Location: Manchester, England
Favorite Marilyn film: Don’t Bother to Knock. Some Like it Hot. Niagara.
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Natural curves!
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio
What has Marilyn taught you? To believe that the impossible is possible.
‘To me, Marilyn is… the hope that we all have inside us. . . the dream that comes true even when rowing against the tide.
See more from Caitlin J. and vote here!
Location: Liverpool, England
Favorite Marilyn film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Our insecurities.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio.
What has Marilyn taught you? She’s taught me that even when I’m feeling down, I should try to carry on and act strong.
‘To me, Marilyn is… more than just a beautiful timeless icon. Her personality serves me as inspiration because even through all her difficulties in life, she still opened her heart to others and I think this trait is rare to find.‘
See more from Stephanie K. and vote here!
Location: San Diego, California
Favorite Marilyn film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Well, besides the blonde hair, haha, we both have a love for life.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio.
What has Marilyn taught you? Marilyn has taught me that as a young woman you don’t have to conform to what society thinks is right. Marilyn has taught me to be myself and not to let anyone change me.
‘To me, Marilyn is… a wonderful role model. She inspires young women daily with her quotes, style, and life story.‘
See more from Rebecca H. and vote here!
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Favorite Marilyn film: I have three favorites! Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot.
What do you and Marilyn have in common? A good sense of humor 
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio. He was so protective of her, even after her death. He was such a gentleman.
What has Marilyn taught you? So much! People still adore Marilyn and every part of my act I owe to Marilyn. She was such an amazing, talented and witty woman.
‘To me, Marilyn is… timeless, ageless and will never be forgotten.‘
See more from Janet V. and vote here!
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Favorite Marilyn film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
What do you and Marilyn have in common? The main traits I feel that I have in common with Marilyn are that she had such a strong desire to be happy, to be loved, and to learn.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: I choose Arthur Miller because I am such a huge fan of his work as a playwright. I’ve been lucky to have had hands-on experience with his work since I’ve performed in both “Death of a Salesman” and “A View from the Bridge.” His work both intrigues me and moves me emotionally, and that is all I can ask for.
What has Marilyn taught you? Marilyn has taught me to be unafraid; she has taught me to be proud to be a woman; and she has also taught me to have hope for the future.
‘To me, Marilyn is… untouchable. Her image and story will not soon be forgotten. I believe she still lives in the ways that she still inspires, intrigues, and mystifies people today. Classic beauty is timeless and Marilyn taught us how to do that best. And, imitation is the highest form of flattery.‘
See more from Klarissa P. and vote here!
Location: New Jersey
Favorite Marilyn film: My favorite Marilyn film would have to be Seven Year Itch. I think it’s a classic film that I could watch every night!
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Although I’m not as big of a name as Marilyn Monroe, I am on tv and have to play a character and in a way live up to my ‘character.’ Marilyn was known for her curves, sex appeal and being a ‘dumb blonde.’ Those characteristics are what I guess you can say I am known for, my girlish figure, talking about men and being ‘the blonde.’ I can relate to Marilyn in that sense, that I have a particular tv image in which I need to portray and society can easily misjudge you for it.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: I would hands down have to say Joe DiMaggio!
What has Marilyn taught you? Society can be such a mean thing, but no matter what anybody says or thinks about you, stay true to yourself. A lot of times people try to let jealousy and other negative traits interfere with your dreams. As long as you’re happy with the person you are, that is all that should matter!
‘To me, Marilyn is… somebody who I can look up to and relate to on different levels. Although society may have brought her down many a time, she still was strong enough to be the person she was comfortable with being. I think that in itself is a tremendous character and I have alot of respect for her.‘
See more from Michelle D. and vote here!
Location: Currently Lincoln, Nebraska. Originally West Palm Beach, Florida.
Favorite Marilyn film: This is a hard one. My favorite performance of hers is The Prince and the Showgirl, but my favorite Marilyn film in general is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. It’s an absolute classic! Most fantastic costumes: check! Most awesome broad as a co-star: check! Most fey dance number of all time: Check!
What do you and Marilyn have in common? I ‘discovered’ Marilyn at a young age and was blown away by her beauty but I didn’t really connect with her until later in my young adulthood. I really couldn’t see any parallels between myself and a woman that beautiful and glamorous. I was extremely shy and, in high school and college, was quite overweight. However, I’ve always had a love of the arts and of learning and reading, as did Marilyn. I studied English Literature and vocal performance in college and have been a dedicated poet since high school. About 10 years ago, I began my weight-loss journey, losing 80 lbs slowly over the course of 3 years. It was about this time that I started hearing comparisons to Marilyn Monroe. At first, I thought it was absurd! How could I look anything like this Hollywood icon? However, it was during a production of ‘Wonderful Town’ that I finally saw the resemblance for myself. I was cast as Eileen Sherwood, who is described in the script as a ‘blonde bombshell’ At the time, my hair was dyed red . . . and had been since the age of 13. Ironically, my natural shade is blonde. So, I needed a blonde wig. Since the show is set in the 30′s, we needed a short curly one. During early dress rehearsals, my director stopped one of my musical numbers and said . . . “This is reading way too much like Marilyn Monroe. Change the makeup or the dress or something!” We tried, but nothing worked, because the problem was my face. Oops! Not long after that, I was cast in a (truly awful) production in which I played Marilyn Monroe. It was at this point that I started heavily researching her life. I read every book I could get my hands on and just fell in love with the deeply flawed, yet beautiful woman she was. I found out that, just like me, she was a shy poet. She suffered from almost crippling insecurity, but rose above it. She even suffered from a similar health malady. Though I grew up in a 2 parent household (who both love and support me very much), there are other mirrors between us as children. She taught me, in the form of a cautionary tale, how to deal with past abuse. She taught me how to be strong, because as intriguing of a woman as she was, I do not want my life to further mirror hers. History tends to whitewash our past icons, but I believe it is so very important to understand the mistakes that were made in the past so that we can learn from them and not repeat them in our own lives.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: None of the above. Can I say that? Marilyn was used, mistreated and misunderstood by every single man in her life. From childhood, she was taught through experience that the only thing she had to offer men (and the world at large) was her body. Sadly, she battled this insecurity throughout her life. The duality of this, the “innocent sex symbol” is what made her so captivating on screen and also solidified her mystique, even 50 years after her death. What she might have been had she had strong loving men in her life, it’s hard to say, but it would have been monumental. As it is, she managed to completely construct her own legend with her bare hands, and that, in and of itself, is a remarkable achievement. DiMaggio wanted a housewife. He fell for the sex-symbol and then resented her for it. Miller wanted a perfect, childlike muse (one only needs to watch ‘The Misfits’ to see his inaccurate views of his own wife) and was likewise resentful of the troubled woman who desperately needed someone to believe in her and tell her she was worth every sleepless night. And Kennedy? He wanted a conquest. Another notch on his bedpost. The ultimate power-play by the leader of the free world. And not a single one of them understood her duality or deserved the chance to try.
What has Marilyn taught you? In a very positive way, Marilyn taught me how to shine. In talking with fellow cast-mates about the challenge of “being” Marilyn on stage, I shared this story with them. Being fat in your formative years does something to you, mentally. You have to learn how to survive, because the world hates you. My natural survival mechanism was “Don’t draw attention to yourself!” and that’s how I learned to navigate my world . . . as a wallflower. In the full-length version of my poem, ‘Kill Switch’, I have a line that says, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you made a lousy wallflower. I should know! I’m the absolute best! I can hide in plain sight, vanish in the center of a room like a Baggins at a party. You never mastered that parlor trick.” However, when I lost the weight and consequently started playing the ingenue instead of ensemble, I had to force myself into the spotlight, as it were. I read the volume of essays, “All the Available Light” in which it says that Marilyn “absorbed all the available light”. It was very true. She did. And it was a monster of a standard to even come close to. But stepping outside of “Kendra” for a while, being this gorgeous creature who could command the turn of every head in the room, eventually began to bleed into my everyday life. I began to believe that I could be the leading lady, and to carry myself as if I were. Eventually, I looked into the mirror and was able to see, not the ghost of the fat girl, but the woman I had at long last become. I owe much of that confidence to Marilyn Monroe. I just wish she was still with us, to thank.
‘To me, Marilyn is… so many things. She is beautiful. She is sad. She is a muse. She is a child. She is a cautionary tale. She is Icarus, soaring so high that it hurts our eyes to look at her, silhouetted against the sun, and suddenly she is falling. She falls again and again, each time we tell her story, we hope to stop the plummet, but we never can. She is loss.‘
See more from Kendra A. and vote here!
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Favorite Marilyn film: Some Like It Hot
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Our desire to be a respected actress and not just a pretty face on the screen. As well as a hopeless romantic who wears her heart on her sleeve.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio due to the genuine love between himself and Marilyn.
What has Marilyn taught you? Marilyn has taught me not to judge a book by it’s cover. She constantly fought her demons, but didn’t allow the world to know how much she hurt. As well to embrace your womanly curves.
‘To me, Marilyn is… the definition of a great actress. Perhaps not necessarily due to her acting on film, which in my opinion she was underrated , but due to her acting in life. Being able to hide her sadness and be able to let the world see a happy go lucky woman, whose beauty defined her. Yet, on the inside, she was crumbling due to the events in her early life, as well, because she felt she was a real actress yet society and Hollywood only really looked at her as just another beautiful woman. Marilyn to me is the perfect example of not letting those around you define who you are. You alone must define yourself.‘
See more from Brittany L. and vote here!
Location: Holland
Favorite Marilyn film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Insecurities. Love of poetry and Ella Fitzgerald. Drive to be successful.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: Joe DiMaggio.
What has Marilyn taught you? Modeling, singing, acting and enjoying life to the fullest.
‘To me, Marilyn is… my inspiration!‘
See more from Memory M. and vote here!
Location: Currently New York, New York. Originally San Francisco, California.
Favorite Marilyn film: It’s a tie between How to Marry A Millionaire and Some Like It Hot; I always love a good laugh, and who can resist how stunning Marilyn looks in How to Marry A Millionaire?! Those glasses are just fabulous!
What do you and Marilyn have in common? Big dreams. Big hearts. Big imaginations.
Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or JFK: I’d have to say Joe DiMaggio. Being from San Francisco, I have the privilege of saying that my Grandmother and Joe attended the same high school only years apart. With my love of baseball, it’s an honor to call both he and his brother Vince one-time San Francisco “Seals”, as the team was known back in the early 1930’s. Even his time with the Yankees, reminding me of my own “major league move” out to New York City, has afforded me a long time fascination with DiMaggio.
He was always head over heels about Marilyn, and though there were rough patches in their relationship, he was true to her until the end. Joe constantly picked Marilyn up from her low points, and even after her tragic death, he continued to show his love and dedication to her by bringing red roses to her crypt three times a week, and never remarrying after her passing. He was truly loyal, talented, and above all, loved Marilyn, which was the only thing she ever wanted out of life.
What has Marilyn taught you? Throughout my years of learning about, and looking up to, Marilyn as both an acting and personal inspiration, I have learned many things that characterize who I am today. First is to always keep a smile on my face. There is a time for seriousness and we all face adversity, but so many people are looking for a little light in their life, and often times a smile can be the difference between brightening someone’s day. Additionally, I’ve always been inspired by her to remain classy in everything I do. She has taught me the best way to keep an audience captivated is not by revealing yourself, but instead alluring them with classic, iconic beauty, intellect and charm.
‘To me, Marilyn is… hope. Hope that I can one day become who I aspire to be; even when adversity tries to keep me down, I can keep pushing through to achieve my dreams.‘
See more from Alexis B. and vote here!