Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in Netflix's Blonde: Why are we obsessed with the late actress?

Netflix dropped the teaser of Blonde, a movie based on the life and times of the 50s Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. Cuban actor Ana de Armas, who made her debut as a Bond girl in No Time To Die, will be playing Monroe in the movie. 

It is based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates’ Blonde. The novel is considered to be the most definitive historical account of Marilyn Monroe, but is actually a fictionalised version of the actress's life, intended to focus on the toxic American celebrity culture.

The movie takes us through Marilyn Monroe or Norma Jean(e)’s traumatic childhood, the beginning of her acting career, her relationships, her tryst with mental health, rumoured affair with the then US President JFK and her death. 

The movie is set for release in September. However, the film has run its fair share of controversy, especially because of some explicit scenes in it including one which recreates Monroe being raped. The film was been given an NC-17 rating. 

Netlfix’s Blonde is yet another movie cashing in on Marilyn Monroe, after the docudrama The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes released on the streaming site earlier this year. 

A list of documentaries and movies made on Monroe: 

1. My week with Marilyn (movie)
2. Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996 biographical film made for TV)
3. The secret life of Marilyn Monroe (2015 TV mini-series)
4. Love, Marilyn (2012 documentary based on Marilyn’s diaries)
5. Marilyn and me (1991 movie about the alternate start to her career)

The number of movies and documentaries made on the late actress after her death show us how much we are obsessed with Monroe. 

But why are we obsessed with Monroe? 

1. Perhaps, our obsession stems from the fact that Marilyn Monroe in a way, like Princess Diana, represents the white pretty woman with a tragic ending story. 
2. The circumstances of Monroe’s death, and her involvement with high-profile names like the Kennedys, have been another fodder for keeping the myth of Monroe alive.
3. Her story of rags to riches is something that is universally interesting and captivating. 
4. Or because Marilyn Monroe’s pictures (the same famous photos) have been plastered all over brands and for marketing, even long after her death, serving as an evergreen symbol of glamour. 
5. Many people have grown up knowing about Monroe, her life, and her tragic ending without having ever watched any of her movies, her work that made her famous in the first place.

No one can really say who Marilyn Monroe was beyond her public image. But for long after her death, people surely have made money using her name and persona.