It has been 50 years to the day (August 5th 1962) since the ultimate screen siren Marilyn Monroe passed away of an apparent overdose at the tender age of 36. Since then her image has proved a beacon of hope for us curvier girls, a creative inspiration at fashion houses worldwide and a timeless classic beauty to behold for the rest of the world. Her image was immortalised by the late Andy Warhol in the 60's, this artistic collaboration solidified her image within pop culture at that time, and she has remained at the front of fashion/pop culture today.  

To those who knew her best, Marilyn was a person nothing like her on-screen typecast ie: "The dumb blonde with a heart of gold". But it is true that it was this persona that made her famous. This dumb blonde chrarm burned through the screen's in films such as 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1955's The Seven Year Itch and my own personal favourite Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy Some Like It Hot. (I still watch this movie every Christmas with my mum and it serves as a constant reminder of the glamour, sophistication and utterly figure flattering fashion of the 50's).

Before her fame, Marilyn was also something of a tragic case. She was born into poverty to a mother who struggled with mental health problems, and a father whose identity Monroe never knew. Norma Jeane Mortenson (her birth name) spent her early life being ferried from one foster home to another before pursuing a modelling career and then, one rhinoplasty later, an acting career.

So, 50 years on, let us not hold a moment for Marilyn Monroe the actress and sex symbol, also let us bow our heads in respect for Marilyn the human being who will long be remembered.