Blonde, a fictional film set around the life of Marilyn Monroe, has been attracting controversy ever since its announcement. Now, actress and model Emily Ratajkowski is adding her voice to the growing discourse surrounding the Ana de Armas film.
Blondeis a fictionalized biography of Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson. Based on a 2000 novel by Joyce Carol Oates, theNetflixfilm is a highly sexualized and dramatized take on Monroe’s life. Many have called out the film as insensitive and exploitative of Monroe’s legacy. Monroe was treated quite unfairly during her life; she was a sex symbol in the ’50s during a time when sex was synonymous with sin. Many critics point out that her legacy continues to be disrespected sixty years after her death, with many treating her more as an object rather than as a person who lived, suffered, loved, and died. The cast and crew maintain a different view, evenclaiming Marilyn Monroe’s presence was felt on set.
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Ratajkowski has added her voice to the dissenters. Taking toTikTok, Ratajkowski said, “We love to fetishize female pain. And I think as women, I can say for myself for sure, I’ve learned how to fetishize my own pain and my own hurt in my life so that it feels like something that can be tended to that’s kind of sexy.” She compared Monroe’s treatment to the media circuses and inappropriate handling of the suffering of other famous women, such asthe death of Amy Winehouse, the speculation over Britney Spears' mental health, and the death of Princess Diana.
“I want that to change. But I was thinking about it and you know what’s kind of hard to fetishize? Anger. Anger is hard to fetishize. So I have a proposal. I think we all need to be a little more pissed off,” Ratajkowski added. “I’m gonna be in my witch era. 2022, baby, is my b**** era.” She expressed that she would feel anger watching the newBlondefilm, which she said, “fetishizes females even in death.”
Ratajkowski’s critiques are part of a criticism that has emerged throughout the film’s production cycle. When it was announced that the film would be NC-17, many felt thatthe racy sex and nude scenes inBlondewould be unnecessary and disrespectful to depict, given that Monroe was an actual person. Additionally, many of these encounters never occurred in Monroe’s life, and some felt that the film did not do a good enough job billing itself as a fictional take on the icon’s life, further muddying the waters of her actual experiences.
Now thatBlondehas been released, the criticism has grown stronger. A key point of contention appears to be an abortion carried out by Monroe. In a fantasy sequence, the fetus appears to talk to Monroe and guilt her. Many found the scene to be bizarre and anti-choice and also found it disrespectful because Monroe faced issues with infertility and wanted children of her own.Critics have not been kind toBlondein general, as the film currently sits at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and reviews are mixed.
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