Kanye West says a lot of things that only he believes to be true. During a very heated interview on the radio show The Breakfast Club-Power 105.1 FM, Kanye started a debate heard around the world. When Vanity Fair called model Kate Upton "the next Marilyn Monroe" Yeezy firmly disagreed. If there is one person whom Kanye might just love as much as he loves himself, it's fiancée and mother of his daughter, Kim Kardashian.

To Kanye, "Kate Upton ain't the next Marilyn Monroe, Kim is Marilyn Monroe." So, before we attack Kanye West for yet another arrogant and irrelevant comment, let's compare the similarities and distinctive differences between two sex symbols of two very different eras. For a few moments, we are going to forget about how annoying Kim Kardashian might be and how Marilyn Monroe might have bothered our grandmothers. We will study the possibilities or impossibilities of how the infamous Kim Kardashian might just be... the Marilyn Monroe of our time.

Marilyn Monroe went down in history as the first woman in Hollywood to break all of the rules. Her innocent and inexplicable beauty shot her into stardom. She didn't try to be stunningly sexy, she just was. She didn't think her curves were all wrong, so she flaunted them. A woman accused of gracing too many forbidden beds and treating sex as an object of amusement. Today people talk and ask why such a woman is hanging on so many frames. Why are her words quoted with such honor? She was just a floosy, a whore, a mental case... they say. But no matter what you think about Marilyn Monroe, her existence impacted the world and her legacy stays alive long after her death.  

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926. The daughter of a troubled single mother who suffered from mental illness and worked at "Consolidated Film Industries" as a film strip cutter in Hollywood. Because of her troubles and financial instability, having two kids before Norman Jean, she gave her last daughter up for adoption. Norman Jeane, born in Los Angeles, ended up living in a foster home with Albert and Ida Bolender until the age of 7 years old. Ida served as a great influence and mother to little Norma Jeane until Gladys decided to take her back home with her.

Anyone would have thought that Norma Jeane's future would have been nothing like it really turned out. With the women in her family, starting with her grandmother, Della Monroe, having a history of mental instability, failed marriages and disorganized lives; it wasn't looking so well for Norma. But being a Los Angeles native and having her mother work in Hollywood studios sparked a light in this little girl. Norma Jeane Mortenson, then Norman Jeane Baker and finally Norma Jeane Dougherty (married name) was discovered while working at Radioplane Munitions Factory.

During World War II, Norma Jeane worked at the factory inspecting parachutes and spraying airplane parts with fire retardant. This was the time where women in America got the chance to work while their husbands where away at war. At the time, Norma was married to James Dougherty, a neighbor's son who Norma had married in order to avoid going back into an orphanage. Dougherty was in the Merchant Marines and Norma was just another woman working to hold up her end during those times of war.

In 1945, David Conover was sent by Yank magazine to take some pictures of the young women working at Radioplane Factory. The purpose was simply to feature the women in the Army Weekly magazine and boost the soldier's morale. But David Conover did much more than that; he took the first photographs of Marilyn Monroe. After Conover encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book Modeling Agency, Norma Jeane, bleached her brunette locks blonde, chose her career over her then husband and became one of Blue Book's most successful models under the name Marilyn Monroe.

The rest is history. Marilyn Monroe signed her first film contract in 1946 with Twentieth Century-Fox and was named the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. Not to mention she is known to be a pop and cultural icon as well as an American sex symbol.

However, Marilyn Monroe was not always praised and accepted by the world. Though her success began through modeling, Marilyn was not at all the typical size of a model. Her movie roles often consisted of the "dumb blonde" making people underestimate her true talent of acting and singing. And the Some Like it Hot actress also had a very "active" love life in which she married, divorce, dated and had affairs with several men.

Marilyn Monroe was very open about sex, love and nudity. Unlike other models and actresses during those times Marilyn was curvy and said to be a size 8. Ms. Monroe even faced a scandal in 1952, when some nude photos that she had taken back in 1949 during a photo session with photographer Tom Kelley appeared on a calendar.  Marilyn ultimately admitted to have done the nude photo-shoot because at the time she needed the money to pay her rent. But this was Marilyn Monroe and at this point in her career, there was nothing that could tarnish her success. One of the photos ended up being published in the very fist issue of 'Playboy Magazine' in 1953, in which Marilyn served as Hugh Hefner's very first "Playmate of the Month".

From baseball player Joe DiMaggio to playwright Arthur Miller to rumored affairs with Frank Sinatra and even President John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe had also made a name for herself as she fell in love easily and very publicly. Marilyn's need for companionship, desperately looking for the father figure that she never had, led her into the arms of a jealous and possessive Joe DiMaggio. She then divorced DiMaggio and married Arthur Miller, who was a pretty simple and calm playwright. But Marilyn's most controversial "hook-up" had to be with ladies' man and America's most loved president, President John F. Kennedy.

Though Kennedy was married to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, his extramarital affairs were no secret. President Kennedy loved pop culture and he also very much enjoyed beautiful women. The affair between the two was evident more than ever when a very sultry and seductive Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" at his 1962 forty-fifth birthday celebration. Jackie Kennedy was not present that day.

Marilyn Monroe mysteriously died on August 5, 1962 at the age of 36. She was indeed a troubled woman who had developed her own mental battles and struggles with prescription drugs. Aside from all of her troubles, Marilyn Monroe made an astonishing impact on Hollywood, women and pop culture for years to come. You can never pull up one bad Marilyn Monroe picture and her dedication to her acting and singing careers often went unnoticed. Maybe her personal life damaged her credibility but Marilyn Monroe will go respected as a hell of a woman on my book and in history.

Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian was born on October 21, 1980 in Los Angeles, Calif. She is the daughter of Kris Jenner and the late Robert Kardashian, a lawyer famously known for representing O.J. Simpson in the murder case of his wife. Kim Kardashian first garnered media attention through then friend, socialite and heiress, Paris Hilton. At this time, Paris had started a trend of being "famous for being famous." Kim seem to have taken a few pointers from Paris, as the next time we would see her on film would be how she would peak into stardom.

Growing up in L.A. and around celebrities of all statures, Kim grew a desire for fame. She quickly learned that her undeniable beauty could get her the attention she wanted. Kimberly didn't sing, dance or act, even though she always had a passion for fashion. She styled celebrity closets for some time and even served as an assistant to singer Brandy Norwood. Brandy introduced her stunning assistant to singer Ray J, Brandy's little brother. After Kim divorced music producer Damon Thomas in 2003, who she eloped with when she was only 19-years old, she started dating Ray J.

In February 2007, a sex tape featuring Kardashian and Ray J was leaked. Kardashian allegedly had nothing to do with the release of the sex tape and filed a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment (the production house that sold the tape). But Kim and Vivid ended up settling for $5 million and the suit was dropped --Kim had also gained a lot of attention. Everyone now knew who Kim Kardashian was and her curves and lady lumps had made her blast into fame.

But who really was this beautiful girl with a sex tape and the huge bum that put J.Lo out of business? This is what Kim wanted to explain to you all when she got together with Ryan Seacrest and created the E! Network's reality television series Keeping Up With the Kardashians. In October 2007, the world was introduced to Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Robert Kardashian Jr., and Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Turns out Kim had a huge family, which consist of sisters, brothers, Olympian stepfathers and stepsisters and brothers.

The show was Kim's ultimate dream. She had always wanted to feature her family on a reality show because she thought their behavior, drama and love for each other was out of the ordinary. The sex tape served as a platform for the show since this would be the best way to show the world who she really was and defend her image. Well, we did learn that Kim, her mom and manager Kris, along with sister Kourtney and Khloé were all pretty driven and smart girls. They turned the show into a gold mine with spin offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami (which became Kourtney and Kim Take Miami), and Khloé & Lamar. Kim even posed nude for Playboy's December issue.

The sisters then continued managing their fashion store DASH and their sexy clothing line for the Kardashian Kollection for Sears. The endorsements kept growing and the opportunities became endless. But Kim, a true "fool for love," continued her quest to find the one. After dating Nick Cannon, Ray J and on-and-off boyfriend football player Reggie Bush, Kim thought she found love in basketball player Kris Humphries. In August 2011, Kim married Kris in a widely publicized and E! special ceremony. The beautiful wedding and the short lived romance is rumored to had been a publicity stunt on Kardashian's part, who filed for divorce after 72 days of marriage.

Today the Kardashians are on their 9th season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Their success from just Kim's sex tape, as people claim, has been impressive. From clothing lines, to nail polish, to fragrances, to books, the Kardashian name is recognized worldwide. Kim is now engaged to rapper Kanye West, with whom she had baby North West in June of 2013. Kanye is also the man who claimed, "Kim is Marilyn Monroe."

So... they are both known to be sex symbols for their curvy figures and unique beauty. Marilyn Monroe was the first Playboy bunny after her nude photo scandal and Kim was featured on the December issue in 2007 right after her sex tape scandal. Marilyn's love life was widely publicized and highly criticized, just like Kimberly's. Both Kim and Marilyn made a career out of modeling and taking seductive photographs (Marilyn's pictures were never known to be photoshopped). Let's face it, you either adored Marilyn Monroe or hated her, Kim is known to be praised or to be disturbingly annoying. Their greatest similarity? The scandal.

Now, there are some significant differences as well, of course. Marilyn Monroe was a talented actress and singer. Even though she was noticed for her breathtaking looks, she steadily took acting classes and singing lessons to better her skills through out her career. Marilyn Monroe has a list of successful films in which she also sang and performed and, though she was difficult to work with, she was indeed a movie star. You cannot say the same about Kim Kardashian, who made her way into stardom by chasing fame and not a career-driven dream.

Although Kim Kardashian does well in her fashion ventures, she is more a businesswoman than she is an actress. She has done some films and television shows but doesn't call herself an actress nor does she wish to pursuit acting. Her failed attempt at music was a disaster and her time on Dancing With Stars revealed that she doesn't even have rhythm (something that she admits herself).

So, you see, Kim's impact on the world is very different from Marilyn's. Plus, today's pop culture has taken a stronger stand on "regular" people's everyday lives. It seems like people today are way more driven by money than by a career that they love. In Marilyn's time, celebrities had a different state of mind -- Marilyn herself once said, "I don't want to make money, I just want to be wonderful." Kim makes Hollywood seem easy. Anyone with a pretty face and a scandalous story gets a chance as long as they are making them money. And hey... maybe this is true about today's Hollywood. But I must admit I tricked you. I'm not answering the question of Kim being today's Marilyn Monroe because that is up to you to decide.  Now that you have some information, you can continue your own research and come to your own conclusion.

When you're pop culture obsessed, these things matter. What will people be saying about Kim Kardashian once she's long gone?