I think it's worth noting that this exists for men as well. Granted not nearly as much as it does for women, but the male need to be successful in the eyes of women and society is very real. This "success" certainly comes with physical expectations. It's one of the themes in the movie Fight Club as I recall.The second is the same photo of Marilyn, this time alone in the Motivational Poster style. The text reads: “PROOF: That you can be adored by thousands of men, even when your thighs touch.” From the start this would seem like a better message. No comparison photo, no pitting women against each other. For some reason, though, this photo troubles and angers me more than the first one does. Because here’s the thing: you are worth more than what men think of you. Marilyn Monroe was, to put it mildly, very sad, very often. She was a sex symbol, and thus, stopped existing as human being, a regular girl. Almost everything that fucked up Marilyn’s later life had to do with being “adored” by men.
While I would agree with zebra2 that the source of Marilyn's depression is likely not so easily found, there is no doubt that she was, and is, seen more as an object than a human being.