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“A Columnist Mocked Marilyn Monroe’s Dress and Told Her to Wear a Potato Sack — She Did It”
In 1951, rising Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe attended a glamorous party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She wore a tight, low-cut red dress that immediately turned heads. While many were captivated by her confidence and beauty, not everyone was impressed.
The following day, a female newspaper columnist sharply criticized Marilyn’s outfit. She called the dress “cheap and vulgar” and sarcastically suggested that Marilyn would look better wearing a plain potato sack.Instead of getting upset or embarrassed, Marilyn chose to respond with humor and cleverness. Her publicity team at Twentieth Century Fox saw a golden opportunity to turn the insult into a memorable stunt.Marilyn’s longtime costume designer, William Travilla, created a real dress made from a burlap potato sack sourced from Idaho Potatoes.
Far from looking ordinary, the dress was expertly tailored to hug Marilyn’s figure perfectly.Photographer Earl Theisen then captured iconic images of Marilyn wearing the potato sack dress paired with bright red high heels for Stare magazine. Even in the simple burlap outfit, Marilyn looked glamorous, playful, and incredibly confident.
The clever stunt became one of the smartest publicity moves of her career. Rather than letting the criticism damage her image, Marilyn turned the insult into a joke and showed the world her unmatched confidence and charm.The story remains famous to this day because it perfectly illustrates how Marilyn Monroe could transform even harsh criticism into something stylish, unforgettable, and empowering.
