#MeTooMarilyn: Giant Marilyn Monroe statue kicking up controversy in Palm Springs
Marilyn Monroe is now persona non grata in Palm Springs, California.
A 26-foot-tall statue of the late Hollywood icon is kicking up controversy in the popular Southern California desert resort city.
NPR reports that the “Forever Marilyn” installation, which had spent the past seven years in other locations, returned to Palm Springs last month and is currently situated in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
It is now causing a stir with the #MeToo movement.
The installation depicts the Monroe’s most iconic scene from the 1955 Billy Wilder movie “The Seven Year Itch,” standing on a subway grate as her white dress is blown upwards when a train passes.
Once hailed as a tourist attraction, the statue – which was first displayed in downtown Palm Springs between 2012 and 2014 – is now being deemed an eyesore and sexist by a group of residents who are petitioning for its removal.
Louis Grachos, the director of the museum, has taken particular issue to the statue’s backside facing the building.
“The thought of those kids leaving our museum and having the first thing they see is the undergarments and underwear of this enormous Marilyn sculpture would be highly offensive,” Grachos previously argued during a city council meeting to determine whether or not to welcome back the statue.
Another critic, Elizabeth Armstrong, dubbed the statue #MeTooMarilyn and launched a Change.org petition to remove the statue – deeming it misogynistic.
“It’s blatantly sexist,” she remarked, adding that statue objectifies the icon by promoting “upskirting,” which is defined as taking a photo of a person’s genital area without their knowledge. It’s considered a criminal misdemeanor offense in the state of California.
“She wanted to be taken seriously as an artist and not just a sexual icon. We join others in asking the City of Palm Springs to venerate-not defile-her memory,” the petition states.
“We challenge Palm Springs to find more appropriate ways to honor her memory and the true legacy of Marilyn Monroe.”
As of Monday, the petition has raked in more than 40,800 signatures on the crowd sourcing platform.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Palm Springs has a population of 48,518 as of 2019.
Other detractors have called for the statue’s relocation, claiming the art piece does not follow local regulations and city ordinances.
“We’re sticking to the street and highway code and the ways in which Palm Springs did not follow its own rules in the process of closing this street,” fashion designer Trina Turk told the outlet.
The ensuing controversy took tourism group chief Aftab Dada, who spearheaded Marilyn’s return, by surprise.
He now plans to launch an independent study to research the statue’s economic value to the city.
Designed by Johnson & Johnson descendant John Seward Johnson II in 2011, “Forever Marilyn’ has been displayed in a variety of locations in the United States, as well as in Australia.
According to its tourism authority, Palm Springs was a playground of many celebrities from Hollywood golden era. Many celebrities – such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas and Cary Grant — stayed and purchased hideaway homes.
Monroe, who died in 1962, was known as a frequent visitor of the city, which is about two hours from Tinseltown.
