An auction involving personal items belonging to Marilyn Monroe sparked criticism on social media after medical X-rays of the actress were included among the objects put up for sale.
According to the website Indy100, the exams are part of a lot of historic items linked to the Hollywood star that will be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions.
Other lots also include personal letters, documents, film scripts, used makeup and other trinkets from her home.
Among the items, the auction included chest X-rays, valued at US$ 2,250, and pelvic X-rays, being sold for US$ 1,250, both taken of the actress in 1954. Two other X-rays from 1952 reportedly show the late star’s large intestine and gallbladder.
However, the inclusion of the medical material drew criticism from internet users, who accused the auction of excessively exploiting Monroe’s image even decades after her death. Content creator Anna Mac even posted a video on her TikTok profile claiming she would try to buy the exams to “destroy them”.
“It feels like we’ve reached a tipping point of capitalism if we’re auctioning off a woman’s private medical data,” she told her followers. “So if you have around US$ 30,000 and a barbecue grill and a U.S. address, and you’re interested in buying Marilyn’s X-rays so we can destroy them together so this woman can finally rest in peace, send me a DM.”
@mac_attack_comic I am aware they’ve been auctioned off before but I really think we need to take the chest and pelvic x-rays of Marilyn Monroe out of circulation once and for all #marilynmonroe #feministiktok #womenshealth #womenoftiktok #feminism ♬ original sound – Anna_Mac
Photo: Public domain. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
