My Lucky find….
I got so lucky and got my hands on an article in “Screenland,” magazine from March of 1952. In this magazine Marilyn Monroe wrote an article titled, “Why my Favorite Friends are Men.” In this article she talks about her relationships with men and women, and how the one with men was the best. I have to say that most women would probably agree with Marilyn. She said, “….I find most men are more open, more generous and much more stimulating than the majority of females…” Well, I really can understand why Marilyn may have felt this way. I can only imagine how catty women were around such a beauty! And that girlfriend is putting it mildly. She went on to say that women let “petty” things get to them and gave an example of two women attending a party and to their utter shock, disgrace and embarrassment they both are wearing the same dress! Something like this would make a girl want to hang herself. Whereas men in the same party are probably wearing the same color suits or tux and life goes on. She says, “Just imagine a male going into a hizzy because a male in his office is wearing the same color suit.” Not going to happen.
Marilyn Monroe in "Niagara"
Feline ways….
She said men were less critical than women. She relates a story of a female she worked with in the studio. One day after rehearsal Marilyn ran into her dressing room put on a pair of jeans, and t-shirt, and her hair was messy, you know, sorta like what we look like today. 
But in those days, well it just didn’t go. So a female friend tells her as she is running out to the store, “hey isn’t it a little too late for Halloween?” It’s just the feline ways of hating on all things “prettier!” A male friend spotted her in that same getup as she left the store and found her, well- witches-that -hate on her…… “Hot.” She said girls were too hung up on clothes, beauty, and size, basically stuck on appearances, whereas guys were not and she felt comfortable around that. She said that “a man has a tendency to accept you as you are, while most women start to pick flaws and want to change you.” She thought that men were not judgmental, and were loyal friends. Most long term friends for Marilyn were men. Another reason Marilyn may have felt this way about men was because she grew up in many foster homes and always desired to have “a father” of her own.
Marilyn felt a woman should embrace her womanhood.....
Ouch to the women’s movement…
In this same article she touches on a subject that many of the women’s movement would not agree with today. She said, “girls shouldn’t worry about being equal to a man in the business world…” but she should rather, “be more concerned with keeping her femininity than topping a man.” Alright, let’s remember it’s the 50’s and this is how some thought. But I have to say that the women’s movement has gone a little too far in our day, in many cases making many in the movement lose their femininity. I’m all for equal pay for the job, I agree that women are capable of doing a job as good as a man, but please don’t tell me to lose my womanhood in the process, and no, not all men are pigs or dumb asses. I will not subscribe to that ridiculous crap. And if a woman decides to stay home to care for her children instead of working outside the home, that does not make her lame. If anything, she is even stronger. And yes, I love men! So to a degree I agree with Marilyn. Yes, girlfriends we can do it, but it’s all good if we use pink while we do. Just sayin’.
She goes on to say that we should embrace our being born women and jokes, “if you spend your life competing with businessmen, what do you have?” “A bank account and ulcers!” She found that women were disingenuous, but men were forthright. The type of male she wanted as a friend had “to have enough fire and assurance to speak up his convictions.” These qualities she even sought out in the actors she co-starred with such as, Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, Marlon Brando & Robert Ryan, “the rugged types.”
Male friends rock!
Marilyn felt that women spent too much talk on girly-girl stuff, shopping, gossip, vacillation, calorie counting, stuff that just did nothing for her. It wasn’t, as she put it, that she “liked women less,” but “liked men more.” Marilyn I’m sure had a few female friends in life, but for the most part it was male friendships that made her happiest. Many women today feel the same way. I say, I rather have balance. I love my girlfriend time, but I also cherish my male friendships as well. In fact, my husband and I started out as friends and he is still my “BFF” 
But I do understand where Marilyn was coming from. I have encountered female- so-called- friends from hell and many times have been tempted to send them right back to hell. So girlfriends, if your BFF is a guy, rock on!
Update, I’ve received comments from a couple of “femi-Nazis,” look, you want to be a man, look like one, but at the same time hate men, rock-on! Only don’t come on this blog spewing your rhetoric, inappropriate language and all, I don’t care for it, and you are wasting your time! I will not post it! Secure women don’t fall for that crap anymore. It’s not the damn 70′s, have you noticed it’s 2012? Now, be a good girl and burn your bra! Ciao!
13 Responses to “Marilyn Monroe: Why Men Were Her Favorite Friends”
Bacall,
Thanks for sharing this article! I love those old Hollywood fan mags. If you can wade through the gossip there really are a few gems.
We all knew MM was troubled and beyond all of the men in her life we never hear of her having close female friends. That must have been difficult. I’m sure she felt very isolated even though she had millions who adored her the world over from afar.
Interesting info on her views on women. I agree about the 50′s mindset. Thankfully we’ve come a long way.
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I suspect the reason she liked men so much is because they worshiped her and didn’t see her as competition–that no doubt sweetened the pot. As for your comment about the women’s movement going too far, we’ll have to disagree. When I make just as much as the man who does the same job for the same amount of time and with as much success then we might agree. As for women who stay home with their children being strong, I can agree to tha. I know I would blow my brains out if I had to stay home with children every day.
I love Marilyn Monroe! I agree with what she said and like her, I value my friendship with men than with girls. Girls are catty and there’s always competition involved. With men, friendship is cherished.
I so agree with Marilyn. She was too gorgeous to have women friends.
Catty women in the workplace is the pits. Had two psychopaths at my last job. One of them came in everyday with a different hair color. The other one lost weight quickly and dolled up with makeup. It didn’t end.
Lucky for me…I escaped to a better job and more down-to-earth people…these people were also women who had no concern for looks (imagine…there WAS a place like that). And it was Heaven to be there. They were happy. They were happy because they did not think like “typical women”.
i dont know maybe iam like marylin , cuz i dont have lots of female freinds they r always mean to me and extremly jealous , i almost go to therapist cuz of women always hated me for no obvious reason some of them from first meeting maybe the way i look make them feel that way but it hurted me sooo much , one of them was my childhood bff cuz her brother loved me and all compliments were for me . If marylin was here i love be her female friend cuz i always feel sorry for her and mad at people who drive her insane and were mean low with her f them
Sorry you have had such a rough time of it with other women. Maybe you are too pretty? Make friends with men and it will go a lot easier.
You sound like a sweet person.
Figured i’d add a man’s take to this, on two notes. one on feminism, the other on associations between men and women. as a man, i can say the majority of friendships between men and women is a man looking for sex. even if not with the woman in which he friends this friendship, even if he genuinely values her as a friend. in most cases, he’s looking to either get at her, or her friends. this i know, having been a guy with many, that is to say mostly female friends growing up. helps that i grew up with three sisters and knew how women ticked though, i wasn’t afraid of the other sex lick most young men at those times. in regards to feminism and equality. i’m all for equality, we’re all equal in the eyes of God, but it’s a little one-sided that particular argument. women have the option, to not take a providing role at all and still want to be treated as equals in all aspects of home life, and family affairs. this, and if i come off as bitter forgive me, but this comes from my time with my ex-wife, mainly while i served in the US Army. she was great with our kids…is great i should say (three beautiful little girls =D), but that’s where it ended. financially speaking. i and i alone kept us a float, and before the end of the second week of each month we were flat broke. my income, which a soldier’s pay, pay i received in a lump sum at the start of each month..isn’t that great. i ensured the bills were paid, needs were handled and after that…she normally found a way to make the rest vanish. now what gets me about this is, she does nothing during this time to help carry my burden yet, instead of equal standing expected i should bend to what she wanted,(and i’m not going to lie. imma stubborn, outspoken asshole, so it didn’t happen)in the end, after getting out of the service, she ended up leaving me because we fell on hard times and i was having trouble finding work. (we had other issues, but that was the primary one, she couldn’t stick it out through the worse but was fine with the better) that leads me to this though, there is a luxury a woman have that man never will, there are many women these days that actually do make as much if not more than men in their fields, now one of these women, would never let a man do what men all let our wives do, not that they should. a man should work, should earn his living through his sweat, blood and tears. (how i was raised) and yes, there are cases where a man is the stay at home parent, but lets be honest, those are few and far between, because a woman that isn’t rich, wouldn’t accept a man that doesn’t work. not unless she’s too weak of a woman to put the lazy bastard in his place. that said, if women want equality, then it should be equality at all levels. if you’re financial sound, and don’t need the extra income, than that’s a discussion for a woman and her husband, but other wise. no man should ever be left in a position like me, carrying to full financial burden for a family of 5…4 at the time in question. especially on the income of a lower enlisted soldier. i busted my ass, and constantly to carry a family, and struggled to do so. to be honest, we’re not together any longer, and i still bust my ass and give her nearly every penny i make, because she’s got my girls. for it, she keeps her car note paid, her cell phone on and is able to attend school to become a nurse, and for it my truck has sat in the yard for a year, i struggle to provide for myself and can’t do it, and don’t even have the means to make the daily commute to attend classes using my GI Bill and that’s a free education. i guess i’m rambling, my point is this. if you want equality, than act it. don’t make a grab for all the benefits of equality, and none of the burden. an equal position in society and on the homefront also means carrying your fair share of the weight. that said, there are quite a few women who do just as i ask, i know many. though i know many more who spout equality, but don’t do the work that would earn them their supposed equal stance. if you want men to respect that position, then pull your weight. that simple. thank you for your time.
Thanks Jeremy for your input. I apologize for my delay in posting this. I agree with a lot of what your said, many females will not like that, but I do. And btw thank you for your service! And thanks for stopping by.
the reason she liked men so much was because they gave her what she wanted – and all she had to do for that is look pretty and act sexy in order to delight them.
Look at Johnny Hyde – made him leave his family behind and move in with her and build her a career – all because she was a pretty face. Don’t tell me he saw talent, because she herself admitted to being a sh*t actress in the beginning
Hi Ari and thanks for your comment! Yeah, I am sure Marilyn used her sex appeal to “get what she wanted,” I guess many in Hollywood did as she, and still do. Alas, it’s the nature of the business. But still, can you imagine how many women in that world hated on her just because she was so pretty? Do you really think, any, honestly wanted to be her BFF? I really don’t think so. I’m sure that among all the men that used her, or she used, there must have at least been one who truly loved her as a friend, I can think immediately of Clark Gable who is said to have been a very good friend to her. In fact, when he died, she mourned his death for a very long time. Don’t know that she ever got over that. Thanks again!
Thank you for sharing, I agree with you and Marilyn. As for these feminists who cannot fathom staying home with their children, why is it that you are so against someone else having an opinion that differs from yours? Re-read that until you get the ridiculousness because it seems to me you have a really bad attitude and furthermore, need to learn to be comfy in your own FEMALE (re-read that is necessary as well) skin. Thank you again for posting
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Thank you Candiiey for stopping by and for your comment. It’s nice to know there many others as myself out there. Thx again, and please stop on by again!