Oh, I know, maddie. I've seen plenty of pictures of her as a brunette before, but those are from the 1940s, before she became a star, and may even have still been going by the name of Norma Jean Baker. Her later persona is not yet in place in those photos. She comes across as a chipper girl next door (assuming the girl next door was a pin-up model who occasionally posed nude.) What I find fascinating about this particular photo is that so much of it is Classic Marilyn. The long-lashed eyes half-closed, the painted smile verging on a kiss, that air of playful, languorous, seductiveness she conveyed so well, it's all there--but not the blond hair! It makes me wonder, how important was that color scheme, anyway? Could she have done without it and still have been as big a star?
Either hair color, I'm sure with her acting she would have still been a star....but it may have changed some of the roles she took, or really added a whole new dimension to roles she was in. I mean, the whole white dress flapping up above the air vent would have felt much different.
Adam, her natural hair color was reddish-brown, but the black-and-white photography makes it look darker. To my eyes she actually look Spanish (which she wasn't) in that picture.
Mitchell, I know of no films or public appearances Monroe made as a brunette. I'm not an expert on the mechanics of hair dye, but maybe she was on vacation and washed the blond out.
In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.
Her career soared when she went blonde.
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DeleteI don't know the date of this photo, Debra, but it looks like it was taken while her career was soaring. Probably in-between films.
DeleteI told someone once I saw her as a brunette and they didn't believe me. Amazing how different yet the same she appears.
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DeleteOh, I know, maddie. I've seen plenty of pictures of her as a brunette before, but those are from the 1940s, before she became a star, and may even have still been going by the name of Norma Jean Baker. Her later persona is not yet in place in those photos. She comes across as a chipper girl next door (assuming the girl next door was a pin-up model who occasionally posed nude.) What I find fascinating about this particular photo is that so much of it is Classic Marilyn. The long-lashed eyes half-closed, the painted smile verging on a kiss, that air of playful, languorous, seductiveness she conveyed so well, it's all there--but not the blond hair! It makes me wonder, how important was that color scheme, anyway? Could she have done without it and still have been as big a star?
DeleteEither hair color, I'm sure with her acting she would have still been a star....but it may have changed some of the roles she took, or really added a whole new dimension to roles she was in. I mean, the whole white dress flapping up above the air vent would have felt much different.
DeleteShe is beautiful no matter the hair color.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip and mandibles
She may have been one of the most photogenic people who ever lived, parsnip. And, of course, a lot of people found her attractive in person, too.
DeleteQuite an Abnorma look
ReplyDeleteAdam, her natural hair color was reddish-brown, but the black-and-white photography makes it look darker. To my eyes she actually look Spanish (which she wasn't) in that picture.
DeleteI’ve never seen a later photo of her with darker hair. I didnt know she ever went back to it for any reason.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, I know of no films or public appearances Monroe made as a brunette. I'm not an expert on the mechanics of hair dye, but maybe she was on vacation and washed the blond out.
Delete