Understanding Marlene Dietrich’s monumental impact on popular culture
The Hollywood star system churned out many iconic faces, but few possessed as much impact as Marlene Dietrich. The actor began her career in Germany, where she was born, performing in vaudeville productions and films during the Golden Age of the Weimar Republic. After starring in Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel as the cabaret performer Lola Lola, she was whisked away to Hollywood, signing a contract with Paramount Pictures.
Over the 1930s, Dietrich appeared in many successful productions, such as Shanghai Express, Desire, The Devil Is A Woman, and Morocco, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. However, Dietrich’s legacy extends way further than her incredible acting talents. The star was a pioneer, challenging sexual and gender roles through her outfits and persona, opening up a space for others to recognise the mutability of strict stereotypical norms. Dietrich was openly bisexual, which was very rare in the 1930s, and her style reflected a person unafraid to live defiantly, pushing the boundaries of what it meant to be a woman.
During an interview with The Observer, Dietrich explained: “I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men”. This image was paramount to her ethos, she used it as a statement, a form of political weaponry against the fascist Nazi regime that destroyed her beloved homeland. Whereas the Nazis expected women to be proper housewives and child-rearers, Dietrich, who secured American citizenship in 1939, was a product of the once-prosperous Weimar period, which allowed women a greater level of freedom.
According to Kate Lemay, the curator of ‘Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image’, “She saw the rise of the Third Reich in her home country and could not stand it. She was so upset about the betrayal she felt the Third Reich was doing to her homeland”. Dietrich was not one to remain silent, and her trouser suits and unapologetically androgynous look were a direct attack on the oppressive regimes that rallied for women’s subservience. By defying gender expectations, while maintaining a distinctive sexuality that enthralled both men and women, Dietrich paved the way for future icons who took from the actor’s blend of masculinity and femininity.
Lemay continues: “Although there were other women who wore men’s clothing at the time, Dietrich reached an audience that was unprecedented”. In Morocco, the actor appeared in a masculine suit, complete with a top hat, bowtie and cigarette. In one scene, she even kissed a woman, becoming one of the first female stars to kiss a member of the same sex on screen. She was also one of the first major female stars to wear masculine attire in public, donning her suits for movie premieres at a time when most women would appear in dresses and furs.
Dietrich was also a humanitarian, spending most of World War II assisting the war efforts. By donating whole salaries from her films, she created a fund to help Jewish people escape Nazi Germany. Dietrich also visited the frontlines, performing for soldiers to maintain morale and serving food. By 1947, she had earned a Medal of Freedom from President Harry S. Truman and a French Légion d’honneur.
The actor’s legacy is multi-faceted, and her resilient personality and dedication to liberation, both politically and socially, have inspired generations since. Dietrich’s androgynous style has greatly impacted musicians across the world, most notably Madonna, who replicated many of the actor’s looks during her tour, ‘The Girlie Show’. Images of Dietrich shrouded in dramatic lighting were also a key source of inspiration for the cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
Dietrich’s unapologetic embrace of subversive androgynous styles, which she embraced as a statement of rebellion against social and gendered oppression, has made her an influential icon. Since the 1930s, countless artists have been influenced by Dietrich, who changed what it meant to be a star.