Fancy a dip? What about dressed as Marilyn Monroe?
Brighton rocks; we all know that. Impossible to pigeonhole, and a great place to live and visit. So why not join in something different this December? How about taking a dip? What do you mean, it’s too chilly? Us Brits are well known for all-year-round sea swims.
The Brighton Christmas Sea swim has become something of a tradition. Not organised by anyone in particular; anyone can join in. The swim takes place every Christmas Day at 11 am. Traditionally crowds gather to watch the swimmers launch themselves into the waves with their Santa hats. Last year the onlookers handed out towels and glasses of Bucks Fizz.
It takes a special type of person to do this, and swimmers often acclimatise themselves to the cold water by starting in the summer and keeping going throughout the autumn and winter. The advice is no more than one minute in the water for every degree. Also, always have a swim buddy. There are plenty of local sea swimming groups. You can join one that suits you or persuade a group of friends to join in.
Maybe you’ll be inspired by a group of women in another Brighton on the other side of the world. So how do you fancy dressing up as 50s idol Marilyn Monroe and taking a dip in the sea? Admittedly, it is much easier to emulate Marilyn’s glamour when your teeth aren’t chattering.
Over in Brighton, Adelaide, a group of bold women (and men) dressed head to toe as Marilyn Monroe take part in a 400m swim (or paddle) around the Brighton Jetty. They do this to raise funds for cancer research, prevention and support programs. This sea of blonde bombshells has raised over $820,000 for cancer charities. The event is part of Southern Australia’s largest open-water swim, which takes place at the beginning of February each year.
Over the years, the 50’s idol has inspired many look-alike events, but the swim must be one of the most iconic. The first Marilyn Jetty Swim took place in 2014, and it has become a favourite with the crowds. 2020 saw the biggest gathering of Marilyns attracting both swimming and shore-based Marilyns.
The weather in Adelaide is currently mostly sunny and warm. Temperatures are expected to be between 20 and 30 degrees. With the weather in Brighton, UK, not forecast to get above 11 degrees this week, taking your inner Marilyn to the sea might be more challenging. Perhaps it would be better to wait for the warmer summer days before emulating the Ozzies. However, it would be fun to see a similar event by Palace Pier one day. But to get a crowd involved it would be good to remember that, just like the title of her famous film, ‘some like it hot’.
Monroe might have died in the 1960s, but she continued to be an inspiration in the decades following her death. Andy Warhol became obsessed with her image and made the famous silk-screen prints of her face.
In her lifetime, she was an enigma and refused to fit into a particular genre. She was an actor, singer and model who made countless screen and stage appearances. She famously sang Happy Birthday to JFK and married athlete Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller. She has inspired multiple biopic films and television serialisations of her life. Online slot reviews cover two games about the star. One is simply called Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas played the lead role in Netflix’s Blonde, which was released this year.
Anyone unfamiliar with Monroe’s films may wonder why the Marilyns are inspired to dress up as her for their swim. Known as one of the sexiest women in history, she could certainly turn up the heat in swimwear. In ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ she posed in a ruched one-piece with a sweetheart neckline. Her polka dot bikini appearance might well have inspired Bryan Hyland’s classic song “Itsy Bitsy Polka Dot Bikini’.