Ella Fitzgerald was being turned away from singing at prestigious clubs because she was black and it was the 50s. Marilyn was such a fan and supporter of Ella that she personally guaranteed that she’d attend a particular club who were reluctant to let Ella sing every night for the duration Ella performed there and the owner agreed to let her perform there. The combination of Ella Fitzgerald’s talent and Marilyn’s fame meant that the club was jam packed during that time. Amazing allyship. I don’t agree with the idea that Kim has done nothing useful- her campaigns on criminal justice reform have been incredibly useful in shedding light on the disproportionate imprisonment of black people- but really allyship imo means personally risking something to support a marginalised person & Marilyn’s stance was not a popular one to take during her time. She must have known that it was unlikely to gain her applause and admiration from the public, the same can’t be said of Kim & the Kardashian machine. Even when Kim does good, the cynic in me wonders how genuine the gesture really is.

Marilyn Monroe was multidimensional and incredibly interesting for a number of reasons- it’s sad that over time she’s just been reduced to a 2d sex symbol.