Why Are Period Pieces So White?

Jayani Mamidi

Vapid, stupid, idiotic, or vixens - these are the legacies that famous actresses supposedly leave behind. While their male counterparts are remembered for who they were as people, women in media are constantly reduced to their styles and scandals, leaving their accomplishments forgotten.

Throughout her life and even after her death, Marilyn Monroe has been constantly misrepresented by society and the media. Most know Monroe by defining traits that the media shaped her character around: her blonde hair, promiscuous attitude, and cheating scandals. The establishment of this reputation was further underscored by coverage that exaggerated her interactions with famous men. When she sang Happy Birthday for President Kennedy, carrying on a tradition that many other celebrities had previously participated in, journalists fabricated headlines implying an affair between her and the president. One even went as far as to call the performance "making love to the president in the direct view of forty million Americans.” Despite the detailed coverages on scandals surrounding Monroe and her sexuality, the media failed to highlight her contributions to the film industry. When 20th Century Studios attempted to control Monroe by capitalizing off of the dumb blonde stereotype that many associated with Monroe, she broke away and established her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. In this era, this was an unprecedented move, and her refusal to let anyone control her helped empower other women in the industry. Ella Fitzgerald, a talented jazz singer, was denied stages due to her status as a Black woman. Monroe used her popularity to negotiate with LA’s most famous club, Mocambo. In exchange for Monroe’s publicity at Fitzgerald’s performances, Fitzgerald was allowed to perform, catapulting her career towards stardom. Additionally, Monroe was an active supporter of LGBTQ+ rights: “When two people love each other, who cares what color or flavor or religion they are? It’s two human beings. It’s beautiful. Love is beautiful. It’s that simple.” Similarly, Audrey Hepburn, a prominent actress of the 1960s, was constantly reduced to her beauty while her active political stances were long ignored. Famous for her slim figure and chaste attitude, Hepburn was solely presented as the “ideal woman” through articles on her style and obedient personality. In addition,, she was continuously referred to as untalented due to a nervous breakdown she had on the set of My Fair Lady. However, Hepburn’s political views and ardent support for movements were, and still are rarely discussed. For example, Hepburn raised money for the Dutch underground railroad through ballet performances to show her support for the Dutch resistance. Despite her parent’s alignment with the Nazi party and pro-fascist organizations, Hepburn held her own views. Hepburn was also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, working on missions to address drought and food shortage in Ethiopia, lack of polio vaccines in Turkey, and increasing amounts of impoverished children working on Ecuador’s streets. She was involved in bringing fresh water to Guatemala and Honduras, teaching people in El Salvador, bringing meals and medicinal help to people in Vietnam, and helping children without homes in Sudan with suitable living conditions. President George W. Bush even awarded Hepburn a Presidential Medal of Freedom to commend her on the work she did with UNICEF.

Women in entertainment must not only be remembered for their beauty and scandals; their accomplishments must also be highlighted by the media. Books, documentaries, and other forms of media need to bring to light the achievements of these women to preserve their legacies and prevent their other achievements from being diminished.