Have you heard of the phrase 'Pulling off a Marilyn Monroe'? Well, she was the one who invented the term.
Before starting a career in acting, Monroe, born on June 1, 1926, was known as Norma Jeane Mortenson, and worked in an aircraft factory. Her tryst with showbiz started when she was spotted when a photo-journalist was clicking photographs of the factory.
There was no looking back. She created a controversy with her shoot for Playboy Magazine, but it also opened many opportunities for her.
She started her career in showbiz by becoming a pin-up model, and continued to be the poster girl symbolising vintage Hollywood glamour till the very end.
From posing in a skimpy bikini, her appearances at the film premieres, running on the beach in a swimsuit, tantalising images in shimmery dresses, posing in bathtub with loads of bubbles to protect her modesty, looking seductively at the camera to the iconic image of her lying on bed she would light up the screen every time she made an appearance with her golden hair and her pout along with the famous mole and curves.
Her signature golden hair and full red lips in the photograph showing her white dress flowing with the air beneath is the first thing that comes in one's mind with the mention of her name. The iconic pose from the 1955 film "The Seven Year Itch" has been recreated several times in Hollywood as well as Bollywood.
From Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Rihanna, Amber Rose, Rita Ora, Kate Upton, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle Williams, Scarlett Johansson to Dia Mirza and Preity Zinta celebrities continue to take cues from the sex symbol till date.
Monroe, popularly known as the "blonde bombshell" of Hollywood, found fame with films like "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire", and went on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her work in the 1959 film "Some Like It Hot".
She passed away in 1962. Her body was found in her apartment under mysterious circumstances.
( With inputs from IANS )