Abstract:
In both scholarship and Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are seen as almost binary opposites of each other in every way: brunette vs. blonde, boyish vs. curvy. However, while Hepburn and Monroe have many differences, they both share a lasting legacy in contemporary society, with new generations of audiences and fans continuing to discover them decades after the end of their careers and their passing. By considering their continued presence in contemporary society long after their deaths, this thesis places Hepburn and Monroe together in an academic space that neither has been discussed in previously. This is achieved through several methods of research, including tracking their biographical and 'iconographic rememberings' in contemporary society. Examining these 'iconographic rememberings' highlights the permanence of Hepburn and Monroe's star images through the ways that their images are circulated and (re)circulated in society. Meanwhile discussing what I refer to as biographical rememberings highlights the ways in which Hepburn and Monroe's lives are continuously retold through a variety of media formats. This thesis also uses original qualitative research in the form of in-person interviews, which I conducted myself. These interviews aimed to understand and reflect on why audiences continue to be drawn to Hepburn and Monroe, and demonstrate a variety of levels of how these participants engaged with each star. These varying levels of engagement can be broken down into audiences viewing Hepburn as authentic and Monroe as mythical. Utilising these different research methods, this thesis aims to explore this lasting legacy of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe in contemporary society, and to examine the permanence of their star images and consider why we continue to be drawn to each of them.