Would it be safe if I aimed to have Marilyn Monroe's measurements?

Ok, so I am a huge fan of old Hollywood Starlets, so I was wondering if on my 5"4 1/2-5"5 body (I'm not exactly positive what it is) would the measurements 36 (psshh! I wish!) -22/23- 34 be safe on my body? She was 5"5 1/2 and weighed 117. Would this be a stupid goal or is it attainable?

I heard M.M. was like a size ten.

M.M was between a size 12 or 14, but you have to remember that sizes have changed since her time.  At today's standards I'd guesstimate that she was a size 6 or 8

With a 22/23 inch waist there is no way at all she was a 6 or 8 by today's standards. 

Maybe you should just focus on being healthy, eating right, and let your body do what it wants.  We are all shaped differently, and even when we lose weight, we can't pick where it comes off or what our bodies do with it.  Learning to appreciate what you have is really where happiness comes from.

She was a size twelve in VINTAGE sizes... that means she's like a 4-6 in our sizes.

IT depends on your body! You probably don't have the exact same body as Marilyn Monroe, so it's probably not a good idea. And im pretty sure a 22/23 inch waist is rather thin? I was that size about 3 years ago, and i was really tiny. Im now like a 26! You aren't her, and probably don't have the smae body, because everyone's different.. JUst lose the weight you want to, because you cant control where it comes off of. If you look like her, yay!(Y) if you don't, you're still healthy and fabb!

Good point! I never really thought of that. I don't want to be unhealthy, so I'll just see where my body looks best and as you said jackeetbs, if I'm the same size as her, awesome, but if I'm not, then I won't worry about it. Thanks you guys!

I have read that MM had a hip to waist ratio of 0.7 so if her hips were 34" than her waist would have been closer to 24".  The "gold standard" in those days was 36 - 24 - 36 but I doubt that many women were actually built that way.

Besides it's not something you can really work to achieve.  Your bone structure is what it is.

alot of it has to do with your body type, if you're a ruler, pear, triangle or hourglass... M.M. was an hourglass which is what most of the 40's pinups were patterned after. fortunately you can do exercises which will help you lose in your larger areas and bulk in your narrow ones. a ruler shaped person would have to focus on bulking their hips and upper body while keeping their waist thin. a pear shaped person would have to bulk up their upper while minimizing their hips....  like i said you just gotta focus on what you sculpt 

I'm not sure what body shape I have, but I do have curves and a small waist... and a pretty big bust for my age.

I am jealous of true hourglasses. My mother is one she has a 24 waist right now and is still overweight.

MM had a very very tiny waist compared to her bust and hips... which bascially is very had to come by genetically. If you don't have a 12" difference already you will never have one--- being as you are already on your way to great health. Now if you were cover by 100-200 extra lbs then maybe you would have some meaurements hidden under all that extra weight, but that is still very unlikely.

Let's not forget MM was on gobbs of drugs all the time. Which is a terrible way to keep your figure. Don't go and do that!!!

You have a great shape so far!!! So I wouldn't worry much about it.

Ok! I'm definitely not going to do drugs! I guess you're right. I'll aim for what's best for me!

I am just thinking about how much damage has been done in history of mankind by somebody saying 'never'... how many dreams were smashed into pieces by some discouraging remarks... you gotta have the right genetics to do this... you gotta be born to a wealthy family to do that... you gotta have this or you're NEVER going to be able to do that...

i am not necessarily saying that wanting to be like Marilyn Monroe in whatever way is a good idea or not... I'm only saying that it's not for me to say... the world is full of examples where people accomplish something not because they had the best skills or traits or abilities but because they thought they could...

if you truly believe it, if you can live your dream, visualize it, make it a burning passion there're only two options: you either get there.. or you realize that it's not really what you want... there's no failure unless you believe there is... good luck!

"whether you think you can or you cannot, you're right"...

just thought I'd throw my two cents

I just want to point out that, at her heaviest, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 22!!! 

The normal Monroe that you saw most of the time was a size 16.  I currently am wearing a baggy size 20 at 221lbs. :)

Marilyn Monroe Stats:

Height: 5 feet 5 1/2 inches
Weight: Varied, 115 - 120 lbs.
Measurements: 37-23-36 (Studio's Claim); 35-22-35 (Dressmaker's Claim)

If you insert those stats into the BMI index given by this site, here are the results.
BMI Index Analysis at the weight 120lbs

BMI Index Analysis

Based upon your current Body Mass Index (BMI) of 19.4, you are currently classed as underweight.

A healthy BMI for your gender and age is between 20 and 24 and a reasonable weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds a week.


At 115lbs her BMI Analysis:
Based upon your current Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.6, you are currently classed as underweight.

A healthy BMI for your gender and age is between 20 and 24 and a reasonable weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds a week.

Either way, it's unhealthy by this sites BMI terms.

These "Starlettes" of that time, also strapped themselves in with girdles, some of them from head to toe to make them appear smaller than they actually were.  I was a "victim" of the "girdle" crowd myself as a young woman in the late 50's and early 60's.  Some of them wore girdles so tight as to punch holes in their diaphrams and interfer with their breathing ability.  There was a lot of propaganda about these stars instead of revealing the real truth about them.  I used to collect their pictures and magazines as a teenager, and yes, Marilyn was one of them.

What are girdles?

It's an undergarment that holds in the hips, waist to make them smaller and some include the bust area.  Some even went down the legs to slim them.  Glad to be free of them.

So kind of like a corset for the whole body? Sounds horrible!

It was...........