Marilyn Monroe Statue Sparks Controversy
Sixty-six years later, Marilyn Monroe's iconic "subway dress" moment from The Seven-Year Itch is still getting under people's skin.
Chicago's new statue immortalizing the famous scene from the 1955 film has been branded as "sexist" by some as it offers tourists an intimate upskirt view of the blonde bombshell's white panties, USA Today reports.
The 26-foot "Forever Marilyn" statue by artist Seward Johnson was unveiled in Chicago's Pioneer Court along the Magnificent Mile on July 15, and features a larger-than-life recreation of Monroe's white halter-top dress, which was recently sold at auction for a whopping $5.6 million.
Though Chicago has no obvious links—yet its Windy City moniker is quite appropriate—to the film, which was set in New York, tourists have rushed to take in, ahem, the view, prompting ChicagoNow art blogger Abraham Ritchie to blast it as "creepy and sexist."
"[The statue] caters to cheap titillation, titillation that is in itself pathetic," Ritchie writes. "By making Monroe's panties visible, Johnson encourages voyeurism. When I visited it recently there were no less than three men taking pictures of Monroe's rear."
Guess they don't call them fanny-packers for nothing. Here's hoping our wardrobe malfunctions don't turn into tourist attractions.
