The Relationship between the Madonna-Whore Complex and Fashion

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? The Madonna-Whore complex is a term coined first by Sigmund Freud to describe the psychological problem within men of not being able to achieve sexual arousal for women who they respect. However, this complex has been perpetuated for thousands of years before Freud within Judo-Christian theology and Western mythology. Women are seen as both an essential accessory to men in order to procreate and nurture, but also as capable of extreme evil by way of holding sexual power over them. The first kind of women are to be protected and the second kind are to be punished, with Eve being the prime example of this. Regardless of the origins of the Madonna-Whore complex, its consequences are very real.

Although to many of us this binary categorisation of women is both archaic and sexist, there are still many instances that prove women are still viewed in this way, from female film characters in male-directed movies to predators like Andrew Tate and his internet posse. You might be wondering how this all relates to fashion but for women in the public eye who are subject to judgement at all times, it is important that their narrative is controlled carefully to facilitate the money-making behaviour people in power want to induce in both fans and haters. How they look and how they are styled is therefore a key factor in aiding or inhibiting this behaviour.

Marilyn Monroe is a brilliant example of this as according to film scholar Richard Dyer, Monroe’s image was made in order to encourage men back into the cinema in the 50s after the films of the 40s featured mostly actresses perceived as tough and smart for the female-majority audiences. In contrast, Monroe had shocking white blonde hair and acted as the stereotypes society associates with it - naïve, ‘dumb’ and sexually available. Her film roles were always defined by her gender rather than any other trait, with figure-hugging costumes encouraging the perception of her held by the public. Her persona extended beyond the screen, with publicity stunts including malfunctioning outfits and clothes that were considered extremely revealing for that time. The public assumed this was the real Monroe and her business ventures were not taken seriously as a result. Many decades after her death she is still seen as a sex symbol with a troubled personal life and still causes intrigue. The Netflix-produced film ‘Blonde’ about Monroe’s life releasing later this month is proof.

There are parallels between Monroe’s life and another celebrity – Kim Kardashian – also a sex symbol who has much worldwide interest in her personal life. Kardashian even wore a famous Marilyn Monroe dress to the most recent Met Gala, citing her as the first thing to come to mind when thinking about America and as the first to wear the ‘naked dress’, something shocking in Monroe’s time. Kardashian is also heavily exposed to the Madonna-Whore complex, of course by the public, but most notably by her ex-husband Ye (previously Kanye West). During their marriage, Kardashian was often the inspiration of Ye’s songs, exclusively styled by him and referred to as his ‘dream girl [that] should live in a dream world’ – he has even compared her to Monroe himself. However, after Kardashian filed for divorce, Ye accused the porn industry (referring to Kardashian’s leaked sex tape) of destroying his family. He also said he would not allow Kris Jenner to put his daughters on Playboy in the same way she allowed Kim and Kylie. Later, on Good Morning America, Ye apologised to Kardashian for his behaviour; “This is the mother of my children”.

There is a lot to unpack here – it might seem obvious for a father to not want his daughters to be a part of the porn industry or seen as sex symbols on the front cover of Playboy. However, would Ye have the same problem with his sons growing up to rap about making people famous just by sleeping with them (like Ye himself has done)? Probably not. Whether intentional or otherwise, Ye is holding his daughters to the impossible Madonna standard. The women all girls grow to be are of course much more complex in character than this dichotomy and should have the freedom to explore their sexualities the same way men do. Additionally, apologising for vilifying Kardashian just because she is the mother of his children suggests that simply because Kardashian is his Madonna she should not be accused of being the Whore, when the real problem is that women should not be categorised into these two opposites in the first place.

Unfortunately, even if people now understand the nuances of the Madonna-Whore problem, we live in a world where there is still public commotion around these kinds of subject matters. Kardashian is, like Monroe, extremely clever in using her wardrobe and her body to shape the narrative to her will in order to gain more power over the public. Kardashian has influenced beauty and body standards for the most part of the 2010s and this has been integral to her success in various pursuits such as cosmetics lines and shapewear. However, in recent years Kardashian has been working towards becoming a lawyer and is now also a founder of SKKY Partners; a private equity firm. For the launch of SKKY, Kardashian wore a black turtleneck which was reminiscent of the Issey Miyake uniforms worn by Steve Jobs. Her style is leaning towards more basic pieces as she continues to promote SKIMS and maybe she too will rely on a uniform-type style in order to show she is focusing on the more important decisions her new jobs will bring her. It will certainly be interesting to see how Kardashian’s style will evolve in an effort to be taken seriously in these endeavours. Kardashian will continue to break away from the binary nature of the Madonna-Whore complex in the public eye, something Monroe was never given the chance to do.

Photo Credits

Top: Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President Dress' to the 2022 Met Gala https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/article/met-gala-2022-kim-kardashian-marilyn-monroes-dress

Middle: Marilyn Monroe singing to the president in the aforementioned dress https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/09/marilyn-monroe-happy-birthday-mr-president-gown-auction

Bottom: Kim Kardashian with her business partner Jay Sammons for SKKY

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