History of BBWorld Part IX

In October 1948, Marilyn Monroe was out of work. Monroe was a fairly successful pin-up model who had attempted to make the transition to acting; indeed, she had seen hints of success following casting in a couple of Columbia Pictures films in late 1947 and early 1948, but her ambition would be her downfall in this early phase of her career. Being above average in height (5’6”), Monroe had to maintain a higher weight than other models at her agency in order to appear their same size or larger in terms of holistic “fatness.” As such, at the time of her first movie casting in 1947, Monroe tipped the scales at 262 lbs and was already beginning to have some concerns about maintaining her mobility. However, this was met with an opposing concern- leading ladies in Hollywood typically exceeded 300 lbs, with some even in the ballpark of 400 lbs. Under this perceived pressure of having to achieve a particular weight in order to be considered for more significant roles, Monroe put on a substantial amount of poundage in a rather short amount of time; in June 1948 she filmed what would be her last movie until 1951 while weighing in at 344 lbs. Though this rapid jump in weight would earn her a fair amount of recognition, it came with consequences- Monroe had trouble standing for prolonged periods of time during filming, and doubts were raised among studio executives regarding her endurance. These concerns were validated in August 1948 when Monroe collapsed at her screen test for a lead role in another movie; after she was unable to stand back up under her own will, executives gave her an ultimatum- restore a significant degree of mobility by September, or your contract will not be renewed. Though Monroe worked to increase her strength and shed a few pounds before the deadline, her performance was deemed inadequate and she was released from the studio’s roster.

As such, when Monroe learned of Ziegler’s study, she viewed it as her ticket back into the good graces of Hollywood. Ziegler took particular interest in Monroe, as she was one of the few female applicants and the heftiest one at that- at her initial weigh-in he noted that she was 326 lbs and “enthusiastic to build strength such that she could support more weight on her frame.” Though Ziegler was of course aware of the criteria of the time regarding feminine beauty, he was newly intrigued by the possibility of employing steroids to build muscle specifically as a framework to carry more fat (rather than to increase one’s ability to do physical labor and perform feats of strength, as were the commonly cited reasons among male applicants). As a result, Ziegler would pay special attention to Monroe throughout the study, going so far as to develop specific training regimens for her (modified from those he experienced in the Marine Corps) and additionally providing her with state-of-the-art bone-strengthening compounds secured from other musculoskeletal augmentation studies of the time. In turn, Monroe took to the study with zeal, putting her best effort in for training and providing highly detailed updates and suggestions to Ziegler as he tweaked the conditions of the study.

By the time the one-year study drew to a close in October 1949, Ziegler had achieved significantly positive results; his new steroid (known today by the trade name MBOL) resulted in substantial cultivation of muscle mass with a lack of side effects in over 90% of the study’s subjects. He was equally proud of his pet project- over the course of a year, Monroe had bulked up to 438 lbs and maintained greater mobility and agility than she had at the start of the study. Ziegler would note in his personal journal that Monroe “continued to be the model of womanly grace, as not a hint of her added musculature was indicated by her shape- the boundless adipose-laden curves, which had further grown to enhance her femininity, were the sole dominators of her frame.” Though Monroe was giddy at the results, she was aware that her reemergence onto the Hollywood scene would be even more significant if she pushed for another milestone. She pitched to Ziegler that they continue his steroid and training program in secret until she could lay claim to the HMW title, at which point she would attribute her success to his compound and attain fame and fortune for them both. Ziegler, knowing it would likely take several months for his compound to be granted a patent anyway, agreed to support Monroe in this endeavor. And so it was that on July 4, 1950, three weeks after Ziegler’s MBOL patent was granted and a full two months after Monroe had surpassed the previous HMW, Marilyn Monroe appeared in front of the Columbia Pictures studio lot performing calisthenics in a scandalously revealing red, white, and blue leotard; she would weigh in that day at a whopping 502 lbs.

Predictably, this event was immediately seized upon by the press, and word quickly spread worldwide of this incredible example of American exceptionalism; the nation renowned for its political dominance and outward commitment to liberty and equality now played host to the first to hold the HMW title who was not of noble birth. Monroe immediately became the world’s hottest commodity, and after fielding a bidding war right on the doorstep of the studio who spurned her, became the first actor to receive a guaranteed salary of $1 million for a single movie (20th Century Fox’s 1951 film As Young as You Feel). As she soared into superstardom, Monroe kept her promise to Ziegler, continually praising MBOL and Ziegler’s training as the key reasons for her obliteration of the previous world record. As a result, Ziegler’s success grew just as quickly as Monroe’s; immediate and overwhelming demand for his product provided the jumpstart that would lead to Ziegler Pharmaceuticals becoming the giant it is today, as well as the wealth which would make Ziegler one of the youngest self-made multimillionaires in history.

The rest of the 1950s saw a reignited passion for the pursuit of the HMW title; though the wealthy still had an advantage across the board (in terms of access to MBOL, training, and excess nutrition), women of all backgrounds were emboldened; pharmaceutical augmentation was reasonably inexpensive, and anyone with an appetite for glamor who could scrape together a small surplus had a perceived opportunity- no matter how small- to reach for these heights without fear of immobility. As a result, though Monroe would successfully fend off challengers to the title throughout her lifetime (due to her willingness to continually push the envelope, as well as her continued close relationship with Ziegler who often gave her early access to improved versions of MBOL), the average woman’s weight ballooned, especially in the United States; by 1960 the average American woman weighed 202 lbs, an increase of 15 lbs in 10 years (rather significant in comparison to the 9-lb increase of the previous 50).