Before Marilyn Monroe Became Hollywood Royalty, She Lived In Almost Unimaginable Poverty

Marilyn Monroe became one of Hollywood’s most enduring symbols of glamour, but her childhood looked very different from the image fans later knew. Long before the gowns, premieres, and movie-star lifestyle, she spent years moving through foster homes where money was often tight and comforts were limited.

According to CheatSheet, one of the most striking stories from Marilyn Monroe’s childhood came from her own memoir, My Story. Monroe recalled that one foster family tried so hard to conserve water that everyone used the same bathwater—and she usually went last.

Marilyn Monroe’s Childhood Included a Painful Foster Home Routine

Monroe wrote that water cost money in the household, so replacing the bathwater between family members simply did not happen. Instead, everyone bathed in the same tub on Saturday nights. As the foster child, Monroe often found herself at the end of the line.

She remembered that being last did not usually bother her, except when bath night came around. By the time it was her turn, several people had already used the water. Monroe also recalled that another household discouraged her from flushing the toilet at night because the family wanted to keep water costs down.

Her Adult Love of Long Baths Took on New Meaning

Those early experiences seemed to stay with Monroe even after she found success. Once she could afford privacy and comfort, she often took long baths, sometimes adding perfume, draining the tub, and refilling it with fresh water. She could stay there for an hour or more, even missing dinner plans or appointments. What might seem like movie-star indulgence also carried deeper meaning after years when clean bathwater had felt like a luxury.

The Marilyn Monroe childhood story also included deep emotional hardship. She spent time with foster families and later wrote about the lack of affection she felt from her mother, Gladys. Those memories sharply contrast with Monroe’s later image of beauty and luxury. Behind the glamour was someone who remembered what it felt like to come last, even for something as ordinary as a bath.