FEMINISTS CAMPAIGN TO DESTROY MARILYN MONROE’S BREAST X-RAYS
The sale of Marilyn Monroe’s breast and pelvis X-rays has been criticised by feminist activists.
Images taken by the American actress’s gynaecologist depict the outline of her breasts and an intrauterine contraption in her pelvis.
Julien’s Auctions – which specialises in the sale of celebrity artefacts and memorabilia – has listed more than 190 items related or belonging to Monroe, who died in 1962.
In response, feminist campaigners have issued a plea for the intimate images to be destroyed.
Anna Mac, a comedian and activist, said on social media: “If you have about $30,000 and a barbecue and a US address and you are interested in buying Marilyn Monroe’s X-rays so this woman can rest in peace, drop me a DM.”
Another said that prospective buyers were bidding for “a picture of her pain”.
The actress, who was famed for her beauty, suffered from health issues all her life – including suspected endometriosis.
Monroe’s medical file, written by Dr Michael Gurdin, is also going under the hammer. The scans are valued at around $2,000 (£1,477).
Other X-rays available from celebrities include a scan of Albert Einstein’s head and Elvis Presley’s hands.
Ms Mac added: “It’s not like it’s X-rays of her ankles, it’s X-rays of a particular part of this woman’s body.”
Sara McGee, an American politician, also condemned the sale.
She said: “The most devastating detail of this image is that it is from a hysterosalpingogram, which is an imaging study where contrast is injected into a woman’s uterus to check for patency of her fallopian tubes.”
“Marilyn Monroe was undergoing testing to try to understand why she couldn’t have children. And people are bidding on a picture of her pain.”
Both X-rays were taken in 1954 at a hospital in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
The auction, set to be held June 1-4, also includes personal letters, documents, used makeup, film scripts and trinkets from her home.
Doctor ‘used X-rays as teaching tool’
A brassiere worn by Monroe in the 1950s has already received £2,033 ($2,750) in online bids.
Monroe suffered from chronic endometriosis throughout her adult life, which led to multiple admissions to hospital and gynaecological surgeries, as well as several failed pregnancies.
A separate set of X-rays from 1952 are also part of the auction. They show a large intestine and gallbladder scan, requested by Dr Myron Prinzmetal, Monroe’s cardiologist.
Monroe later had her gallbladder removed in an emergency surgery in 1961 at Polyclinic Hospital in New York City.
The auction house says in the lot listing: “As a radiology resident at Cedars, a young doctor obtained this X-ray and one other, of Monroe’s pelvis.”
“When he taught students, he used these X-rays to ensure that they were paying attention.”
Monroe, who began her career as a Playboy model after a troubled childhood, later became one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. She was credited with revolutionising sexuality and fashion for women in the 50s and 60s.
But she suffered from abuse and male objectification, historians argued, and was unhappy with being typecast and underestimated.
Hugh Hefner, the Playboy founder, bought the crypt next to Monroe’s for $75,000 in 1992.
Velleda C Ceccoli, a psychologist, wrote that Monroe was “objectified, depersonalised and ridiculed” during her career.
She continues: “Despite the fact that she played to it, Monroe disliked Hollywood’s promotion of her as a sex symbol, and she was explicit about the sexual exploitation that accompanied her career, as well as the history of sexual abuse that was part of her childhood.
“She spoke up and made it possible for many women to begin to speak about similar abuses.”
The Telegraph has approached Julien’s Auctions for comment.
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