Madonna’s Brother Said She’s Nothing Like Marilyn Monroe
Madonna and Marilyn Monroe would be compared to each other no matter what, simply because they are two of the biggest female celebrities ever. On the other hand, some fans claim that the similarity between the Material Girl and the Some Like It Hot star goes deeper than that. Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, had a different take on the situation.
Madonna’s brother said she’s not ‘self-destructive’ like Marilyn Monroe
Monroe’s influence can be seen throughout Madonna’s career. The “Like a Virgin” singer based her video for “Material Girl” on a scene from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, one of Monroe’s most famous films. Monroe is also one of several Hollywood stars mentioned in the lyrics of “Vogue.” The cover of Madonna’s greatest hits album Celebration is also based on Monroe, and the singer appropriated a famous sequence from The Seven Year Itch for her “Give Me All Your Luvin'” clip.
In his 2008 book Life With My Sister Madonna, Ciccone contests the idea that his sister was particularly influenced by a certain blonde bombshell. “So-called Madonna experts often claim that my sister is obsessed by Marilyn Monroe and that she modeled herself and her career on Monroe’s,” he wrote. “They are wrong.
“Although the release of Madonna’s nude pictures may have had the same effect on her career that the publication of Marilyn’s nude calendar did on hers, apart from in the ‘Material Girl’ video, Madonna has never identified with Marilyn or modeled herself or her career on Marilyn’s,” he added. “And she has never been remotely self-destructive, which is probably why Madonna has been a star for a quarter of a century and — unlike Elvis and other superstars — didn’t die young either.”
Why the Queen of Pop compared her love life to Marilyn Monroe’s
Ciccone said his sister never identified with Monroe before relaying an anecdote about a time his sister identified with Monroe. Madonna famously dated John F. Kennedy Jr., much in the same way Monroe famously had a fling with John F. Kennedy.
Madonna tried to impress her brother by showing off her relationship with the younger Kennedy. “Madonna calls me and says, ‘I feel like I am repeating Marilyn and the president,” Ciccone wrote. “I can’t believe she’s serious. I tell her, ‘Go ahead and enjoy yourself. You aren’t Marilyn, and he’s not the president.'” Ciccone wondered if Madonna was using Kennedy to “enhance her own mythology.”
Madonna said she was inspired by several 1950s actresses
All of Ciccone’s speculation raises a question: What has Madonna said about Monroe? In a 1985 interview with Time, she said that she grew up idolizing several women. They included Carole Lombard, Judy Holliday, and, of course, Monroe. The “Express Yourself” singer connected with all of them because they were both worldly and innocent. She also admired their femininity and sex appeal.
In the interview, Madonna identified herself as a feminist. Regardless, she still put in a good word for Monroe’s peak decade: the 1950s. Madonna felt that 1950s women found their strength through their femininity rather than being exactly like men. Madonna also attributed her popularity to her girly aesthetic.
Ciccone didn’t think Monroe inspired his sister much but the Queen of Pop had something else to say.
