Mad Women : Marilyn Monroe, Why are we obsessed with you?

Advertisement poster from Mad Men

Quite a few references to Marilyn Monroe were made in some of the Mad Men episodes. Although she was never featured as a character, the references made about her seemed to have such a huge effect on women back then. Monroe was adored by both men and women. Men loved to watch her speak, sing, dance, and just be whatever she wanted to be. To them, she was a goddess of beauty and indulgence. Women wanted to be her. They wanted to be desired and wanted like her. Her innocent eyes, fluffy blonde hair, luscious red lips, and voluptuous body were the perfect male trap. One of the episodes featured a poster idea for Playtex lingerie which had a girl that was basically a replica of Marilyn. Another episode featured the unfortunate event of Monroe's death. In that episode, all the women in the office - where the show mainly takes place - were devastated and crying all day long. That was a slight depiction of how much women loved her.

I did the math, and it has been exactly 50 years since Marilyn Monroe passed away. So why are we still so helplessly in love with her?

It seems to me that Marilyn is the perfect example of the sexy, playful, talented 60's woman. Her style is timeless, because women still admire her effortless class, her forever-gorgeous red lips, and her sultry smile.

In February 2012, NBC created a new TV series called "Smash", which is a musical drama series revolving around the creation of a new Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. The show quickly gained a loyal fan base. Brittany Sanders, a fan of "Smash", shared her views on Monroe: "I think that Marilyn is an enigma for many people. She always seemed sure of herself and she was beautiful. She went from nothing to an icon and had many issues along the way." She also added some thoughts on why we as consumers of media still find Monroe's character alluring: "as a culture, I feel that America has a fascination with celebrities who have problems from Marilyn to Elizabeth Taylor and Lindsay Lohan. People are still fascinated by her because of the controversies that happened throughout her life and the questions that still surround her death."

Today, there are many productions that are inspired by Marilyn. Even Rap artist Nicki Minaj made a song inspired by the legend. Check it out, it's a pretty good song: