Marvelous Marilyn!

Marilyn. Monroe.

“The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up.”  
 ― Marilyn Monroe

“I'm very definitely a woman and I enjoy it. ”
― Marilyn Monroe

Is there anybody sexier than Marilyn Monroe?

In our culture, nobody has come close to making a bigger impact on all things sexy than Marilyn. Justin Timberlake may have brought sexy "back" (did he really, now?) ScarJo may be sexy now, but Marilyn Monroe is the original S-E-X-Y. I mean who else could make a president tongue tied with a mere birthday wish, a playwright loose his mind, and a legendary baseball player loose games, but Marilyn?

And with that kind of palpable sexiness, not only does everyone want to be her, but everyone tends to study and debate every aspect of her life. Over the years, we have debated everything from Marilyn's favorite food, to her favorite dress, to what she ate when she was depressed.

 Next week, the Movie "My Week with Marilyn," about the final week of the actress, sex goddess, and fashion icon, is set to be released in theaters. The movie's release will surely keep us debating all things Marilyn, for the foreseeable future. However, one thing that should not be debated is Marilyn's dress size next week. It has been established that Marilyn was an American size 12.

That's right. a size 12. By today's standards, she would be considered thick, curvy, or even plus-sized.

For decades, Marilyn has and continues to captivate men and women with her sex appeal, her curves, her allure.

So, that begs the question, how did we move from a culture that appreciates a woman of Marilyn's size and figure, to what we consider beautiful today? Women who starve themselves and are emaciated?

How did we get here?