Final USH Project: PIVOTAL Events

Erica Lacap, Period 3

Personal Pivotal Moment: Turning my Modern Family

project in late.
What exactly happened?
Because of some family complications and mostly procrastination, I
did not turn my Modern Family project. It was my first history
project I turned in and I wasnt fully proud of the product.

Why is pivotal?
Turning my project in late made me realize I was doing one thing
the whole year: not chiseling. During this time, I was dealing with a
lot of family problems at home and trying to balance school work
with house work and chores. I thought that for the Modern Family
project that I didnt have to worry about starting it late because I thought I would be able to
do it. So I completed my group members pages first and then realized, Oh no! I have no
more time for myself! Even though I stayed up all night to finish, I didnt complete it. This
picture represents how my junior year went, finally starting to chisel towards the end but it
wasnt enough.

Where was I headed before this?

All-nighters, multiple cups of coffee, and grades I am unhappy about.
Those were the things I was getting. And I know they were my fault,
not anyone elses. I chose to not start on that math project until it
was due, I chose to wait until people submitted me things to start on
putting together the Modern Family project. I chose to do these chores
that would make my stepfather happy in the short run, but end up with grades that would
make him upset in the long run. I was sacrificing my health, my grades, and my sanity just
because I couldnt chisel.

Where am I headed now for senior year?

I am learning to set my priorities straight. For next year, I am
planning to have a whiteboard on my desk to help organize what I
should do first and when I should start it. I also plan to convey to my
parents that I have to get work done when I need to instead of just
putting it off and doing something else. I plan to beat procrastination
like Leela does to Benders head in the picture.

Historical Pivotal Event: Marilyn Monroe

What is the event?
The rise of Marilyn Monroe. (19481951) Marilyn Monroe was an
American actress, model and singer
who was a major sex symbol. She
was one of the most famous women
of the 20th century, with 30 films
under her name and one unfinished
one.
She was discovered by David
Conover, who was a photographer
taking images of women helping in
the war. At the time, she was
working for Radio Plane Munitions
Factory.
She went on to work for Century Fox.
After being released from Century
Fox in 1947, she met up with a pinup photographer named Bruno
Bernard. She also met the Hollywood
agent Johnny Hyde. She then was casted in many things after: Ladies of the Chorus (1948),
Love Happy (1949), A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950), Right Cross (1950), The Fireball (1950),
The Asphalt Jungle (1950), All About Eve (1950), and so on.

Why is Marilyn Monroe so pivotal?

She was one of the women who broke the "mold of what an ideal woman should be". While
there were ads for medicine that would keep you skinny, Marilyns body was an hourglass
shape and it was sexy. She changed the way sex was viewed in the uptight 1950s. Instead of
it being dirty and shameful, Marilyn made if fun and playful, while still being proper. She
was also an early advocate for civil rights and donated to various charities as well. She also
established her own motion picture company called, "Marilyn Monroe Productions".

Three events that led to Marilyn Monroe:

Movies becoming popular (1920):
People came to watch movies for entertainment. It allowed
people to dream about different kinds of lives. Rich families
and poor families both watched the same movies. Children
from all types of families could aspire to be actors in the
movies they watched.

Why do I think this is a cause of Marilyn Monroe?

If movies did not become popular, a big portion of Marilyns career would be gone. Marilyn
is most known for her famous dress scene in Seven Year Itch, one of the most iconic scenes
in film history.

Fabric Shortage for Swimsuits (1942):

During World War II, production required large amount of
cotton, silk, nylon, wool, leather, and rubber. In 1942, the War
Protection Board required the drawback of using natural
fibers in clothing and wanted a 10% reduction of fabric in
womens beachwear. Companies began creating two-piece
suit with bare midriffs rather than one piece suits.

Why do I think this is a cause of Marilyn Monroe?

Marilyn Monroe is the epitome of a sex symbol. She was a
pin-up model and many on her pictures show her dressed in
something similar pictured to the left. It wasnt the fact that
she showed more skin that made her popular, but the fact
that she was so comfortable and confident in her own body and skin.

Introduction to the Pin-Up Girl (1890):

The earliest examples of pin up girls date up to 1890s but were
not give this term in the English language until 1941. Pin-up
girls were glamour or fashion models or actresses whose
pictures were very popular and mass produced.

Why do I think this is a cause of Marilyn Monroe?

Monroes body type and sexual appeal was perfect for this type
of modeling. Besides her acting, Monroe was widely known for
her pin-up modeling, working with many different
photographers, for example: Bruno Bernard, Andre de Dienes,
and Earl Moran. A quote from Moran, Emotionally, she did everything right. She expressed
just what I wanted.

Three events that are effects of Marilyn Monroe:

The first Playboy Magazine (1953):
December of 1953, Hugh Hefner published his first edition of
Playboy. He sold 54,175 copies of the magazine, 50 cents each. The
issue was very popular and sold so well was because Monroe
showed up on the cover of the edition as well as inside.

Why I believe this is an effect?

Marilyn Monroe made this magazine popular. The reason why this
issue wasnt dated was that Hefner wasnt sure how popular the
magazine would be. Monroe became so popular and men were very
attracted to her, that people bought this issue because of her. This
broke the mold that all women had to be skinny and fit the housewife role.

The Feminine Mystique (1963):

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan was a book
written about the unhappiness of 20th century women.
The book touched upon how women in the U.S. were
encouraged to be wives, mothers, and housewives and
leave it at that. Friedan wrote the book to argue that
women should fully develop their skills and abilities
rather than just fitting into society, by just being a housewife.

Why I believe this is an effect?

Marilyn Monroe did everything Betty Friedan is encouraging women to pursue. Instead of
just becoming a housewife, she pursued a career in the acting business and was also a pinup model. She went on to creating her own company as I stated earlier. She is the ideal role
model for women to look up to. She chased after her dreams and became a famous pop icon
for it.

Fall of the Studio System (late 1960s):

A studio system is where large motion picture studios
produced movies on their own lots with actors under a
long-term contract. With the fall of the Studio System,
actors became more demanding and selective with their
contracts. Along with the actors becoming more
educated, the media exposed the Golden Age
Hollywood to not be as clean and wholesome as they
thought.

Why I believe this is an effect?

Eventually Marilyn Monroe became tired of playing the dumb blonde role and began
fighting back. Monroe, along with other stars like Jane Greer and Bette Davis, started
refusing parts they didnt like or even tried suing their way out of their contracts.