I woke up this morning wondering what it would be like if the world had no mirrors. Yes, that’s right, none at all, so that we never saw the reflections of our own faces. We’d have to focus on the merits of our internal landscape much more, yes?

I also have wondered (many times) how different the world would be if the first department in the women’s section of a department store were not cosmetics. This would probably apply to men too, if as much emphasis were put on their beauty as their building of empires.

Physical beauty is a product of nature, and its measuring stick is still too often based on the subjective opinion of a culture or society. Norma Jean was born with the sort of good looks that society craved at the time. The world at large bought into Hollywood’s manipulation of Norma Jean into Marilyn Monroe, imagining they were the same. They were not.

The woman hidden beneath the glamorous facade was crying to be seen for her inner self, trapped by her own drive for success, and Hollywood’s desire to profit from it.

And I wonder, even though we’re slowly getting smarter about all of this, how much are we still buying into society’s definition of who we should be? What do you think?

“If they tell you that she died of sleeping pills you must know that she died of a wasting grief, of a slow bleeding at the soul.” ~ Clifford Odets

Marilyn Monroe quotes:

“The true things rarely get into circulation. It’s usually the false things.”

“It was more fun dreaming about being a movie star than actually being one.”

“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.”

“I’m for the individual as opposed to the corporation. The way it is the individual is the underdog, and with all the things a corporation has going for them the individual comes out banged on her head. The artist is nothing. It’s really tragic.”

“We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.”

“All we demanded was our right to twinkle.”

Susan L Hart 2023 / HartInspirations.com