A new statue of Marilyn Monroe is causing a stir in Palm Springs. On Sunday, June 20, city officials unveiled the artwork, titled “Forever Marilyn” outside the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the event drew a mixed and passionate response from local residents. .
In fact, bands of protesters were picketing at the inauguration, holding up handmade signs and chanting, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Misogyny must go!” and “Exploitation! Exploitation!”
You see, the statue represents the icon of her famous 1955 class of The Seven-Year Itch, posing above a subway gate as her legendary white dress swirls sensually around her. However, the problem arises when you look at the 26-foot-tall artwork from the back, which shows a view of Monroe’s underwear.
“When you leave the museum, the statue is designed to look at her crotch and look at her butt and take pictures. And that’s no longer acceptable,” Emiliana Guereca, executive director of the Women’s March Foundation, told The Desert Sun according to TMZ. . “Maybe that was okay in the 1950s, but in 2021 we’re fighting the same thing and women say enough is enough.”
A Change.org petition collecting more than 41,000 signatures has already emerged with the aim of removing the statue. Others would prefer the statue to be moved to a local park rather than directly in front of the art museum.
It should be noted that at the time, the Palm Springs Art Museum also objected to the statue being placed in front of their location, citing visitors to the museum potentially believing it to be part of the museum’s collection.
