Rare Throwback Pics Of Marilyn Monroe Prove She Wasn't Always A Blond Bombshell
When you think of iconic blondes throughout history, Marilyn Monroe is likely the first one to enter your mind. That said, the iconic bombshell certainly fits in with the many modern celebs who are nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair color; she was actually born a brunette. Monroe, then going by her birth name of Norma Jeane Baker (or Mortenson, as the future star went by both surnames interchangeably), was discovered as a teenager thanks to her brown hair. Quite differently from her signature platinum blond bob, a young Monroe sported a head of thick brunette curls.
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As the story goes, 18-year-old Monroe was working in a factory supporting World War II efforts in 1944 when she was spotted by photographer David Conover. The man was taken by Monroe's natural beauty, so he kept shooting photos of the brunette after their first meeting. By January 1945, Monroe was able to quit her job at the factory, signing with Blue Book Model Agency a few months later. Photographs of a brown-haired Monroe are still available to find today, providing a glimpse of the globally renowned actor as a young modeling hopeful. Monroe's auburn hair is a significant part of her Hollywood origin story and is inseparable from the early years of her career.
Marilyn Monroe was encouraged to dye her hair
While Marilyn Monroe was signed to Blue Book Model Agency with brown hair, her tresses wouldn't stay that way for long. The agency's head, Emmeline Snively, reportedly advised the up-and-comer to dye her hair blond in order to appear more versatile and gain additional modeling opportunities."If you really intend to go places in this business, you've just got to bleach and straighten your hair, because now your face is a little too round and a hair job will lengthen it," Snively later claimed she told Monroe (per 29Secrets).
Monroe followed the agent's advice, changed her look from sweet brunette to blond bombshell, and the rest is history. Even years later, when she was a full-blown Hollywood star, Monroe dutifully maintained her blond hair from fading. The "Some Like It Hot" actor would fly famed hair colorist Pearl Porterfield to Los Angeles every Saturday to touch up her roots. Her dedication to her iconic style was such that Monroe ignored royal fashion rules when she met Queen Elizabeth. With this in mind, it isn't surprising that she had weekly dye sessions.
Marilyn Monroe's newly blond hair resulted in her first contract with 20th Century Fox
After Marilyn Monroe dyed her hair blond at the behest of her modeling agent, the young star went on to be signed by 20th Century Fox in 1946. The head of RKO Pictures, Howard Hughes, reportedly spotted a picture of the newly blond Monroe in a magazine and requested to do a screen test with the young model. Monroe's agency used the competition between companies to pressure Fox into a screen test of their own. This resulted in the actor's first contract. Monroe received her stage name shortly after arriving at Fox; studio head Ben Lyon put forward the name "Marilyn" to pay homage to Broadway star Marilyn Miller. The actor herself suggested the last name "Monroe," which was her mother's maiden name. And thus, a star was born.
Though Monroe's career didn't take off immediately, stardom eventually found the blond icon in the early 1950s. After several roles in comedies, a pinup portrait scandal, and finding her signature shade of platinum blond, she starred in three of her biggest films, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, "How to Marry a Millionaire," and "The Seven Year Itch," between 1953 and 1955. Monroe's career and later legacy centered on her signature blond hair as a major factor in her global influence, but keep in mind that it all started with a certain brunette factory worker named Norma Jeane Baker.