--- description: Marilyn Monroe is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century. title: Marilyn Monroe: 100 Women of the Year image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26b998ecfdbbf384/698a0af116d8844e89c37cfb/social-1954_Marilyn-Monroe.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 1954: Marilyn Monroe Mar 5, 2020 11:36 AM CUT  Frank Powolny––MPTVIMAGES by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 5, 2020 11:36 AM CUT In 1954, [Marilyn Monroe](https://time.com/4346417/marilyn-monroe-time-1956-cover/ "undefined")—already a sex symbol and a [movie star](https://time.com/5368339/marilyn-monroe-real-name-story/ "undefined")—posed on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 52nd Street in New York City, for a scene intended to appear in her 1955 film _The Seven Year Itch._ The breeze blowing up through a subway grate sent her white dress billowing around her, an image that lingers today like a joyful, animated ghost. Monroe was a stunner, but she was also a brilliant actor and comedian who strove to be taken seriously in a world of men who wanted to see her only as an object of desire. Today, especially in a world after [Harvey Weinstein’s downfall](https://time.com/5789000/harvey-weinstein-partial-verdict/ "undefined"), she stands as a woman who fought a system that was rigged against her from the start. She brought us such pleasure, even as [our hearts broke for her](https://time.com/3984289/marilyn-monroe-obituary/ "undefined"). _—Stephanie Zacharek_ --- _This article is part of_ [_100 Women of the Year_](https://time.com/100-women-of-the-year/ "undefined")_, TIME’s list of the most influential women of the past century. Read more_ [_about the project_](https://time.com/5793734/time-100-women-of-the-year-issue/ "undefined")_, explore the_ [_100 covers_](https://time.com/5793732/time-100-women-of-the-year-covers/ "undefined") _and sign up for our_ [_Inside TIME newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletters?newsletter%5Fname=INSIDE%5FTIME&source=article-woy-footer "undefined") _for more._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5793556/marilyn-monroe-100-women-of-the-year/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5793556/marilyn-monroe-100-women-of-the-year/"},"headline":"1954: Marilyn Monroe","datePublished":"2020-03-05T11:36:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:20:52.459Z","description":"Marilyn Monroe is one of the leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the last century.","url":"https://time.com/5793556/marilyn-monroe-100-women-of-the-year/","keywords":["Women of the Year"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26b998ecfdbbf384/698a0af116d8844e89c37cfb/social-1954_Marilyn-Monroe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26b998ecfdbbf384/698a0af116d8844e89c37cfb/social-1954_Marilyn-Monroe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SOCIAL - Women of the Year: 1954_Marilyn-Monroe","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5793556/marilyn-monroe-100-women-of-the-year/","name":"1954: Marilyn Monroe"}}]}] ```