The saying “give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world” is frequently, but only recently, attributed to Marilyn Monroe. You’ve probably seen posts with pictures of girls and shoes, the quote and the attribution to Marilyn on social media.
And, if you haven’t, please trust us – there are plenty of them out there.
But did Marilyn Monroe actually say “give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world?” The answer is almost certainly no for two reasons.
First of all, there’s no evidence that Marilyn actually said this – no interview, no article, no anything. No source for the supposed quote has ever been identified. Indeed it only started to be attributed to Marilyn since the early 2000s, forty years after she died.
Secondly, there’s lots of good evidence that Bette Midler actually said this quote, and several variations on it, in the 1980s. The definitive investigation into the origins of the quote was conducted by Quote Investigator and you can read their explanation (along with references for the Bette Midler sources) in their detailed article.
In summary the “give a girl the right shoes” quote is yet another footwear myth which we’re happy to see put straight. It is a little like the other Marilyn misquote about all women owing the inventor of high heels a lot, which she also simply didn’t say.
One more Marilyn Monroe shoe myth is that she cut a quarter inch off her stilettos to achieve a signature walk (and no, she didn’t do that either).
Although Marilyn Monroe might not have said or done any of these things, she was definitely a high heel lover. And, without or without the help of heels or other shoes, she certainly conquered the world.