BURY YOUR BLONDES: THE LIFE, DEATH, AND ONGOING OBSESSION WITH MARILYN MONROE AND ANNA NICOLE SMITH

Abstract

This thesis explores why the media and the public were – and continue to be – so obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith. Qualitative textual analysis is utilized to analyze coverage of both women within the New York Times both during their lives and after their deaths. The dialogue used to discuss Monroe and Smith within these articles is examined to show the Times articles perpetuating common themes such as a preoccupation with their personal lives, a dismissal of their professional abilities, and an obsession with reporting every detail of their health struggles. In perpetuating these themes, the Times helped construct and firmly establish the “tragic blonde” archetype that is so strongly associated with Monroe and Smith.