Yahoo Sports The Marilyn Monroe Effect has captivated Gen Zers, and it’s all thanks to TikTok
A psychology student is using her TikTok platform to reintroduce audiences to a well-known psychological phenomenon.
On June 4, Mikaela Willson (@mikaelawillson) took to the digital platform to discuss the so-called Marilyn Monroe Effect. Amy Greene, the wife of Monroe’s photographer Milton Greene, is credited for coining the phrase.
“You need to listen up. I first learned about it in one of my psychology classes, and what it is, is a psychological phenomenon that explains how Marilyn Monroe went from Norma Jeane Mortenson, who was just your average, everyday person, to becoming Marilyn Monroe and getting recognized on the streets, all by changing how she carried herself,” Willson says.
“She loved New York because no one bothered her there like they did in Hollywood; she could put on her plain-Jane clothes and no one would notice her,” said Greene via Psych Central. “So, as we we’re walking down Broadway, she turns to me and says, ‘Do you want to see me become her?’ I didn’t know what she meant, but I just said yes — and then I saw it. I don’t know how to explain what she did because it was so very subtle, but she turned something on within herself that was almost like magic.”
The idea of “turning on” your alter ego, Willson says, is a tactic commonly suggested by psychologists.
“Psychologists are constantly using this to explain to their patients that confidence really is how you carry yourself, and being attractive is really just about your body language,” Willson continues. “I really used to struggle with confidence and self-love, and then I tried to implement the Marilyn Monroe Effect into my everyday life, and I noticed it really did change how people responded to me and, in turn, how I felt about myself.”
A few of Willson’s tips to emulate Marilyn Monroe include smiling more, being genuinely nice to people, having good posture and looking people in the eye when you shake their hand.
“If you’re lost when it comes to this, just try to picture yourself like you’re writing a book and you are the character. Except the character is a glowed-up version of you. The Marilyn Monroe to your Norma Jeane,” she suggests. “What does she do? What does she wear? What hobbies does she have? What is she interested in? What is she passionate about? How does she laugh?”
‘I have emulated this aura now, and it changed exactly how people perceive me. This is 100% accurate.’
TikTok users are weighing on the Marilyn Monroe Effect and their thoughts about its validity.
“Being incredibly beautiful is also part of it, let’s be real,” @foxandmolly commented.
“i first tried this a couple of years ago & now my self-esteem is so high & im the happiest ive ever been because im finally who im supposed to be,” @_spooky.bimbo_ wrote.
“I have emulated this aura now and it changed exactly how people perceive me,” @cleothewarrior replied. “This is 100% accurate.”
This sort of “fake it till you make it” mindset isn’t exactly new — and neither is the Marilyn Monroe Effect. Willson is among many TikTok users that help reignite intrigue and discourse surrounding pretty widely known mentalities but for a Gen Z audience.
The abundance mindset and the money mindset, for example, are two popular mentalities that have enjoyed a resurgence by way of TikTok. Similar to the Marilyn Monroe Effect, these mindsets revolve around changing our ways of thinking, the ways in which we approach situations and the way we perceive ourselves.
Despite yielding positive outcomes for some, these mindsets fall into the category of “self-help” and may have adverse effects or no reported change on those who choose to engage. It’s also worth noting that self-improvement and self-help TikTok videos tend to target female audiences.
“It is notable that self-help is disproportionately addressed to women,” Rosalind Gill and Shani Orgad, sociologists and the authors of Confidence Culture, a book that interrogates the role of confidence in contemporary discourse, told Refinery29. “What is common to many self-help titles is the way they frame problems and challenges that women face in an unjust society as private, personal and often psychological problems, which women therefore need to work on individually.”
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