Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 21 No. 2 (2023)

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Browsing Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 21 No. 2 (2023) by Author "Wehn, Lena"

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    Marilyn in the Media: The Male Gaze of Conspiracy
    (University of Oregon, 2023-09) Wehn, Lena
    2022 marked the 60th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe’s death. Her name is once again making headlines. The notable uptick in recent media coverage surrounding Monroe underscores that her cultural significance extends far beyond being an iconic actress. Monroe’s life and legacy have become inseparable from her death, which is famously wrought with conspiracy. Conspiracy theories, typically associated with the socio-political sector, have pushed beyond the political sphere and permeated pop culture. Conspiracy theories stem from a fixation with and desire to rationalize the unknown. For celebrities that reach superstardom, coupling their fame with any mysteriousness creates the perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories to brew. By examining several theories about how and why Monroe died (in lieu of suicide), this paper dissects how her life and death have been permanently punctuated by conspiracies pushed by men. Monroe was not only at the mercy of conspiracy, but she was infamously, inescapably defined by men. Her story has been told through men’s eyes, both in life and after death. In addition to conspiracy theories, I use news reports (entirely written by men) from the day she was found dead to investigate the extent to which Monroe’s life and legacy was impacted by being hypersexualized. I propose that conspiracy theories, like pop culture and the media, are subject to the male perspective creating, dominating, and directing the narrative. I use Monroe and the conspiracy theories which surround her as a case study to exemplify how destructive and reductive the male gaze becomes when it is left unchecked.