Marilyn Monroe is best known as the blond bombshell holding her dress down for a scene in The Seven Year Itch – as an American icon and sex symbol, but many of the women who pretend to be her either professionally or as a hobby view her as a more complicated and sophisticated character.
That's what photographer Emily Berl has discovered in her portrait series of people who dress like or impersonate Monroe. Instead of photographing the people who stand out on Hollywood Boulevard and take pictures with tourists, Berl says she’s purposely tracked down women who take the role more seriously. She wanted to avoid adding to the already developed cliché. Instead of “impersonator,” most of the women Berl has photographed prefer the word actress, tribute artist or simply fan.
“My own criteria was that they do it seriously, that they find inspiration from her in some way,” Berl says. “I’m trying to stay away from people who occasionally throw on a blond wig and a dress and sing happy birthday at a party.”
Berl says the women she’s photographed reject the classic image of Monroe and instead see her as woman who did an impressive job of navigating a hard life that involved sexual abuse and the patriarchy of the 1950s.
“In [the Marilyn Monroe] community I’ve been working with, everyone has really specific reasons for relating to her,” Berl says. “These women feel really protective over her."
The project started in Los Angles after Berl moved there with her boyfriend, who got a job as a TV writer. She wanted to produce a story that was LA-specific because she thought it might help familiarize her with her new digs.
The portraits are a personal project, so progress is slow. Berl has only shot a handful of people so far. But she’s already been in touch with fans outside the country in places like the Netherlands and is learning just how far Monroe’s reach really extends.
“Her story for some reason really touches a lot of people,” she says.
