--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed…" description: "\"Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed from one of the prettiest girls you could ever hope to see into an icon, everyone has been trying to repeat t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/melissa-leo-9231_been_ever-since-marilyn-monroe-was-transforme_2080048.jpg" --- # Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed from one of the… ![“Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed from one of the prettiest girls you could ever hope to see into an icon, everyone has been trying to repeat that icon. And now the entire industry is filled with, and by and large run by, wannabes.” quote by Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/melissa-leo-9231_been_ever-since-marilyn-monroe-was-transforme_2080048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/melissa-leo-9231_been_ever-since-marilyn-monroe-was-transforme_2080048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/melissa-leo-9231_been_ever-since-marilyn-monroe-was-transforme_2080048.jpg) > “Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed from one of the prettiest girls you could ever hope to see into an icon, everyone has been trying to repeat that icon. And now the entire industry is filled with, and by and large run by, wannabes.” [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The industry idolizes Marilyn Monroe, leading many to imitate her iconic image, resulting in a flood of imitators. **In simple terms:** People copy Marilyn Monroe, creating many imitators. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity over imitation. Themes celebrity imitation culture Mood critical observational Type cultural media When to use this quote - fashion - film casting - public image - branding Key Concepts media studies identity authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Why do we chase iconic images? - How does imitation affect creativity? A Different Perspective Originality is often suppressed by commercial pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Wannabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wannabes/) ## Related quotes > [Marilyn Monroe appeared to be perfect, but she wasn't perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/marilyn-monroe-appeared-to-be-perfect-but-she-wasn-t-perfect/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Directing Marilyn Monroe was like directing Lassie. You needed fourteen takes to get each one of them right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-preminger/directing-marilyn-monroe-was-like-directing-lassie-you-needed/) [Otto Preminger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-preminger/) > [I have never been a Marilyn Monroe wannabe. I have always been happy in my own skin!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamie-van-doren/i-have-never-been-a-marilyn-monroe-wannabe-i-have-always-been-happy/) [Mamie Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamie-van-doren/) > [Marilyn Monroe and Vivienne Leigh are real icons of mine. In terms of visual culture, they are both so iconic. There weren't any paparazzi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/marilyn-monroe-and-vivienne-leigh-are-real-icons-of-mine-in-terms-of/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [If I had a time machine, I'd visit Marilyn Monroe in her prime or drop in on Galileo as he turned his telescope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/if-i-had-a-time-machine-i-d-visit-marilyn-monroe-in-her-prime-or-drop/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I danced with Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/i-danced-with-marilyn-monroe-in-gentlemen-prefer-blondes/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) > [Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and I were so different from each other. I was doing very young movies, and Marilyn, who was ahead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamie-van-doren/marilyn-monroe-jayne-mansfield-and-i-were-so-different-from-each/) [Mamie Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamie-van-doren/) > [My favorite actress is Marilyn Monroe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-fanning/my-favorite-actress-is-marilyn-monroe/) [Elle Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-fanning/) > [The word 'success' - who's defining it? It's about whether or not it makes me feel good. Four billion people don't have to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/the-word-success-who-s-defining-it-it-s-about-whether-or-not-it-makes/) [Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/) > [In the middle of my sophomore year, I was sent to boarding school, at the Cranbrook School for boys, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-middle-of-my-sophomore-year-i-was-sent-to-boarding-school-at/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Americans are obsessed with wild, outlandish things. Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse, and Michael Jackson are all wild, outlandish things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-koppel/americans-are-obsessed-with-wild-outlandish-things-marilyn-monroe/) [Lily Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-koppel/) > [I remember writing 'The One I Can't Have' at the kitchen table. I was looking at a picture of Truman Capote with Marilyn Monroe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-remember-writing-the-one-i-can-t-have-at-the-kitchen-table-i-was/) [Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/) > [I wouldn't say no to becoming a Bond girl. Making it in Hollywood has been my dream ever since I was little, watching Marilyn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-haddock/i-wouldn-t-say-no-to-becoming-a-bond-girl-making-it-in-hollywood-has/) [Laura Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-haddock/) > [I taped the autopsy photos from Marilyn Monroe's death to my lunch box in fifth grade, and I would write stories in which someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-taped-the-autopsy-photos-from-marilyn-monroe-s-death-to-my-lunch/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [Marilyn Monroe was a fabulous dame - fabulous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/marilyn-monroe-was-a-fabulous-dame-fabulous/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) ## More by Melissa Leo > [My mom was a '70s mom. She paved a road that no one had yet walked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/my-mom-was-a-70s-mom-she-paved-a-road-that-no-one-had-yet-walked/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I love acting. I really do. I think that's maybe the one thing that is known about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-love-acting-i-really-do-i-think-that-s-maybe-the-one-thing-that-is/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [You have to let the costume inform you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/you-have-to-let-the-costume-inform-you/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [That's what acting is. You're not alone. It's reacting. That's what we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/that-s-what-acting-is-you-re-not-alone-it-s-reacting-that-s-what-we-do/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I'm interested in what the fans think, in what would make them feel connected to the Wayward Pines they had grown to love. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-interested-in-what-the-fans-think-in-what-would-make-them-feel/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I always wanted to play a nun, and to play the Reverend Mother was a thrill of a lifetime for me. But, generations back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-always-wanted-to-play-a-nun-and-to-play-the-reverend-mother-was-a/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I know that one of my difficulties as an actor is to try to do too much, from all those years ago when my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-know-that-one-of-my-difficulties-as-an-actor-is-to-try-to-do-too/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I'm a very lucky girl who gets to act for a living! So why sit around griping and grousing about what's not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-a-very-lucky-girl-who-gets-to-act-for-a-living-so-why-sit-around/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [Well, I don't think of myself as a feminist at all. As soon as we start labeling and categorizing ourselves and others, that's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/well-i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-feminist-at-all-as-soon-as-we-start/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [There were not enough women like Kay on TV and now there are none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/there-were-not-enough-women-like-kay-on-tv-and-now-there-are-none/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I think this notion of acting and glamour is getting in everybody's way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-think-this-notion-of-acting-and-glamour-is-getting-in-everybody-s/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > ["I'm going to show you I haven't given you permission because clearly you're not grown up enough to understand that, not having given you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-going-to-show-you-i-haven-t-given-you-permission-because-clearly/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [Why do we have to pretend we're not in the sales game? I didn't sign on to be a salesman. I signed on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/why-do-we-have-to-pretend-we-re-not-in-the-sales-game-i-didn-t-sign/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [I got none. I mean, I have no religion. I like the quote unquote 'Virgin Mary,' but no Catholicism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-got-none-i-mean-i-have-no-religion-i-like-the-quote-unquote-virgin/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [The director is the captain of the ship, without question. No matter what their talent or energy level is, everyone on the crew has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/the-director-is-the-captain-of-the-ship-without-question-no-matter/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) [Explore all 74 Melissa Leo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) ## More Been quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ever since Marilyn Monroe was transformed from one of the prettiest girls you could ever hope to see into an icon, everyone has been trying to repeat that icon. 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