Icon Analysis

An example of three contemporary icons is Snow White, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. They are all women who are strong, yet fragile and beautiful in different ways. Snow White, from the original Grimm version, was a young princess who ran away to live with dwarfs after her evil step-mother tried to kill her for being more beautiful than her. Marilyn Monroe was an actress, model and singer from the 1940’s to the early 1960’s. Madonna is a singer and actress, who became famous in the 1980’s and is still successful today.

I chose these three icons because they are women I have always found fascinating – but for different reasons. I grew up reading a great deal, and my mother introduced me to the original Grimm tales. Each time a Disney version of them is released, I remember the original version of the stories. Snow White I found particularly enduring – and endearing. Although being threatened by death, she left her home as a princess and ran away into the woods, not knowing where or how she was going to live. She found friendship and shelter, but she took on an entirely different lifestyle in order to survive. She eventually regained her former life, as a queen. In her own way, she was a very strong woman and survived through dire circumstances.

Marilyn Monroe had such a terrible childhood. What she came out of was so sad, and she tried so hard to overcome her circumstances. As much as I have read about her, she seemed to be vulnerable to being used by people. She trusted so many people, and they took advantage of her, even after her death. She was very internally fragile and erratic. She seemed to be such a kind and warmhearted person, and even much more intelligent than people credited to her. She worked very hard to become a good actress and to be taken seriously. But, I believe her mental illness, which she likely inherited from her mother, was too much. She was a non-traditionally beautiful woman, which is what originally drew me to finding out more about her. She was more full-figured, yet projected a sensuality that people are still very much drawn to today.

 

I grew up in a very small, southern town where everybody listened to country music. I remember listening to Madonna and seeing pictures of her and thinking how different she was. She seemed to have this attitude that she didn’t care what people thought – she was going to wear what she wanted, sing what she wanted, and act like she wanted and nobody could stop her. I loved this about her, and took it to heart. I didn’t want to be like everybody else and I didn’t want to care so much about what people thought about me that I became someone that I wasn’t. People would make fun of me because I acted and dressed differently, but I never cared. In the end, it helped me be a stronger person. Today, though, I think Madonna has become somewhat desperate for attention as she grows older. It’s sad. But, I will remember her from her early career very fondly.