests is Hollywood actresses from the silver era. I think of the time as very glamorous, full of the American dream, and the "good ol' days." That's what it means to me and how it inspires me. I'd like to live a lifestyle close to that, strive to be like many of the women from the time. One of the women I find not only gorgeous, but very misunderstood is Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe, the woman perceived to be a dumb blonde and only remembered for her looks, but she was much more than that. There was more to her and I know this, because I used to be one of the people who thought she was only a dumb blonde and I never thought she was pretty because I thought only girls who knew nothing about her thought she was pretty. Well, that much is still true. I don't think I've ever met a girl who says they "adore" Marilyn Monroe but has actually seen one of her movies. That's why I never wanted to like Marilyn Monroe. I thought only fakers liked her, but I became interested in who she was and her life and now I can easily say I love her for more than just her beauty.
Another one of my biggest interests is the stupidity that is feminism. I want to deconstruct every wrong thing about feminism that I see, because searching for something that isn't there aggravates me and that's exactly what feminists do. The thing is, there are people who think Marilyn Monroe is a feminist. That confused the heck out of me. So many of her quotes indicate she is anything but a feminist, yet people think she is one. Quotes go unseen and any historical woman, especially one whose fame is global like Marilyn Monroe's, is given this title of feminist, because of the empowerment they give woman. Sure, Marilyn Monroe can give women empowerment, but I guarantee you if she were alive today she wouldn't say it was in the name of feminism. I'm glad to say she'd totally be a #WomanAgainstFeminism based off of the quotes I'll be addressing.
Even Gloria Steinem, the super feminist, wrote a book about Marilyn Monroe, which I'm considering reading, but even without reading it, I know she had to have referenced feminism and its role in Marilyn's life. And recently, thanks to it being Marilyn's 90th birthday, people have been making articles about Marilyn Monroe: the feminist Well, sorry to burst your bubble everyone, but Marilyn wouldn't be a feminist!
MARILYN'S ANTIFEMINIST QUOTES:
Marilyn's quotes can be found here.
QUOTE #1: "Beauty and femininity are ageless and can't be contrived, and glamour, although the manufacturers won't like this, cannot be manufactured. Not real glamour; it's based on femininity."
On the surface, this seems really uplifting, right, beauty, femininity, and glamour can't be manufactured, but if you reread it you have to think about who she is. She's beautiful, really glamorous, and the absolute embodiment of femininity. She's the perfect woman and as her quote states, ageless. That isn't just any woman, not every woman is going to reach the level of beauty that not even just Marilyn Monroe, but other women from the silver screen like Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly had. Today's beauty standards are different from those of the past, but even so, there is that timeless beauty that these women possess. To say every woman has a timeless beauty in the looks factor is a lie. Everyone may have an aspect of them that makes them beautiful and as the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," but I don't think that's what Marilyn was trying to convey in this quote. She is saying beauty, femininity, and glamour--real glamour-- is something very few people truly have. When we apply this to our society today where everyone is beautiful, someone would say this isn't good for women, because we're all supposed to be thought of as beautiful regardless of the fact that everyone has different tastes. This is very antifeminist in the fact that it isn't something that would uplift women, but can be seen as bringing them down, because it doesn't make every woman feel pretty. Marilyn was pretty much keeping it real. Beauty and femininity are special and can't be contrived. In our society, we try to force it down everyone's throats that beauty is in everyone, but that's simply not true, when beauty is subjective and depends on personal taste. The same way Marilyn says glamour can't be manufactured. It's not something people just have because you say they have it. That would only take away it's significance.
Quote #2: "The working men, I'll go by and they'll whistle because they think, 'Oh, it's a girl. She's got blonde hair and she's not out of shape,' and then they say, 'Gosh, it's Marilyn Monroe!'"
Lol, this made me laugh a bit. Any crazy feminist now would be yelling and screaming about catcalling and whining about how Marilyn was perpetuating the objectification of women or some other bullshit excuse. Then when she started talking about blonde hair and not being out of shape I laughed even more, because feminists hate beauty standards as a whole. They don't care whose standards it might be, they fucking hate them. You have to remember it was a different time, though, and I think women were very different and actually thought of it as flattery. I wouldn't know how to react to that seeing as the only people who've ever come close to what would be considered "catcalling" at me would be girls. Aside from that though, Marilyn obviously has no problem with men telling her things, whistling at her, enjoying her beauty. Feminists might view this as what I said earlier, perpetuating objectification as well as submitting to "the patriarchy." Not every woman should hate what men do though. Some women are flattered by the gestures men make, and that's what Marilyn reminds us here.
Quote #3: "A strong man doesn't have to be dominant toward a woman. He doesn't match his strength against a woman weak with love for him. He matches it against the world."
Feminists were rejoicing at the first sentence just to be disappointed by Marilyn calling women weak with love for a man. These are actually very wise words for men. You're already dominant to your wife, so what need is it to prove it, when she is already submitting to you with her love. In order to show your true worth as a man, you must match your strength in the real world, where it counts. In a way, this quote even promotes traditional femininity and masculinity, as I mentioned before women are submitting to the man they love which is traditional of femininity. In regards to masculinity, this quote promotes showcasing male strength which would now be regarded as too toxic.
Quote #4: "A woman can bring a new love to each man she loves, providing there are not too many."
This is where morals come into play. Nowadays, people reject your standard tradition of love and there's nothing wrong with that, it's your choice, but if Marilyn Monroe who people consider to be some sort of whore or slut says that you shouldn't give love to every man and I think she meant this not only emotionally and mentally, but also physically, because sex is very special. It's not just something you have with anyone, but our culture these days can be mirrored to that of the 60's in a sense. Lots of free love and no judgment at all for having that love, but is it even special if you're doing it with everyone. You're no longer providing anyone with something new. This isn't a new connection you make with a person you want to share yourself to. It's just something you constantly do, because you think it's okay to go and have sex with loads of people. Again, not saying it's wrong, it's your own personal choice, but as Marilyn is presenting to us here, should you really be doing it with just anybody?
Quote #5: "What good am I? I can't cook. I can't have kids. I've been divorced three times. Who would want me?"
Now feminists, here is where even I would probably agree with what you have to say about this. This really showcases a lot of self-deprecation Marilyn had for herself, because she felt men valued those things and I'm sure men generally do even now. Men want to pass on there genes and the whole "make me a sandwich" thing although a joke, is generally true that men like having a woman cook for them. I'd say for different reasons than what a feminist would believe, but I'm not going to go into that. So dear feminists who think Marilyn herself is one, do you really think a feminist would preach this stuff? Although people don't know it, she was very misunderstood and had this connection with herself that was much deeper than people could ever think, so when she said things about herself, which were usually very depressing, you need to know that was exactly what she meant. This isn't joke or sarcasm, she actually means what she says. She is disappointed in herself here and I don't agree she should be disappointed, but how can you keep saying she's a feminist icon, when she clearly isn't.
Quote #6: "A man makes you feel important--makes you glad you are a woman."
Haha, this is absolutely great. All the feminists ripping their hair out now because of this, is she still your feminist icon? I'm so glad Marilyn says this, too. While feminism is trying to destroy these relationships where men are dominant and women are submissive, she is preaching the exact opposite. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with not wanting that type of relationship, but saying other people are wrong for wanting that type of relationship isn't right. She isn't saying only men can make you feel important, she's just saying they are one of many factors that make you feel important. Women and men are each others counterparts and the point Marilyn is making is that it's great to be a woman, because you can help out men, be there for them, love them. Personally, and please look at this from a heterosexual lens without being triggered, I wouldn't want to be a guy, and that's because I love guys so much. That's what I feel she is saying. She is saying it is great to be a woman, because you can't have the same interaction with a man that women have with men, if you were a man. That is how she feels important to a man, because she is able to do something for them and they can do something for her and the fact that they are having this mutual respect and interaction for each other won't just make her feel important, but also the man.
Quote #7: "I think one of the basic reasons men make good friends is that they can make up their minds quickly."
"MARILYN HOW DARE YOU PERPETUATE FEMALE STEREOTYPES YOU LITTLE MISOGYNIST," cried all the radical feminists. This was quite funny. Women do generally take longer to make up their mind. I mean if you're a girl, come on, be honest with yourself, how many times have you changed your mind multiple times in a matter of minutes or at the last second. It's funny. There's nothing wrong with it, but people do want decisions quickly and men are usually the type to already make up their mind the first time around. Again nothing wrong, it's what makes each gender unique. "BUT HOW DOES THAT MAKE MEN BETTER FRIENDS?!" asked the radical feminists. Don't you think people want some type of stability in their friendships? Women are catty with each other and if you know anything about her, women didn't like her very much. Women probably constantly changed their minds about her as a person, which might have influenced her at the time of this quote.
Quote #8: "Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeties, would give me a wide berth. And the ladies would gang up in a corner to discuss my dangerous character."
In both situations, Marilyn blames women. She blames them for the men's actions towards her and their own actions towards her. While feminism tries to create this fake feeling of friendship between women that simply isn't the case. Not because women can't be friends, but because not all women can be friends together. It's human nature. You have a big enough group of anybody and they will start talking about each other. Just watch game shows like Big Brother or Survivor. You will see examples of backstabber-y. It's not just women, but that's not to say the way women talk about women behind their back is the same as the way a man would talk about a woman behind her back. And the same applies for a woman talking about a man behind his back and a man talking about another man behind his back. It's all different and it all depends on you as a person and who that person is. So let's look at the quote again with that in mind. This is Marilyn fricking Monroe. An extremely sexy and desirable woman to many men. Because of these women's jealousy and lack of faith in their husbands or boyfriends they cause the men to be scared to even approach her for fear of being accused of infidelity, and that's still something we can see today. Feminists, you expect men who are your significant others to leave you alone when you are talking to other guys. If you expect guys to just stand aside while you could possibly be hitting on another dude, then you should probably stand aside when they go talk to a lady friend of theirs. I mean, that's equal, right? As for how the women themselves reacted in this situation, we can still see that today. Women gossiping about other women is still very much common and feminism acts like it wants all women to be buddy-buddy, but you know they go and do it themselves. The fact they talk about anyone who doesn't agree with them in general just goes to show their "be nice to everyone" mantra is bullshit. Marilyn exposes the thing many women do and there's nothing wrong with it. It doesn't perpetuate anything, if it's generally true. If Marilyn were alive now I guarantee she'd be calling all these feminists hypocrites, because they expect not to have generalizations placed on them, but then go ahead and generalize men themselves.
Quote #9: "What do I wear to bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course."
Feminists are raging about sexual objectification right now. Enough said. Sorry, she's hot. You're not.
Quote #10: "I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot."
How dare women owe something to a man, no less something they apparently wear for themselves and not men! Whoever invented high heels owes women a lot, not the other way around! You have internalized misogyny! Too much patriarchy in your system Monroe!!!! Haha. But seriously, it's not just high heels that women, but in particular feminists, take for granted. At least normal women who aren't uber sensitive take it for granted just because they never cared to think of it, unlike feminists who take it for granted because they hate some fake invisible force called the patriarchy. So feminists, your so-called patriarchy is horrible, well, I don't think it is. If you really think there's a patriarchy then you should probably be grateful since it provides you with a lot of the things you use in your life. So go ahead, smash the patriarchy and we'll gladly take away the iPhone you do your Twitter and Tumblr social justice rants on.
Quote #11: "Naturally, there are times when every woman likes to be flattered...to feel she is the most important thing in someone's world. Only a man can paint this picture."
As Marilyn said earlier, men make women feel important. She's not being misogynistic. She's not saying women can't feel important for other things, I mean she was a celebrity after all. She was important regardless, but you have to think about her life in full context. She had no one her whole life even with the fame and fortune. It wasn't what she found fulfillment in. She wanted to be truly appreciated, but that wasn't achieved, even now to this day where most people only see a pretty face and an iconic name. But for women to feel flattered, to feel important is when a man tells them they're stunning, they're amazing, they are the world's best woman. Little things like that. Sure someone else can tell you that, but imagine a man, a man you absolutely love. Would that not make all the difference? She's not saying just because he's a man he will make you feel important. That means anyone of the male gender would make you feel important simply based on their gender. No. She means someone who means something to you. And don't tell me, "Well, not every girl is in love with a guy." I KNOW THAT. But for the sake of context and the time period she was in, just look at it through her lens. Don't try to complicate things you triggered beings of the internet. Only a man can make you feel important, because they actually mean something to you in your life. That's what she's talking about. It's special. Another way she tries to show the special bond between a woman and a man is when she says women want to feel like "the most important thing in someone's world." You can say that it can be accomplished in any other type of relationship and sure that's true, but to love someone for the rest of your life and know that they think of you as the most important thing that happened to them, makes you feel important. So this isn't just the woman feeling important, but the man actually acknowledging the fact that this woman is so amazing. The way feminism today is though downplays the special bond between a woman and a man by preaching that women don't need men or are better off without them. There's nothing wrong with that either, but if Marilyn were alive now and happened to make that statement, the media would be giving her total backlash. These type of comments aren't appreciated now and it shows a true cultural shift plus a lack of appreciation for relationships.
Quote #12: "I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I am a woman in it."
This quote is fabulous just like Marilyn. Sorry, feminists, but if this patriarchy is real, be glad to be a woman in it. In the first world, I just don't understand it at all when girls say it's horrible being their gender. Maybe I'm too privileged to understand, but being a girl is the most perfect thing I could ever think of. If someone asked me if I could choose to be born a girl or a boy, I'd say a girl. We're just so cool and feminists don't seem to realize that. They turn us into oppressed victims who have little to look forward to. Well, that's not how women are. Women are more than that and with a narrative like feminism's we're only weakening ourselves by listening to it. You can't control what gender you were born as so why not embrace it! Love yourself! Don't victimize your whole gender! Empower them! Do what feminism was initially meant for! Do you think you live in a man's world? If so, remember how fucking awesome it is to be a woman and how important your role as a woman is in this world.
Quote #13: "The trouble with censors is that they worry if a girl has cleavage. They ought to worry if she hasn't any."
HAHAHAHA. WOOOOW!!!! That quote turned down south. You were probably thinking, well, this is a nice feminist quote sticking it to the media for demonizing women! And then you see the second sentence. No, feminists, she just called out all girls without any cleavage. She didn't say there was anything wrong with it, but based on your complex with objectification, you're going to say Marilyn perpetuates unhealthy body expectations.
Quote #14: "I remember when I was in high school I didn't have a new dress for each special occasion. The girls would bring the fact to my attention not always too delicately. The boys, however, never bothered with the subject. They were my friends, not because of the size of my wardrobe but because they liked me."
As I mentioned earlier, girls really didn't like her, so naturally Marilyn was more fond of boys. Girls will constantly judge you even when they're your friends. Boys on the other hand really aren't too critical. It's just a difference in how our brains work. Well, that's really not the point of what I'm trying to make, but essentially, feminism tries to preach that women must be friends, but at the same time calls out women who aren't feminists and is that not the cattiness observed in many females??? They also say it's wrong for women to say they like hanging out with guys more, because they are basically saying there is something wrong with women. Well, no, maybe that woman really has had shitty experiences with women. It's a personal opinion. It's not sexist or misogynistic, it's just an opinion and personal preference. Well, there you have it everyone, women didn't dislike Marilyn, Marilyn just had internalized misogyny.
Quote #15: "I have too many fantasies to be a housewife. I guess I am a fantasy."
There's nothing really antifeminist about this, but I bring it up, because there are a lot of feminists who think being a housewife is a bad thing. It's still very debatable within their community, but the fact there are some feminists who think a choice made by a woman is bad is sort of appalling. Great, you have the right to that thought, but doesn't it go against everything your movement stands for? I just wonder how Marilyn would react to knowing there were women out there fighting against this so-called "oppressing" female role.
Quote #16: "I've found men are less likely to let petty things annoy them."
Tsk, tsk, Marilyn! How dare you give your opinion, especially when it pertains to gender. I mean if you said this now a bunch of 3rd-wave feminists would whine about how you are perpetuating stereotypes about how they whine while expecting people not to think they aren't whining. After that, they'd proceed to yell buzzwords at you and possibly flee to the nearest safe-space.
Quote #17: "Girls shouldn't worry about being the equal of men in the business world."
Yup, this is extremely antifeminist, right here. Now, I don't necessarily agree with this, but I will try to best explain it from what I think her thought process is. Generally, men are more interested in the field of business, so there will probably always be more men in that type of field, but why should that matter? Take this for example. If there are 100 people in the field of business and 80 are men and 20 are women, feminists will blame it on inequality, but what if women really aren't trying out for that field and don't want to be a part of it. Is that still inequality? Shouldn't it be the person who is most qualified? Feminists seem to lack the understanding that equal opportunity doesn't mean the same thing as equal outcome. They want the solution to be 50/50, but that's not how it works. Rather than looking at the fact that these women achieved something, they look at the stats and whine about that without considering why women aren't trying out for this field in larger numbers. That's basically what I think Marilyn meant. She's not saying don't try to be a businesswoman, she is saying, stop trying to be equal because if you try to be equal it just sort of causes bitterness. You seem to lose sight of the fact that you achieved getting into the field and instead complain of the lack of women when there might be a logical explanation for it that isn't sexism. I mean you don't hear feminists complaining about there not being an equal amount of female and male nurses, right? Or an equal amount of female and male construction workers? So why do they complain about equal amounts in other jobs? Just something to think about.
Quote #18: "A man has a tendency to accept you the way you are, while most women immediately start to pick flaws and want to change you."
A recurring theme, right? I already went over this twice, but see, this would be considered sexist as well as a generalization. Marilyn simply sharing her experiences with each gender would be considered sexist now because it makes women look bad. This is all a matter of personal opinion though based on experience. There are a lot of women who say men want to change you to fit their version of perfection, you know the need for a trophy wife, but others will say women are very judgmental and make you want to change yourself. Then there are people who say, men don't care about how you look and others who say women are sensitive and caring so they will accept you as you are. These are all opinions influenced by experience. In my opinion, which I mentioned earlier, I basically agree with Marilyn. I think girls are more critical then boys are, but again that's still based off of my experiences, not some sexist frame of thought.
Quote #19: "A man is more frank and sincere with his emotions than a woman. We girls, I'm afraid, have a tendency to hide our feelings."
I just added this here, because of the fact that feminism says men aren't open with their feelings like women are. It's always nice to see people who think the opposite. =)
Quote #20: "Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition."
So if everything above didn't convince you she would be an antifeminist now, just take a look at this quote and let it sink in. As an antifeminist, of course, I agree. She's not wrong. Women will never be equal to men, not because we can't do what men do, but because women and men are different. If we were the same, don't you think our interactions with each other would be...dull??? Women and men can't be completely equal. It's impossible. Not just physically, but because we typically have different dynamics, different biological make-ups, different needs, different ambitions in life, etc. We aren't saying you aren't equal to men in other ways, but there's no way you can be equal to them in every way. In fact, it's not even just men, it's people in general. Everyone is valued differently by different people. I think I'm going to treat my friends better than someone I've just met. I'll interact differently with my friends than with this person. With that being said, I treat women differently than I do men. Everyone does. It's not because of sexism, it's because you have different interactions and feelings towards both genders. It might seem a little confusing, but look at it this way, you are equal, but not completely equal meaning there are things about everyone that are universally equal, but there are other things that cannot be treated equally such as the stuff I mentioned above as in how we work as humans, our interactions/feelings, etc. It's socio-psychological, mental, and emotional stuff that really won't be the same and that's ok. Just so this is stressed, let me reiterate, all of us being equal would be extremely boring. Think hard about it. For all of us to be equal, we'd basically be communists and do you really want to live in a communist world? Plus, equality kind of means lack of diversity in that sense. No one would be too different, because then people would notice causing divisions which would lead to segregation, thus, once again achieving nothing and leading to the inequality you don't want. Think about it. I know it's a little confusing to understand, it was even confusing for me to write down, but it makes sense if you really think about it.
Thanks for reading. I'd also like to mention that although I am presenting an argument for why Marilyn would be an antifeminist, she does have quotes that can show she is a feminist, so if any feminists are reading, why not take it upon yourselves and check those out. Restore your faith in her OR even make your own article explaining why Marilyn is your darling feminist icon. For me, she'll still be my glorious antifem icon, but to each their own. Long live the Blonde Bombshell, Marilyn Monroe! ❤❤❤
This is where morals come into play. Nowadays, people reject your standard tradition of love and there's nothing wrong with that, it's your choice, but if Marilyn Monroe who people consider to be some sort of whore or slut says that you shouldn't give love to every man and I think she meant this not only emotionally and mentally, but also physically, because sex is very special. It's not just something you have with anyone, but our culture these days can be mirrored to that of the 60's in a sense. Lots of free love and no judgment at all for having that love, but is it even special if you're doing it with everyone. You're no longer providing anyone with something new. This isn't a new connection you make with a person you want to share yourself to. It's just something you constantly do, because you think it's okay to go and have sex with loads of people. Again, not saying it's wrong, it's your own personal choice, but as Marilyn is presenting to us here, should you really be doing it with just anybody?
Quote #5: "What good am I? I can't cook. I can't have kids. I've been divorced three times. Who would want me?"
Now feminists, here is where even I would probably agree with what you have to say about this. This really showcases a lot of self-deprecation Marilyn had for herself, because she felt men valued those things and I'm sure men generally do even now. Men want to pass on there genes and the whole "make me a sandwich" thing although a joke, is generally true that men like having a woman cook for them. I'd say for different reasons than what a feminist would believe, but I'm not going to go into that. So dear feminists who think Marilyn herself is one, do you really think a feminist would preach this stuff? Although people don't know it, she was very misunderstood and had this connection with herself that was much deeper than people could ever think, so when she said things about herself, which were usually very depressing, you need to know that was exactly what she meant. This isn't joke or sarcasm, she actually means what she says. She is disappointed in herself here and I don't agree she should be disappointed, but how can you keep saying she's a feminist icon, when she clearly isn't.
Quote #6: "A man makes you feel important--makes you glad you are a woman."
Haha, this is absolutely great. All the feminists ripping their hair out now because of this, is she still your feminist icon? I'm so glad Marilyn says this, too. While feminism is trying to destroy these relationships where men are dominant and women are submissive, she is preaching the exact opposite. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with not wanting that type of relationship, but saying other people are wrong for wanting that type of relationship isn't right. She isn't saying only men can make you feel important, she's just saying they are one of many factors that make you feel important. Women and men are each others counterparts and the point Marilyn is making is that it's great to be a woman, because you can help out men, be there for them, love them. Personally, and please look at this from a heterosexual lens without being triggered, I wouldn't want to be a guy, and that's because I love guys so much. That's what I feel she is saying. She is saying it is great to be a woman, because you can't have the same interaction with a man that women have with men, if you were a man. That is how she feels important to a man, because she is able to do something for them and they can do something for her and the fact that they are having this mutual respect and interaction for each other won't just make her feel important, but also the man.
Quote #7: "I think one of the basic reasons men make good friends is that they can make up their minds quickly."
"MARILYN HOW DARE YOU PERPETUATE FEMALE STEREOTYPES YOU LITTLE MISOGYNIST," cried all the radical feminists. This was quite funny. Women do generally take longer to make up their mind. I mean if you're a girl, come on, be honest with yourself, how many times have you changed your mind multiple times in a matter of minutes or at the last second. It's funny. There's nothing wrong with it, but people do want decisions quickly and men are usually the type to already make up their mind the first time around. Again nothing wrong, it's what makes each gender unique. "BUT HOW DOES THAT MAKE MEN BETTER FRIENDS?!" asked the radical feminists. Don't you think people want some type of stability in their friendships? Women are catty with each other and if you know anything about her, women didn't like her very much. Women probably constantly changed their minds about her as a person, which might have influenced her at the time of this quote.
Quote #8: "Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeties, would give me a wide berth. And the ladies would gang up in a corner to discuss my dangerous character."
In both situations, Marilyn blames women. She blames them for the men's actions towards her and their own actions towards her. While feminism tries to create this fake feeling of friendship between women that simply isn't the case. Not because women can't be friends, but because not all women can be friends together. It's human nature. You have a big enough group of anybody and they will start talking about each other. Just watch game shows like Big Brother or Survivor. You will see examples of backstabber-y. It's not just women, but that's not to say the way women talk about women behind their back is the same as the way a man would talk about a woman behind her back. And the same applies for a woman talking about a man behind his back and a man talking about another man behind his back. It's all different and it all depends on you as a person and who that person is. So let's look at the quote again with that in mind. This is Marilyn fricking Monroe. An extremely sexy and desirable woman to many men. Because of these women's jealousy and lack of faith in their husbands or boyfriends they cause the men to be scared to even approach her for fear of being accused of infidelity, and that's still something we can see today. Feminists, you expect men who are your significant others to leave you alone when you are talking to other guys. If you expect guys to just stand aside while you could possibly be hitting on another dude, then you should probably stand aside when they go talk to a lady friend of theirs. I mean, that's equal, right? As for how the women themselves reacted in this situation, we can still see that today. Women gossiping about other women is still very much common and feminism acts like it wants all women to be buddy-buddy, but you know they go and do it themselves. The fact they talk about anyone who doesn't agree with them in general just goes to show their "be nice to everyone" mantra is bullshit. Marilyn exposes the thing many women do and there's nothing wrong with it. It doesn't perpetuate anything, if it's generally true. If Marilyn were alive now I guarantee she'd be calling all these feminists hypocrites, because they expect not to have generalizations placed on them, but then go ahead and generalize men themselves.
Quote #9: "What do I wear to bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course."
Feminists are raging about sexual objectification right now. Enough said. Sorry, she's hot. You're not.
Quote #10: "I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot."
How dare women owe something to a man, no less something they apparently wear for themselves and not men! Whoever invented high heels owes women a lot, not the other way around! You have internalized misogyny! Too much patriarchy in your system Monroe!!!! Haha. But seriously, it's not just high heels that women, but in particular feminists, take for granted. At least normal women who aren't uber sensitive take it for granted just because they never cared to think of it, unlike feminists who take it for granted because they hate some fake invisible force called the patriarchy. So feminists, your so-called patriarchy is horrible, well, I don't think it is. If you really think there's a patriarchy then you should probably be grateful since it provides you with a lot of the things you use in your life. So go ahead, smash the patriarchy and we'll gladly take away the iPhone you do your Twitter and Tumblr social justice rants on.
Quote #11: "Naturally, there are times when every woman likes to be flattered...to feel she is the most important thing in someone's world. Only a man can paint this picture."
As Marilyn said earlier, men make women feel important. She's not being misogynistic. She's not saying women can't feel important for other things, I mean she was a celebrity after all. She was important regardless, but you have to think about her life in full context. She had no one her whole life even with the fame and fortune. It wasn't what she found fulfillment in. She wanted to be truly appreciated, but that wasn't achieved, even now to this day where most people only see a pretty face and an iconic name. But for women to feel flattered, to feel important is when a man tells them they're stunning, they're amazing, they are the world's best woman. Little things like that. Sure someone else can tell you that, but imagine a man, a man you absolutely love. Would that not make all the difference? She's not saying just because he's a man he will make you feel important. That means anyone of the male gender would make you feel important simply based on their gender. No. She means someone who means something to you. And don't tell me, "Well, not every girl is in love with a guy." I KNOW THAT. But for the sake of context and the time period she was in, just look at it through her lens. Don't try to complicate things you triggered beings of the internet. Only a man can make you feel important, because they actually mean something to you in your life. That's what she's talking about. It's special. Another way she tries to show the special bond between a woman and a man is when she says women want to feel like "the most important thing in someone's world." You can say that it can be accomplished in any other type of relationship and sure that's true, but to love someone for the rest of your life and know that they think of you as the most important thing that happened to them, makes you feel important. So this isn't just the woman feeling important, but the man actually acknowledging the fact that this woman is so amazing. The way feminism today is though downplays the special bond between a woman and a man by preaching that women don't need men or are better off without them. There's nothing wrong with that either, but if Marilyn were alive now and happened to make that statement, the media would be giving her total backlash. These type of comments aren't appreciated now and it shows a true cultural shift plus a lack of appreciation for relationships.
Quote #12: "I don't mind living in a man's world as long as I am a woman in it."
This quote is fabulous just like Marilyn. Sorry, feminists, but if this patriarchy is real, be glad to be a woman in it. In the first world, I just don't understand it at all when girls say it's horrible being their gender. Maybe I'm too privileged to understand, but being a girl is the most perfect thing I could ever think of. If someone asked me if I could choose to be born a girl or a boy, I'd say a girl. We're just so cool and feminists don't seem to realize that. They turn us into oppressed victims who have little to look forward to. Well, that's not how women are. Women are more than that and with a narrative like feminism's we're only weakening ourselves by listening to it. You can't control what gender you were born as so why not embrace it! Love yourself! Don't victimize your whole gender! Empower them! Do what feminism was initially meant for! Do you think you live in a man's world? If so, remember how fucking awesome it is to be a woman and how important your role as a woman is in this world.
Quote #13: "The trouble with censors is that they worry if a girl has cleavage. They ought to worry if she hasn't any."
HAHAHAHA. WOOOOW!!!! That quote turned down south. You were probably thinking, well, this is a nice feminist quote sticking it to the media for demonizing women! And then you see the second sentence. No, feminists, she just called out all girls without any cleavage. She didn't say there was anything wrong with it, but based on your complex with objectification, you're going to say Marilyn perpetuates unhealthy body expectations.
Quote #14: "I remember when I was in high school I didn't have a new dress for each special occasion. The girls would bring the fact to my attention not always too delicately. The boys, however, never bothered with the subject. They were my friends, not because of the size of my wardrobe but because they liked me."
As I mentioned earlier, girls really didn't like her, so naturally Marilyn was more fond of boys. Girls will constantly judge you even when they're your friends. Boys on the other hand really aren't too critical. It's just a difference in how our brains work. Well, that's really not the point of what I'm trying to make, but essentially, feminism tries to preach that women must be friends, but at the same time calls out women who aren't feminists and is that not the cattiness observed in many females??? They also say it's wrong for women to say they like hanging out with guys more, because they are basically saying there is something wrong with women. Well, no, maybe that woman really has had shitty experiences with women. It's a personal opinion. It's not sexist or misogynistic, it's just an opinion and personal preference. Well, there you have it everyone, women didn't dislike Marilyn, Marilyn just had internalized misogyny.
Quote #15: "I have too many fantasies to be a housewife. I guess I am a fantasy."
There's nothing really antifeminist about this, but I bring it up, because there are a lot of feminists who think being a housewife is a bad thing. It's still very debatable within their community, but the fact there are some feminists who think a choice made by a woman is bad is sort of appalling. Great, you have the right to that thought, but doesn't it go against everything your movement stands for? I just wonder how Marilyn would react to knowing there were women out there fighting against this so-called "oppressing" female role.
Quote #16: "I've found men are less likely to let petty things annoy them."
Tsk, tsk, Marilyn! How dare you give your opinion, especially when it pertains to gender. I mean if you said this now a bunch of 3rd-wave feminists would whine about how you are perpetuating stereotypes about how they whine while expecting people not to think they aren't whining. After that, they'd proceed to yell buzzwords at you and possibly flee to the nearest safe-space.
Quote #17: "Girls shouldn't worry about being the equal of men in the business world."
Yup, this is extremely antifeminist, right here. Now, I don't necessarily agree with this, but I will try to best explain it from what I think her thought process is. Generally, men are more interested in the field of business, so there will probably always be more men in that type of field, but why should that matter? Take this for example. If there are 100 people in the field of business and 80 are men and 20 are women, feminists will blame it on inequality, but what if women really aren't trying out for that field and don't want to be a part of it. Is that still inequality? Shouldn't it be the person who is most qualified? Feminists seem to lack the understanding that equal opportunity doesn't mean the same thing as equal outcome. They want the solution to be 50/50, but that's not how it works. Rather than looking at the fact that these women achieved something, they look at the stats and whine about that without considering why women aren't trying out for this field in larger numbers. That's basically what I think Marilyn meant. She's not saying don't try to be a businesswoman, she is saying, stop trying to be equal because if you try to be equal it just sort of causes bitterness. You seem to lose sight of the fact that you achieved getting into the field and instead complain of the lack of women when there might be a logical explanation for it that isn't sexism. I mean you don't hear feminists complaining about there not being an equal amount of female and male nurses, right? Or an equal amount of female and male construction workers? So why do they complain about equal amounts in other jobs? Just something to think about.
Quote #18: "A man has a tendency to accept you the way you are, while most women immediately start to pick flaws and want to change you."
A recurring theme, right? I already went over this twice, but see, this would be considered sexist as well as a generalization. Marilyn simply sharing her experiences with each gender would be considered sexist now because it makes women look bad. This is all a matter of personal opinion though based on experience. There are a lot of women who say men want to change you to fit their version of perfection, you know the need for a trophy wife, but others will say women are very judgmental and make you want to change yourself. Then there are people who say, men don't care about how you look and others who say women are sensitive and caring so they will accept you as you are. These are all opinions influenced by experience. In my opinion, which I mentioned earlier, I basically agree with Marilyn. I think girls are more critical then boys are, but again that's still based off of my experiences, not some sexist frame of thought.
Quote #19: "A man is more frank and sincere with his emotions than a woman. We girls, I'm afraid, have a tendency to hide our feelings."
I just added this here, because of the fact that feminism says men aren't open with their feelings like women are. It's always nice to see people who think the opposite. =)
Quote #20: "Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition."
So if everything above didn't convince you she would be an antifeminist now, just take a look at this quote and let it sink in. As an antifeminist, of course, I agree. She's not wrong. Women will never be equal to men, not because we can't do what men do, but because women and men are different. If we were the same, don't you think our interactions with each other would be...dull??? Women and men can't be completely equal. It's impossible. Not just physically, but because we typically have different dynamics, different biological make-ups, different needs, different ambitions in life, etc. We aren't saying you aren't equal to men in other ways, but there's no way you can be equal to them in every way. In fact, it's not even just men, it's people in general. Everyone is valued differently by different people. I think I'm going to treat my friends better than someone I've just met. I'll interact differently with my friends than with this person. With that being said, I treat women differently than I do men. Everyone does. It's not because of sexism, it's because you have different interactions and feelings towards both genders. It might seem a little confusing, but look at it this way, you are equal, but not completely equal meaning there are things about everyone that are universally equal, but there are other things that cannot be treated equally such as the stuff I mentioned above as in how we work as humans, our interactions/feelings, etc. It's socio-psychological, mental, and emotional stuff that really won't be the same and that's ok. Just so this is stressed, let me reiterate, all of us being equal would be extremely boring. Think hard about it. For all of us to be equal, we'd basically be communists and do you really want to live in a communist world? Plus, equality kind of means lack of diversity in that sense. No one would be too different, because then people would notice causing divisions which would lead to segregation, thus, once again achieving nothing and leading to the inequality you don't want. Think about it. I know it's a little confusing to understand, it was even confusing for me to write down, but it makes sense if you really think about it.
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