I know this sounds like a weird question but when would you say she was at her thinnest and when was she at her heaviest?
Also, when did her weight problems begin and why do you think she had those problems?
And, at what weight do you think she looked her best?
What was her ideal weight?
When was her weight first discussed (whether it was because she was too thin and/or overweight)?
You get around with this question!
She was at her slimmest during her early modeling years. In films, she was delicately slender in "Ladies of The Chorus" and almost thin in "The Asphalt Jungle." She plumped up a bit in "Money Business" in '52, but was in superb shape in "Blondes" Millionaire" and especially "River of No Return" Slightly fuller in "No Business" and "Itch" But still fab, except for her "Heat Wave" outfit, which caught her at all the wrong places. (This fine, well-proportioned body is the one that brought her fame. She is NOT a poster girl for the overweight. Sorry!)
After she left Hollywood in late 1954, she didn't film for 16 months, and during that time she gained and lost and gained--nothing drastic, but the press noticed. That she seemed to flaunt her ungirdled state was a big deal, too.
She is fine shape in "Bus Stop" but curvier than previous films. She was pregnant for a bit during the shooting of "The Prince and the Showgirl" and because of the insanely tight white dress she wears throughout, her tummy is quite obvious. And Olivier can't keep his camera away from her impossible-to-ignore-backside, either! (Time magazine interviewed her in Connecticut just prior to the release of "PATS and remarked: "she protruded unflatteringly from a pair of plaid peddle pushers. MM is clearly loosing her battle with weight!" Another pregnancy/miscarriage in 1957 and again in 1958, all during the "Hot" shoot put her into the gloriously voluptuous territory. (which I happened to like. Critics did not.)
Her weight continued to fluctuate. Almost slender toward the end of 1959, gaining again during the production of "Let's Make Love." "The Misfits" was again, up and down. (Her face rarely showed it. She had a good bone structure and jawline.)
Then of course came the traumas of 1961/62 and she was again as slim as she'd been as a teenage model--thinner even, and that was not flattering to her, IMO.
She was 117 pounds at the time of her death, which was fine for a girl of 21, not a woman of 36. Or not that woman of 36. Her best weight at this time was likely 124, maybe even a few pounds more.
Why? Well, she enjoyed her meals, although not so much as Liz. And she liked her champagne. But aside from the exercise she did as a model, I don't think she took good care of herself. I'd say depression and those constant miscarriages had something to do with it, too. Also nature. I think nature intended MM to carry a bit more weight.
That said, I don't believe she minded being kind of plump because her bust was bigger!
Even at her heaviest--which briefly I think might have been 140, she was never a plus-sized girl.
Thanks again for the responses. I always like reading your posts and look forward to reading them since you seem to know so much about entertainment/celebs/etc.
___Denis has said this beautifully. Over the years many a girl or grown woman has been led astray by old ways of measurement. Some of this has come out of Marilyn's own mouth as in The Misfits when Gables character Gay speaks about his young daughter being about Marilyn's characters size. "Size 12"? "Uh huh" replies Roslyn. In the UK it was even worse, a 16. And, that's the story that seemingly refuses to die. Marilyn would be anywhere between a 00 to an 8 today. This does not even account for the fact that most people photograph and film 10 pounds heavier, but for some unexplainable reason, Marilyn did the exact opposite. The Gods were definitely on her side for many obvious reasons.
shareDorian--Exactly! A twelve was a normal American size in 1960. Perhaps slightly fuller than what was fashionable, but hardly plus size. In "The Last Time I Saw Paris" (1954) Elizabeth Taylor contemplates her figure in a mirror--after her screen character has given birth: "Oh, I'll never, never be a size 10 again!" Of course, she looks great. But today's American size 10 is something women are loath to admit to.
Women who are seriously overweight are desperate to claim her, but aside from a few years of over-ripeness, Monroe's figure was shapely and in shape.
And as I've noted before, the very first Monroe movie I saw--in 1960, in a theater--was "Some Like It Hot." So, my Marilyn, the woman who first fascinated me, was lush and spilling out of her incredible costumes. I remember my mother and my aunts gossiping about her figure, but I thought she looked fabulous. I was hooked! (I then read the excellent Maurice Zolotow biography and became totally obsessed.)
By the time Marilyn died, two years later, I was as you find me now--joyfully nuts for Norma Jeane. But, never viewing her through rose-colored glasses. That, in my opinion, makes for rather boring adoration. If you can't accept the flaws and realities of your object of admiration, you are depriving them of vital humanity.
Denis