IT is one of the most iconic images in movie history and thousands have attempted to recreate it, including several men in kilts.
But a new statue featuring the pose from Marilyn Monroe dressed in white from the film The Seven Year Itch, where she stands over a subway grate with her dress blowing up from the breeze, has caused quite a furore after it was unveiled in Palm Springs, California.
The giant statue has been condemned by some for promoting misogyny and upskirting after tourists were seen taking “inappropriate” images under the dress.
Po-faced journalist Olivia Petter, said: “I think the real issue here is that it is a 26ft-tall statue that encourages tourists to run in between her legs and take a photograph underneath this women’s legs and that is incredibly offensive when we consider that upskirting is a serious crime with seriously physiological consequences for victims.”
Now many of us have been to the see the various statues of Robert the Bruce across Scotland and we all know what he looks like.
But how many of us have actually considered taking a picture up Bruce’s short chain mail?
Of course we haven’t, as it’s preposterous. It is a statute, same as Monroe’s, and as they are both made of bronze there is absolutely nothing going on underneath as they are solid.
As solid as a statue, really.
Upskirting is of course a deeply disturbing crime and one that can cause major distress for victims.
There is no excuse for it, even if it is confined mainly to Peeping Toms and other assorted weirdos.
However, there can be absolutely no correlation whatsoever between a 26-foot high statue and a creep who can’t keep his phone or eyes to himself.
Let the police deal with them and keep the breathless hyperbole about statues to yourself.
Ms Petter also suggests, which is probably the main focus of her ire, is that the Marilyn Monroe pose is nothing more than sexual objectifying for men.
Of course it is, and no-one played up their sexuality more than Marilyn Monroe – and she made a very good career out of doing it.
Let’s be honest, she wasn’t in films for her acting ability, which was limited at best.
She knew exactly what she was doing and was happy enough to go along with it, although ultimately she had a tragically short life.
The actress died of an overdose at the age of just 36 after a long battle with addiction and mood disorders, but she remains one of the most famous actresses of all time even now, more than 50 years after her death.
She was a symbol of the sexual revolution of the late 50s and 60s but has now become the latest victim of the vocal woke brigade who want to rewrite history because it offends them.
Soon there will be nobody left.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel