Marilyn Monroe has seemingly always been famous for her good looks, her exciting lifestyle and her fashion sense. Despite her tragic death in 1962, she has continued to be a legend and an icon for many people.

However, it concerns me that people profit from her image today, not because they personally adore her or were fans of the starlet, but because she is still “marketable.” While some people admire Marilyn Monroe for who she was and what she meant to America at the time, others – business people -simply see her as a good money opportunity.

This is true not only for people like Marilyn Monroe, but for other famous men and women including Audrey Hepburn, Bob Marley, Drake, Lil Wayne, and much more. With the amount of money spent on merchandise related to each of these people every year, I’d like to think it is because people admire them, but the question that worries me is: Did the supply come before the demand?

Living in a capitalistic country, I understand that money makes everything go around. However, when I think of how the people I have mentioned are admired and idolized, I start to worry – I don’t want their popularity to be a product; I want it to be natural, to be a result of who they are or were, not what people can get their hands on.

I understand that, when someone dies, his/her soul may still live on and have a strong impact on others; that’s not the issue.  The issue occurs when marketers come in and use the deceased as a way to make money.  However, what I’ve come to understand – as annoying as it may be – is that this situation is unchangeable. Marketers will be marketers, and they are just doing their job.

So, what this means to me is that people should be true to who or whatever they rep.  If you are going to rep something or someone on a T-shirt, know something about the person, the people, or the place that is on your apparel. Recently, I’ve seen people wearing shirts with interesting ancient Egyptian symbols, and I wonder if these people are aware of what they are actually wearing. I wonder if they know that the symbol they are wearing may actually be something that was once important, sacred, or spiritual to these ancient people.  I wonder if they truly think of what they are wearing.

Finding out what your fashion style is and making it your own is very important. Without individuals like these, everyone would eventually fall into the same pool, which no one -at least in this country- wants. People are always craving a different sense of fashion, but if everyone is wearing the same apparel then where is the sense of uniqueness and individuality?