Naughty Girl: Marilyn Monroe

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Marilyn Monroe may not have been the first woman to turn sex appeal into power, but she became one of the most unforgettable to ever do it. With her platinum hair, sultry voice, curves, and that signature mix of innocence and seduction,

Marilyn created a fantasy the world couldn’t stop watching. That’s what made her naughty. Not because she was vulgar or explicit, but because she knew exactly how to use femininity, beauty, and allure in a way that made her unforgettable. And decades later, women are still inspired by her.

Her Movie Career Made Her a Fantasy

Marilyn Monroe didn’t just become famous because she was beautiful — Hollywood helped turn her into one of the biggest fantasies of her time. As her movie career started taking off in the early 1950s, she quickly became known for playing the sexy blonde, the flirt, the bombshell, the woman every man wanted and every woman couldn’t stop watching.

Films like Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and How to Marry a Millionaire helped cement that image and made her one of the most recognizable women in the world.

But that’s also part of what made her so naughty. Marilyn wasn’t just acting in films — she was building an entire fantasy around herself. The walk, the voice, the curves, the dresses, the teasing little expressions… she knew how to make glamour feel seductive. She didn’t just play the blonde bombshell — she became the blueprint for it.

Playboy Scandal Added to the Fantasy

And then, of course, there was the Playboy scandal — which only added more fuel to the image people already had of her. Before Marilyn became a major movie star, she had posed nude for a calendar in 1949 for just $50 because she needed the money. Years later, those same photos were used in the very first issue of Playboy in 1953, right as her fame was exploding.

What makes that story so wild is that she didn’t even shoot those photos for Playboy itself — they were taken years earlier, before she was Marilyn Monroe in the way the world would come to know her.

But once they resurfaced, they only added to the scandal, mystery, and sex-symbol image surrounding her. Instead of ruining her career, it made people even more obsessed. It made her feel a little more dangerous, a little more forbidden, and even more like the blonde fantasy everyone couldn’t stop staring at.

Influencing Generations

There are certain moments in pop culture that never really fade, and Marilyn Monroe performing Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend is one of them. That pink gown, the gloves, the diamonds, and the full theatrical fantasy of it all became far bigger than the movie itself.

Marilyn wasn’t just performing a song — she was creating a fantasy women would continue stepping into for decades, influencing fashion, pop culture, music videos, and women like Madonna who later made it their own. And honestly, that’s a big part of why it’s always felt personal to me too.

How Marilyn Found Me Through Madonna

For me, Marilyn Monroe first came into my world through Madonna. Before I really understood Marilyn as Marilyn, I was obsessed with Madonna’s Material Girl. The pink dress, the diamonds, the attitude, the glamour, the performance — all of it pulled me in. There was something about that whole look and energy that felt playful, sexy, feminine, and larger than life in a way I instantly loved.

Then later, I realized Madonna was drawing from Marilyn, especially from Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, and suddenly it all made sense. That’s when Marilyn hit differently for me.

Because in a way, I discovered her through another woman who also understood image, fantasy, reinvention, and how powerful femininity could be when you fully leaned into it.

So in a way, Marilyn inspired Madonna… and Madonna became part of what inspired me.

My First Burlesque Performance

One of the reasons Marilyn Monroe feels personal to me is because my very first burlesque performance was to Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. So at some point, she stopped being just an old Hollywood icon and became part of my own creative world too.

There’s something about that song that is so fun to perform because it’s not just sexy — it’s playful, glamorous, theatrical, and full of personality. It gives you the chance to step into a character and really lean into that exaggerated feminine energy in a way that feels bold, confident, and larger than life.

And even though I made it my own, there was still something special about performing to a song so closely tied to Marilyn. It felt like stepping into a little piece of that same fantasy she made so iconic, while still bringing my own energy and style to it.

The Pink Dress Became Part of My Story

The pink dress eventually made its way into my own story too, when I did a photo shoot in a atex version of the look that felt like the perfect way to reinterpret it through my own world.

It still had that same glamorous, feminine fantasy, just with a little more edge and a little more of that naughty energy that feels like me.

Then it came full circle again when I wore that same pink latex dress for one of my 80s cruise themes, dressing as Madonna for Material Girl. So somehow that one iconic look ended up connecting Marilyn, Madonna, old Hollywood, 80s pop culture, and my own creative world in the most perfect way.

That’s what I love about women like Marilyn. They don’t just stay in the past. They keep showing up through fashion, performance, and the way women continue to reinterpret glamour in their own way.

Marilyn Monroe’s Lasting Influence

To me, Marilyn Monroe absolutely belongs in the Naughty Girl world because she reminds us that femininity can be playful, performative, seductive, and powerful all at once. She made glamour feel like something more than just beauty. She turned it into mood, fantasy, and presence.

And maybe that’s why women still return to her over and over again. Because every now and then, we all want that moment where we put on the dress, step into the fantasy, and become the most unforgettable version of ourselves. Marilyn Monroe understood that better than almost anyone.