I was reading the articles for today and, especially in relation to the Harris article, I found myself trying to think of a current-day comparable actress to Marilyn Monroe and/or Grace Kelly. For some reason, the only actress I could come up with that was even close was Scarlett Johansson. She has the sexual seductiveness of Marilyn, and the more serious acting credibility of Grace Kelly, (though granted she is very different from both of them) and a distinct persona, which is pretty much the same on screen as off. She usually plays the sexy siren, (even in music videos like Justin’s “What Goes Around”) and is very mysterious not only in many of the roles she plays, but in her daily life as well. She isn't often in the gossip magazines, especially when compared to someone like Paris or Britney, and she's always very secretive about who she's dating. I think this is cultivated just as Grace Kelly and Marilyn’s personas were cultivated, only now instead of a studio behind it, there’s a team of publicists.
The fact that I could only come up with Scarlett as a similar type of persona was slightly distressing to me, not only because I don’t think she has enough talent to be in the same category as Grace Kelly (one of my all time favorite actors) or Marilyn Monroe, but because I could only really pinpoint one reason for my comparison: her looks. Blonde, fair, and curvy. I was intrigued by Dyer’s reading of the "blondeness" of Marilyn Monroe, and I think it applies to Grace Kelly as well. They are the epitome of beauty, in our society, because they are the epitome of whiteness; they are blonde, have light skin, innocent faces, and an overall aura of vulnerability. Even though Scarlett may not have an innocent face now, or appear vulnerable, think back to her earlier roles, like Lost in Translation. I think Scarlett fits into the same category. Much of Scarlett’s Info section on her imdb page is devoted to different "Hot" lists that she made it on to, similar to Marilyn's. Even Grace Kelly is on a "sexiest" list, though she is also on best actress lists. Both are legends, and I feel like Scarlett could be on that list too, in the future, if she stays away from movies like The Island, because she has the "look" that fits with our American standard of beauty. That brings me back to the question we faced in class earlier, which is what exactly makes a star? Do you think that these actresses are celebrated more for their looks or for their talent? Does it matter?