During winter break my sister and I visited the Warhol museum. It was the last day that the Marilyn Monroe exhibit was on display at the museum, and we had wanted to go for months. I'm not a Marilyn Monroe expert, but from what I could tell from the photos, she had a lively personality. However, as the years progressed I noticed a subtle change. I remember that this photo was part of a collection taken toward the end of her life. Until I arrived at this particular collection I couldn't pinpoint what was changing in the photos. Suddenly, it hit me. It was her eyes. I felt that there was this oddly far away look in them, almost like she was sedated. I thought I was the only one who noticed, so I didn't say anything to my sister. I heard a few women talking about the look in her eyes a few moments later. Apparently, I'm not completely crazy.
Thinking about this picture rhetorically, when the photo was originally taken Marilyn was still a sex symbol and American icon whose drug usage was overlooked. The photo would just be one of many in a large collection of Marilyn Monroe photos. Looking back on her photos now, they can be grouped into time periods of her life. The photo shoots toward the end are certainly the most tragic. Before her death this photo would be just another example of her beauty, but now it embodies the tragedies that occur in Hollywood.
In today's context the feelings provoked by this picture are completely different than they were fifty years ago. Rather than making me want to be like Marilyn, this picture made me sad. It is tragic that so many Hollywood stars fall into using drugs.
