There were blonde curls, crimson lips and beauty spots aplenty in Leicester Square today. As the film industry marked 100 years since Marilyn Monroe’s birth, the ‘lookalikes’ descended, offering photo smiles for tourists and a flicker of nostalgia for a lost golden age. The British Film Institute’s tribute is a celebration of an icon who sold dreams and celluloid fantasy.
But for the working women of 2026, watching from the northern mill towns and southern estates, the question remains: whose bread is being buttered by this glamour? Monroe’s own story was one of struggle against a system of powerful men and paltry wages for the women behind the lens. The centenary screenings and champagne receptions can sparkle all they like.
But as the cost of living grinds down family budgets and the unions prepare for another round of pay disputes, this celebration feels like a velvet glove hiding the same old iron fist. The forgotten women of Britain – the carers, the cleaners, the checkout workers – they do not get a centenary. They get a squeeze.
So let the lookalikes preen. The real legacy of a woman who fought for respect should be a decent wage for every working woman. That is a centenary worth celebrating.
