Hollywood’s Best Kept Secret About Sex and Femininity 

She starred in thirty major films and was awarded the Golden Globe for “Female World Film Favorite.” She started her own production company and was voted “2nd Greatest Movie Star” of all time by Premiere Magazine. She was chosen by Empire Magazine as one of the “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History.”

This blonde bombshell was beautiful, talented, successful, and seemed to have everything a woman could dream of, except for one thing–happiness.

Sadly, this famous superstar committed suicide on August 5, 1962. She was only 36 years old. Her makeup covered face, dyed blonde hair, and sparkling clothes only hid what she was feeling on the inside.

Depressed. Unloved. Alone.

This is the true story of America’s most iconic sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.

As I’ve studied the life of this beautiful and famous woman, I can’t help but ask the questions, “Why would a woman who had everything still commit suicide?” “Why wasn’t the fame, beauty, money, and sex enough to satisfy her?”

Sadly, not many people stop to ask these tough questions about Marilyn’s tragic life. Instead of questioning her fruitless quest for happiness, many of us follow right in her footsteps.

My sister, Bethany, and I wrote a more detailed version of Marilyn’s story in the opening chapters of our new book, Girl Defined: God’s Radical Design for Beauty, Femininity, and Identity.

Counterfeit Femininity and Where We Go Wrong

Like Marilyn, millions of modern women are chasing after happiness and satisfaction down the same dead end road. Without even realizing it, many of us have bought into Hollywood’s popular lies about sex, beauty, femininity, and identity.

In chapter three of our new book, Girl Defined, we refer to these crafty lies as “counterfeit femininity.” As Christian women, many of us buy into Hollywood’s lies that to be worth anything we need to be pretty, sexy, smart, athletic, skinny, wealthy, popular, etc.

We believe the lie that our worth as a female is based on our sex appeal and on our personal accomplishments.

Believing that lie is right where Marilyn went wrong, and it’s right where many of us go wrong as well. The moment we allow culture to define our womanhood is the moment we take our first wrong turn.

Whether you’re the “hottest blonde bombshell” on the planet or not, if we define our womanhood on anything other than God’s timeless Word, we will always feel empty inside. We will forever struggle with feelings of worthlessness and depression until we turn to the only One who has the power to fill our void.

True worth, identity and satisfaction cannot be found outside of God’s beautiful design for us as females. And that’s where the BEST news comes into play: Our status of worthiness has nothing to do with us and everything to do with God.

No matter how famous and sexy a woman is, or how poor and unattractive she is, her worth and value are found in the same place.

Our worth doesn’t come from anything we can do, but from everything Christ already did for us. And this is right where Hollywood goes wrong.

Knowing Our Value

God knit each one of us together in our mother’s womb to look just the way we look. Just like an artist creating a masterpiece, God handcrafted our hair color, eye color, skin tone, height, nose shape, ears, and body to look just the way He wanted it to.

Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Our culture may not consider each of us to be very special, but God does. And He’s the only One who owns the rights to say how worthy we are.

If Marilyn Monroe had understood these truths, her life probably would have ended very differently. The secret to true happiness in this world is to keep your eyes and heart on the Truth. The minute you look to someone or something other than Christ to define your worth and identity, you will go downhill. It’s a guarantee.

The more I have come to understand and embrace God’s design for my life, the happier and more fulfilled I have become as a woman. Beauty isn’t the answer. Sex isn’t the answer. Money isn’t the answer.

As Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

I hope you’ll to take the time to learn more about God’s beautiful design for womanhood. Whether it’s for you, your daughter, or a woman you know, I hope you’ll grab a copy of Girl Defined and continue discovering God’s amazing and beautiful design for femininity.

If you, or a female you know, has ever struggled with feelings of worthlessness, discontentment with your body, lack of fulfillment, relationship problems, or confusion about your identity–this book is for you.

Hollywood doesn’t have the answers. God’s Word does. And His truth is truly liberating.