2022

Senior Capstone 

8 December, 2021 

Bimbo University    

“If I'm going to be a senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn.” 

Elle’s boyfriend, Legally Blond, MGM, 2001 

“So you're breaking up with me because I'm too blonde?”  

Elle,  Legally Blond, MGM, 2001 

 Elle Woods in the 2001 movie Legally Blonde strove to challenge the stereotype of femininity and its relation to intelligence by attending Harvard law, while simultaneously embracing her bimbo aesthetic of blonde hair, pink outfits, and perfume scented resumes. The purpose of this Capstone is to investigate the evolution of the word and cultural construct of the so-called bimbo as it moves from its earliest, ridiculed and negative associations in the 50’s,  to its current role as an expression of contemporary empowered feminism.  Bimbo was historically used  in the past primarily to degrade women but is now reclaimed to embrace both self-choice  and femininity. However it wasn't until the 90’s when this trope began to be challenged and appropriated as an act of resistance. The evolution of the label bimbo from being an insult to an act of empowerment raises questions that this Capstone will consider: Why is being over-sexual, hyper-feminine, or overtly nonintellectual considered insulting? Why is there a need to prove intelligence?   

When it comes to reclaiming a derogatory word it's important to look at its etymology.  The term  bimbo is known as an attractive but dumb woman, but this term stemmed from other meanings and languages. The earliest use of bimbo appears in the 20th century, in the Italian dictionary where it meant baby, or bambino. An article by Word Origins states that a search of 20th century newspapers “turns up uses as the names of various animals: several pet dogs, a racehorse named Lady Bimbo, and a monkey.” According to this source, bimbo was used to describe animals, and also transitioned its way into the media, one example being its use to describe a male gypsy in the stories The Day Book published in Chicago newspaper. Another example is shown in the Washington Herald in 1914, where the news reporter uses bimbo to describe a “thug” or tough guy, saying “A feud between Jacob Bimbo and Jacob Inski, sugar dealers, was settled today by Judge Dingbats in an unusual way. Bimbo was hauled into court to answer a charge of assault and battery on the complaint of Inski.” When looking at media produced in the 1910 to 1920, we see the label bimbo used to describe characters who are deemed to be  insignificant, worthless, and to refer to animals, or a foolish person. This term’s origin was clearly derogatory from the onset. It's also important to note that with these connotations, there is a connection towards race, class, and ethnicity. For example, in an article by Washington Times in 1922, the author writes, “With Europe all mussed up, it’s going to be a cinch for bimbos from abroad to spill smooth social etiquette and hypnotize unsuspecting romantic damsels into matrimony. Better to gaze with favor upon some bashful American who may not be so oo-la-la when it comes to flash affection, but is a straight shooter and an honest breadwinner.” Here the word bimbo was used to describe a man who pretended to be a rich prince to seduce women. And the tone was classist and xenophobic towards Americans.  

In the evolution of the concept, bimbo was used for women and men, but we gradually see the word more often ascribed to just women,  as in the song, “My Little Bimbo Down on the Bamboo Isle,” from the 1920 Broadway revue Silks and Satins. “I’ve got a bimbo down on the Bamboo Isle, She’s waiting there for me Beneath a bamboo tree, Believe me she’s got the other bimbos beat a mile.” The lyrics carry a similar tone of xenophobia and racism, but now tied in with a seductive woman who is dark-skinned and foreign. The undertones bimbo carries within all of its varied uses are all derogatory. 

As American television boomed in the 1930s-1950s, so did cultural stereotypes. These cliches of characters on television skew the way viewers categorize and understand the general public. In an article by Darren Mak titled “How Television is Reshaping Culture in America,” Mak states that “Television influences many individuals by race, gender and class. It reshaped many cultures by stereotypes.” Television assists in social constructionism and stereotypes. It influences the viewer into thinking what is shown on television is desirable. An example of this is Marilyn Monroe’s career. The characters she often played in film were the dumb blonde female role. Although these were characters, their stereotype integrated into American society, influencing a connotation towards sexual, blonde, or unintelligent women. Unfortunately, the characters she played also created a stereotype within herself. In an article by National Post, they wrote “Marilyn Monroe is remembered as an icon, a sex object, a star. But she wanted to be remembered as an actress, and it was that legacy that she labored to secure”. Society viewed Marilyn Monroe, a figure she often referred to in third person, to be under the category of a bimbo, despite the talent she worked hard for. 

Stereotypes influenced by television also brought the Marilyn Monroe counterpart, Audrey Hepburn. Audrey represented a woman who is elegant, intellectual, and sophisticated.  The type of woman who didn't care about cosmetic beauty. An article by Cammila Collar for Medium describes the two as “they fulfill the roles we desire them to play not as people, but as archetypes... a distinctly American phenomenon…of Madonna/Whore dichotomies.” This left the available roles of American women with two identities, also described as the Madonna/Whore complex. The Madonna/Whore complex enforced stereotypes and standards for women, and further implemented the derogatory connotation towards bimbo by generalizing identities as “good” and pure, or “bad” and promiscuous.  These beliefs were challenged by the Feminist Movement, as shown in the media throughout the 1960’s-1980’s.  

The Women's Liberation Movement in the 60s’-80’s began to open the questions of gender equality into America’s societal views. With “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” being a significant ideal in the 70’s, this excluded women, people of color, and the queer community. Women's liberation also brought attention to sexual liberation by normalizing the stigma that women enjoy sex as much as men without being promiscuous. Hanna Rosin writing for The Wallstreet Journal stated  in her article Sexual Freedom and Women’s Success that “In the 1970s the sexual revolution was really mostly about sex, but now the sexual revolution has deepened into a more permanent kind of power for women.” The Sexual Revolution for women challenged male dominant topics like sexual liberation, politics, and economics.  

Even with the political shift for women in the US, the stigma between feminine exterior and intelligence were still negative in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In 2006 The New York Post published a front page photo of three celebrities Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton titled Bimbo Summit and referring to them as the three bimbos of the apocalypse.  The article continued to question the morals of the women and perpetuated their party behavior as “no clues, no cares,” while questioning their motives as mothers and spouses. American media became obsessed with broadcasting the lives of female celebrities in a bad light, and disregarding male celebrities who engaged in the same sorts of behaviors. This further validated the Madonna/Whore complex belief, that there are only either pure/good or bad/negative identities possible for women. And although mainstream media painted the bimbo identity as degrading, what made women in the 90’s different was the way they embraced the identity. There was no longer a desire to conform to an ideal figure. 

 In fact celebrities like Paris Hilton were fully aware of her reputation and used it to fuel her fame, and in the end make money and a career.  For example, Paris Hilton and her friend Nicole Richie starred in a reality television show called The Simple Life. They used their bimbo character to place themselves on a farm in the middle of nowhere. This was entertaining to the public because it made a “fool” out of Paris and Nicole, but in reality they embraced their bimbo caricature to create a hit television show. In 2020, Hilton revealed in her YouTube documentary This is Paris that "everything I've done before was me playing a character. People assume I am the blonde airhead that I played on the show, but I like proving people wrong.” Paris, along with many other women shifted the identity of a blonde dumb bimbo, into an identity to embrace, while also being self-aware of their choices and power. There was no need to conform to what society glorified because they simply didn't care what society wanted. We see self-aware bimbos in pop culture as well. Movies like Legally Blonde, House Bunny, Clueless, and Jennifer’s Body, all star beautiful young women who hold intelligence in other ways, and challenge the stereotype of what it means to be feminine.  

Trends in the media quickly shifted when a new wave of feminism approached, the Girlboss. This new type of feminist identity strove to empower the accomplishments of women in male dominated spaces, like politics, business, and economics.  The Girlboss phenomenon claimed the idea that if a man can be involved with capitalism and a self-made identity, so can women. Although this was promoted to be empowering, it was counterproductive to what is defined as feminism; in other words, the Girlboss were celebrated because they were more like men, but under the title “Girlboss”. This gendered the space, further separating women and men instead of deconstructing the patriarchal system that was first implemented. The other fact of particular significance in the context of this Capstone is that Girl Bosses rejected everything the bimbo was. More ambitious, book smart, and sexy, but not slutty. The deeper root of Girlboss feminism was the idea that to become equal with men, women had to evolve to the standards of a stereotypical man. If men are strong, intelligent, and self-made, then women could be as well.  But this was not a two way standard. Because when men hold stereotypes of a woman, it is looked down upon. Society expectations hold negatively towards femininity, and with Girlboss, it turned women against femininity as well. Alex Abad-Santos for Vox described Girlboss as “one of the cruelest tricks capitalism ever perpetrated,” because capitalism grew in audience, instead of dismantlement. This denying of femininity solely to distance the self from women is misogyny. Where internal sexism exists, the capitalist agenda grew.  

As trends regenerate every ten years, lifestyles of the early 2000’s are being revived, with the main demographic being Generation Z. Images of Paris Hilton and Britany Spears that were once disfavored, are now being idolized and emulated. Sleazy fashion from this era, also known as y2k (year two thousand), are trending, along with the lifestyle. This is where we see the new age bimbo feminism born. There is no need for the Girlboss because Gen Z feminism is growing to reject capitalism as a whole, even if women are equal. Anti-capitalistic beliefs grew a great deal during the pandemic as well. After seeing how the world reacted with the growing economic crisis, capitalistic ideas along with the meaning of human life entirely was reconsidered. Bimbos surged onto social media questioning- why do we need to look intelligent? Do we need to prove intelligence to be accepted into society? Is human knowledge favored by society solely to set us up for work/ capitalism?  

In recent years bimbo became an identity embraced on social media, and with this brought a new definition to what it means to be a bimbo. Rolling Stone’s article The Bimbo is Back. Like for Real! describes that “the bimbo hasn't changed much since the naissance of the term in the early 20th century, when it was used to describe both men and women with diminished intellectual capacities”. We see a positive change in bimbofication because it includes all genders, sexualities, and ethnicities. When a form of feminism begins to benefit the female counterpart, it allows room to tackle gender oppression from both parties. In fact, the capacity to “own” and step into the behaviors associated with hyper-femininity create opportunities for self-empowerment for men who wish to explore femininity. Whereas both genders have traditionally been taught to feel shame around any and all overt expressions of open and free sexuality, these non-normative roles are slowly being accepted with the help of the discussions and experiences related to hyper feminism. The feminine connotation shifts when it's gender neutral.  

Griffin Maxwell Brooks, a self-acclaimed bimbo on TikTok, defines bimbofication as “a state of mind and embracing” and “if [bimbofication] was initially about catering to the male gaze, we’re taking that back”. Brooks, along with their bimbo friend Chrissy Chlapecka are known on social media as the unofficial leaders of the bimbo aesthetic, and use their platform to spread the new definition of bimbofication. Chrissy famously refers to her followers as “girls, gays, and theys,” and when asked about bimbofication, she responded “A lot of new bimbos are LGBT—like me...It not only encourages femme people to embrace their aesthetic and their femininity, but it also encourages members of the LGBT community to fully embrace themselves.” Recent bimbofication serves as a form of allyship towards the LGBTQ+ community, further broadening feminist inclusivity. Brooks and Chlapecka continue to prove that being a self-acclaimed bimbo is one of the most powerful and inclusive forms of feminism.  

The concept of bimbofication contrasted to what we saw with Girlboss, where women felt empowered by becoming the male disposition. Syrena, also known as @fauxrich on TikTok responds to the idea of a Girlboss as “Men and misogyny have taken that feminism and spun it into this cool-girl, ‘I’m-not-like-other-girls” stereotype to now please men. No matter what we do, no matter what our feminism is, every single thing is often spun to please men”. The new definition of bimbo is a type of feminism that embraces being true to oneself while simultaneously not pinning other women against each other.  Syrena goes on explaining that bimbofication is “not a protest against intelligence, it’s kind of a protest against academia and how elitist and classist it is”. Syrena, along with other users of social media, question the need for academic intelligence. And questions if this construct is set for society to aspire, to further benefit the capitalist agenda.  

Bimbo beliefs root deeper than aesthetic, and there is a direct correlation with the state of our economic climate, student debt, unemployment, and the 2020 pandemic. It's beyond looks. There is a focus on the state of mind that living towards one's true self is a valuable priority. Bimbofication embraces femininity, while also rejecting the capitalistic idea that people need to showcase “marketable” skills based on intellectual accomplishments, “appropriate restraint” and the like. Questioning why the personality we express must somehow revolve around college degrees and intelligence, hyper-femininity challenges the roots of capitalism and its close ally patriarch. No longer is there an obligation to feed into what society wants, because it's proved in the past that it only benefits capitalism and the patriarchy.  Rejecting societal needs to further improve the self is a form of spiritual enlightenment. The exterior of the bimbo aesthetic may superficially appeal to the male gaze, but when this position becomes self-aware, it becomes everything the patriarch fears. Self aware, politically conscious, and sexually empowered ideology veiled within the self-selected caricature of hyper-femininity turns the male gaze back onto itself.  

Many artistic influences within my own work aren't artists at all. I find influences that exist on the internet and media.  My role as an artist is to create art that represents the contemporary that I experience. Internet users I mentioned like Chrissy Chlapecka and Griffin Brooks are influences I engage with because they represent a collective thought in the contemporary. Their beliefs and knowledge popularized in 2020 because it synchronized with the political climate brought by the pandemic. Quarantine influenced people to engage with a platform like TikTok that connected people virtually during a time of lockdown. And users like Chlapecka and Brooks ask questions on topics the collective is also thinking about. I find research by looking at internet user’s thoughts presented on social media, comments, and forums. With the goal of my art representing the contemporary, I observe what factors of the present day may not exist years from now. Ideas like the pandemic, social media, memes, language, and trends are all factors that I emphasize to express, because it’s always stemmed politically.  

The artwork I pursue professionally is different from my studio work. During the beginning of the pandemic my artwork shifts towards graphic design and product design, turning into a brand I share with my cousin called ShopRatz. During my education at art school I questioned more about my desires within the art world and I concluded that fine art gallery work wasn't for me. But instead I wanted to share my work in a digestible and accessible way to the public in the form of fashion and accessories. ShopRatz holds the aesthetic of hyper-femininity, sexual innuendo, and early 2000’s expression, with one of our popular designs titled “Bimbo University”. My goal with designs like “Bimbo University'' is for the public to express a feeling of empowerment with hyper-femininity and sexuality, while also promoting inclusivity to those who express the hyperfeminine aesthetic. The other half of ShopRatz is my cousin, and being a business major she engages with female, queer, and poc influencers like Chrissy Chlapecka and Syrena to promote our brand and bring our shop into an online space. Instead of a fine art gallery, I moved this side of my work to social media, fashion and often public spaces like slap stickers, where art can be consumed by the general population. 

Works Cited 

 Abad-Santos, Alex. “The Death of the Girlboss.” Vox, Vox, 7 June 2021, https://www.vox.com/22466574/gaslight-gatekeep-girlboss-meaning. 

“Bimbo.” Oxford Reference, Oxford University Press, https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095506198. 

Callahan, Maureen. “3 BIMBOS of the Apocalypse – No Clue, No Cares, No Underwear: Meet the Party Posse of the Year.” New York Post, New York Post, 29 Nov. 2006, https://nypost.com/2006/11/29/3-bimbos-of-the-apocalypse-no-clue-no-cares-no-underwear-meet-the-party-posse-of-the-year/. 

Collar, Cammila. “Stop. Worshiping. Audrey Hepburn.” Medium, Outtake, 30 June 2017, https://medium.com/outtake/stop-worshiping-audrey-hepburn-3d4f0506f06. 

Cortés, Michelle Santiago. “No Thoughts. Head Empty. Just Vibes: The Rise of the   New Age Bimbo.” New Age Bimbos and Bimbofication TikTok Trend, https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/12/10204376/tiktok-bimbo-gen-z-trend. 

Dean, Alexandra, director. This Is Paris. The Real Story of Paris Hilton | This Is Paris Official Documentary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOg0TY1jG3w. 

Dickson, EJ. “The Bimbo Is Back. like, for Real!” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2021, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/bimbo-reclaim-tiktok-gen-z-1092253/. 

Furdyk, Brent. “The Untold Truth of the Simple Life.” TheList.com, The List, 5 Oct. 2020, https://www.thelist.com/256528/the-untold-truth-of-the-simple-life/. 

Luketic, R. (2001). Legally Blonde. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM).

Mak, Darren Mak. “How Television Is Reshaping Culture in America.” ArcGIS StoryMaps, Esri, 23 Jan. 2020, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/246602975b094d869638be3c936a7270. 

Melissa. “The Origin of the Word Bimbo.” Today I Found Out, 3 Mar. 2015, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/03/origin-word-bimbo/. 

Rosin, Hanna. “Sexual Freedom and Women's Success.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 23 Mar. 2012, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304724404577299391480959420. 

Telegraph, The. “Hollywood Moguls Dismissed Marilyn Monroe as a Blonde Bimbo. Here's How She Took Revenge.” Nationalpost, National Post, 5 June 2015, https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/celebrity/marilyn-monroe-not-just-a-blonde-bimbo. 

Wilton, David. “Bimbo.” Wordorigins.org, Wordorigins.org, 8 June 2020, https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/bimbo-1. 

Annotated Bibliography

Callahan, Maureen. “3 BIMBOS of the Apocalypse – No Clue, No Cares, No Underwear: Meet the Party Posse of the Year.” New York Post, New York Post, 29 Nov. 2006, https://nypost.com/2006/11/29/3-bimbos-of-the-apocalypse-no-clue-no-cares-no-underwear-meet-the-party-posse-of-the-year/. 

Maureen published this article to the New York Times in 2006 when an image of Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, and Lindsay Lohan was spotted hanging out by paparazzi. Because of their outing and their reputation for partying, the article begins to question where their responsibilities lay. Asking questions about where Spear’s baby is, and if she cares about her baby. Also insinuating Spears and Lohans split from their ex partners during that time. The tone of this article is offensive and degrading for the girls, preaching about their bad behavior and using bimbo as a derogatory term. Another point made was shaming Spears for accidentally flashing the paparazzi while stepping out of a vehicle. There was mention about Spears' recent breakup, and applauding her for getting her life back on track by “looking bathed regularly” and working on an album. But this praise retracts when the author points out that hanging with Hilton and Lohan has influenced Spears to party and drink. The article ends with the phrase “skanks for the memories”. 

Dean, Alexandra, director. This Is Paris. The Real Story of Paris Hilton | This Is Paris Official Documentary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOg0TY1jG3w. 

Paris Hilton’s documentary This is Paris was uploaded on YouTube on September 14, 2020. With millions of views on the first day, the public was curious to see the true life of Paris Hilton, the slogan of the documentary being “everyone knows her. No one knows her story”. The documentary reveals Paris’s childhood and her traumatic experience with physical and emotional abuse brought on from Provo Canyon School, a treatment for troubled youth. It was revealed that Hilton’s mother thought her rebellious childhood was too much to handle, and sent her to be treated and disciplined, but unfortunately even her mother never predicted what abuse went on during her stay. The attendance at Provo began with a kidnapping of Paris in the middle of the night by grown men, there they took her to the facility. Paris continues to advocate for survivors of the other Provo Canyon students, using the hashtag #breakcodesilence and #iseeyousurvivor in efforts to shut down the school. Being that the trauma from school shaped her into who she is now, the documentary continues to follow her and her relationships with family, fans, and partners. As much as Paris enjoyed party culture and rebellious acts, she reveals that it was dramatized for public attention. And when asked about her show The Simple Life, where she likes on a farm and performs manual labor and farmwork, she confesses it was all an act. In the show she pretends to not know how to broom, but in the documentary Paris tells us it was fake and for the show, and that she in fact has worked a job and knows how to work, despite her reputation of being a spoiled socialite. One of the moments being a documentation of Paris and her ex, and the struggles and interactions she faces from a toxic relationship. In the film, viewers are able to follow her relationship, and in the end a breakup initiated by Hilton. More moments of the documentary follow her music career as a dj, and her performance from large festivals, and the start of quarantine in 2020, where she hosted online virtual concerts. The documentary ends with Paris revealing to her mother the truth of Provo Canyon, and the trauma she had to endure and continue to experience as a result. Her mother was shocked at the conditions she unintentionally put her daughter through, and there was an exchange of apologies and forgiveness. Paris also invites past students of Provo to speak on their experience, and conclude that other survivors are not alone from the abuse. 

Dickson, EJ. “The Bimbo Is Back. like, for Real!” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2021, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/bimbo-reclaim-tiktok-gen-z-1092253/. 

In Ej Dickson’s article “The Bimbo Is Back. Life for Real!” for Rolling Stones, they begin with a quote from famous TikTok user Chrissy Chlapecka. Chlapecka is a TikTok user with over 6 million followers, and identifies with being a bimbo. Her videos on the platform typically consist of bimbo themed content. Although it is a dramatized and campy character,the political and feminist beliefs she preaches remains genuine. The article continues to reveal that Chrissy is not the only internet users who identifies with bimbo, and that bimbo is becoming a popularized movement. Dickson mentions how the new age bimbo, or bimbofication holds a more inclusive and political standpoint, unlike what the term held in the past. Gen Z is a carrier of the movement, being that this generation is very anticapitalist and questions the meaning of human life at an early age. The article goes into interview another TikTok user, Griffin Maxwel Brooks, a gay male who also idetifies with bimbo. He tells Rolling Stone that the bimbo is more than a physical aesthetic, and more of a state of mind, that of one being anti capitalist, ant misogyny, and living as one's genuine true self. Brooks ends the article by comparing bimbofication to a form of enlightenment. 

Furdyk, Brent. “The Untold Truth of the Simple Life.” TheList.com, The List, 5 Oct. 2020, https://www.thelist.com/256528/the-untold-truth-of-the-simple-life/. 

Brent Furdyk’s article The Untold Truth of the Simple Life unveils the history behind the famous television show starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Aired in 2003, this television show, along with Survivor were one of the most popular types of reality television. The article begins with what the show is about, being a fish out of water type premise. Using the juxtaposition of socialites Paris and Nicole living in the setting of a farm, the show was comidical. The girls performed manual labor for minimum wage, used no technology, and worked on a farm. These acts were unexpected from Paris and Nicole, because society viewed them to be rich and not have to work in these conditions. Furdyk reveals that the show was mainly an act. Paris expresses that she played a character and dramatized her stupidity and party antics for the cameras. In fact she admits that she knew it would be a success, but didnt know she would have to continue to play that same character for five more years to stay relevant for her career. Similarly Nicole was told by producers to play as the troublemaker friend. Further, Paris revealed that her voice was also fake, and that she has created a baby voice during her life in times of manipulation or getting what she wants, and on the show the baby voice was used to add to her character. The article ends with how the show came to an end because of Paris and Nicole's friendship fallout.

Mak, Darren Mak. “How Television Is Reshaping Culture in America.” ArcGIS StoryMaps, Esri, 23 Jan. 2020, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/246602975b094d869638be3c936a7270. 

An article by Darren Mak for StoryMaps discussed the correlation between television and American culture. It jumps right in by explaining how cultural stereotypes in America are heavily influenced by characters displayed on television. It then begins to answer the question why television reshapes the world. A main factor on how it reshapes the world is its use of strictly caucasian actors, and in the beginning minorities were not played in television. This resulted in caucasiansplaying other races. This affects America because viewers think what is being represented is true. In fact viewers rely on television as a form of education, when in reality it is typically a facade. The news is also a large influence on Americans, and the article explains how the constant need for world updates becomes addicting. This results in viewers believing what they are shown on television, even if it is a world update like the news.  

Telegraph, The. “Hollywood Moguls Dismissed Marilyn Monroe as a Blonde Bimbo. Here's How She Took Revenge.” Nationalpost, National Post, 5 June 2015, https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/celebrity/marilyn-monroe-not-just-a-blonde-bimbo. 

In an article by NationalPost titled “Hollywood Moguls Dismissed Marilyn Monroe as a Blonde Bimbo. Here's How She Took Revenge”, it begins to describe Marylin Monroe's acting role as Jenny in Pink Tights. The job was very problematic. One being that she was paid $1500 a week, compared to her co-star Frank Sinatra's $5000. The beginning of the job she was not allowed to read the script and was unaware that the charactershe will play is a dumb blonde. These were characters she continued to play, and even began to become what people thought she was really like. In result her peers didn't take her seriously as an actress, and she even admits to reference herself in third person. The article continues to explain her timeline as an actress, and how she had to work even harder ro be taken seriously, and achieve more serious roles. Monroe wanted to be remembered as more than just a blonde sex icon, but as a professional actress as well. The article ends with the responses of her death, and how her death was a wake up call to studio and actor relationship, and the unfair dynamic that took place during Marylin’s time.