Society today has enabled women to value their bodies over their intellect. Many women are increasingly becoming more valued for their appearance rather than their mind. Marilyn Monroe is a popular representation of a successful woman valued by her appearance. However, she hid her intelligence which partly led to her success. Discussed in the article, "Not just a dumb blonde," Marilyn may have hid her intelligence to exemplify her beauty. Marilyn mentions, "They were obviously loving somebody I wasn’t." This demonstrates how society enabled her to fit into a character with no intellect, and they thrived off of it.
A celebrity today that may be hiding part of their intellect to secure greater success is Natalie Portman. Portman has a degree from Harvard, however, she is known for being in movies like No Strings Attached. Natalie Portman is evidently chosen for her looks and appearance rather than her intellect for the majority of these movies. I believe Portman does not try to hide her intellect, society rather enables it. She even mentions in her Harvard commencement speech, "I felt like there had been some mistake, that I wasn’t smart enough to be in this company, and that every time I opened my mouth I would have to prove that I wasn’t just a dumb actress."
Actors and actresses are commonly stereotyped as "dumb" because viewers are often limited to seeing only their appearance rather than how they have achieved their role. Natalie Portman is a primary example of this because she exhibits nothing but success. Even so, when watching movies, many people do not know she has obtained a Harvard degree. Not only this, but they do not know she has EARNED and worked for her degree at Harvard. They simply think she got in because of her fame. Natalie Portman has become a success because of her intellect, but America's culture vales her appearance first hand. It is sad to think that many will think about Portman's looks and body rather than thinking about her greatest attributes: hard work and intellect.
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