Marilyn Monroe's Go-To Diet Is Surprisingly Easy To Replicate
It's been 60 years since one of the most culturally iconic figures of all-time, Marilyn Monroe, died at the age of 36 in her Los Angeles home. Her legacy surely lives on despite peculiar circumstances surrounding her death remaining a mystery. Over the years, the "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" star has been portrayed in films about her life such as 2011's "My Week with Marilyn," and most recently Netflix's "Blonde" starring Ana de Armas, based on the fictional novel on Monroe by Joyce Carol Oates.
The nearly three-hour drama has some Twitter users divided, with one user claiming the film is a "cinematic masterpiece," while another insists it continues to "exploit poor Norma Jean (Marilyn Monroe) and her life story." Regardless of the polarizing views, it has people talking about the breathy, blonde bombshell whose timeless looks are still coveted today. Decades later, it still begs the question: How did Marilyn Monroe achieve her phenomenal figure?
If you've seen the trailer for "Blonde," it's no surprise de Armas prepped for the role by embodying the quintessential blonde locks and nailing the flirtatious voice cadence, but how Monroe herself attained, and maintained, her hourglass physique is still being discussed decades after she left us.
Marilyn Monroe's diet consisted of questionable protein choices
Marilyn Monroe's image to the public was larger than life, but in reality, she was a misunderstood, complex woman that oftentimes didn't fit the characters she played on-screen. While she made many movies during her short-lived life, she was also known for her stunning beauty that was seen on covers of magazines like Playboy, becoming the publication's first nude centerfold in 1953 (via Business Insider). In fact, publications like Forbes cite her as one of fashion's biggest influences when it comes to size inclusivity, estimating her measurements to be a US size 6/8 today.
When news of the "Blonde" biopic dropped, Vogue U.K. revisited a 1952 interview Monroe did with Pageant where she discussed her eating and wellness habits. She told the now-defunct magazine that before she took a morning shower, she prepared breakfast over a hot plate that is sure to raise eyebrows.
"When it's hot, I break two raw eggs into the milk, whip them up with a fork, and drink them while I'm dressing," Monroe said.
For dinner, Monroe's meal was just as squeamish. "Every night I stop at the market near my hotel and pick up a steak, lamb chops or some liver, which I broil in the electric oven in my room," she said. "I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat ... I never get bored with raw carrots."
To satisfy her sweet tooth, Monroe stopped by for hot fudge sundaes after acting classes on occasion.
Her form of exercise was unique, to say the least
Like many of us, the task of exercise can be daunting. For Marilyn Monroe, she approached the topic of physical activity in a practical way to stay in shape. She revealed to Pageant that she "never cared" for outdoor sports and didn't excel at ones like tennis, golf, or swimming. Instead, she had her own simple routine that she swore by.
"I never used to bother with exercises," Monroe explained. "Now I spend at least 10 minutes each morning working out with small weights. I have evolved my own exercises, for the muscles I wish to keep firm, and I know they are right for me because I can feel them putting the proper muscles into play as I exercise."
The exercises in question began with her laying on the floor, she told the magazine: "It is a simple bust-firming routine which consists of lifting five-pound weights from a spread-eagle arm position to a point directly above my head. I do this 15 times, slowly. I repeat the exercise another 15 times from a position with my arms above my head. Then, with my arms at a 45-degree angle from the floor, I move my weights in circles until I'm tired. I don't count rhythmically like the exercise people on the radio; I couldn't stand exercise if I had to feel regimented about it."
It's only fitting that the woman who is often credited for the saying, "Well-behaved women rarely make history," lived by unconventional habits, but not unattainable ones.