In sunny Palm Springs, a desert oasis located a two-hour drive east from Los Angeles, Marilyn Monroe stands at 26-feet tall. The statue, created by late artist Seward Johnson in 2011, depicts the iconic actress in a pose from movie The Seven-Year Itch (1955).

The statue draws the intrigue of picture-taking tourists which, throughout the year, greatly surpass the city's 485,000 residents. For many locals, however, the artwork has been an eyesore and even a traffic nuissance due to closing street traffic on the street where it lies.

'Forever Marilyn' was in Chicago for nearly a decade

Since its creation, Forever Marilyn had its home in Chicago, Illinois. The artwork was then purchased in 2020 by tourism agency PS Resorts in 2020. Shortly after, the Palm Springs City Council voted to place in front of the city's Art Museum for a period of up to three years.

Lawsuit against the statue was recently overturned

A recent lawsuit put forth by the Committee to Relocate Marilyn (Crema) was overturned on February 23rd. The group claims the statue objectifies women, and that the city has no statutory authority to close the street it's on.

Palm Springs, meanwhile, argues it was permissible to close the street for three years because the Monroe sculpture was temporary, not permanent.

Former executive director of the Palm Springs Art Museum, Louis Grachos, also spoke out against the statue.

"You come out of the museum and the first thing you're going to see is a 26ft-tall Marilyn Monroe with her entire backside and underwear exposed", Grachos said, "What message does that send to our young people, our visitors and community to present a statue that objectifies women, is sexually charged and disrespectful?"

As things stand now, the frustrated residents will likely have to put up with the statue for another year, as the three-year window ends in 2024.