Norma Jeane Mortenson, more famously known as miss Marilyn Monroe, rose to fame in the early 1950s, starring in movies as an iconic ‘blonde bombshell’ character. The release of the new biopic, Blonde, aims to provide a fictionalized version of her life, uncovering the secrets and the abuse she experienced behind the scenes in Hollywood. The film has received an immense amount of criticism and backlash for romanticization of female suffering, though director Andrew Dominik has argued otherwise.
A huge topic of controversy surrounding the film is the inaccurate portrayal of Monroe’s abortion. The film depicts Marilyn changing her mind regarding the procedure, however, the doctors went through with it anyway. A later second pregnancy shows Marilyn speaking to a computer-generated fetus, where the fetus speaks out, “You won’t hurt me this time, will you?” Frightened with guilt, Marilyn decides to keep the child, however, later suffers from a miscarriage.
Planned Parenthood has spoken out in anger against the film and labels it as “Anti-Abortion Propaganda.” Planned Parenthood criticizes the director, Andrew Dominik, for contributing to the stigma surrounding abortions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022. Critics say not only is there no proof that Marilyn ever underwent an abortion, but the portrayal of the procedure is also entirely inaccurate. Planned Parenthood fears the film will deter women away from seeking out this medical procedure due to its unsafe and jarring depiction in Blonde.
Other famous female actresses and models have added their own take on Blonde. Notable American model, Emily Ratajkowski, has spoken her mind on what she makes of the film on her TikTok account. She compared the film to Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears and Princess Diana, in that, “it’s yet another movie fetishizing female pain, even in death.” She adds how she has done this to herself and pitied her own suffering, brushing it off as just another instance of a damsel in distress. Ratajkowski urges that people who watch this film be angrier about how the media portrays and profits off the abuse of women.
Viewers of the film have turned to Twitter to voice their concerns as well. Many have stated they are disturbed by the portrayal of Monroe in the film, and that it is exactly how she wished not to be presented. Twitter users describe Blonde as disturbing, triggering and exploitative. Netflix has received intense backlash from its viewers for the NC-17 rated movie, which many feel is a disgrace to the late Monroe.
While the film was intended to show how a traumatic childhood can shape adulthood, viewers of the film did not like how this approach was executed. The audience calls out how Blonde‘s fictional portrayal of the life Marilyn Monroe led capitalizes on her suffering and abuse at the hands of Hollywood.
Andrew Dominik has refuted arguments made against the film’s anti-abortion and romanticization tactics. Dominik believes that the criticisms regarding these claims are a result of the political moment the world is currently experiencing, regarding Roe v. Wade. He told TheWrap, an entertainment news source, “They’ve got a certain agenda where they feel like the freedoms of women are being compromised, and they look at ‘Blonde’ and they see a demon, but it’s not really about that. I think it’s very difficult for people to step outside of the stories they carry inside themselves and see things of their own volition.”
Anyone who wishes to view the movie is advised to take caution as some scenes are incredibly graphic and potentially triggering to certain audiences.
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