Building on our previous exploration of American icons, where we deconstructed and reconstructed the images of JFK and Barack Obama, we now shift our focus to two of the most iconic female figures of their respective eras: Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian. Both women, like the political figures before them, have come to represent something larger than life in the public imagination; Monroe as the quintessential Hollywood starlet of the mid-20th century, and Kardashian as a modern-day symbol of pop culture, beauty, and media dominance.

Much like our project with American presidents, this exploration delves into how both Marilyn Monroe and Kim Kardashian have been mythologized, embodying a cultural ideal that transcends their individual identities. In the same way the American political machine elevates its leaders into symbols of hope and progress, popular culture has transformed Monroe and Kardashian into icons of beauty, femininity, and fame, each representing different eras in the American imagination.