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The Speech Impediment That Helped Cement Marilyn Monroe’s Status As A Sex Symbol
A therapeutic strategy to cope with stuttering that Monroe developed as a child evolved into the voice she became famous for
Even though she has been dead for 60 years, former Hollywood star actress and pinup Marilyn Monroe remains the gold standard for all things sexiness. Everything about the platinum blonde oozed sex appeal, from her beauty, to her fashion, to her sultry voice. Interestingly, her breathy manner of speaking was actually due to therapy she received to correct a speech impediment she suffered as a child.
Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926, was raised in the Los Angeles area — spending much of her difficult childhood in orphanages and foster care. Married at the age of 16, she obtained a job in a factory helping make weaponry for the United States during World War II. It was there that she was accidentally discovered, which set her off on a meteoric rise to fame.
David Conover of Yank magazine was in a Van Nuys military factory in 1944 fulfilling an assignment to photograph women helping produce weaponry for the war effort. One of the workers whose photos he took and ended up being published was Norma Jeanne, who at that time was known by her married…
