The New York Times’ Austin Considine …

… considers our ongoing obsession with Marilyn Monroe, a film icon who’s been dead for many more years than she ever made movies.

The platinum-haired blonde has become something of a touchstone for young actresses, ranging from Michelle Williams, who channels her on the cover of this month’s issue of Vogue, to Lindsay Lohan, who, it might be argued, shares Ms. Monroe’s foibles and weaknesses.

As ever, here’s the nut graf — and Considine finds there might be a reason for all this mania:

“Monroe’s new ubiquity is partly by design. In December, Authentic Brands Group, which is based in New York, acquired exclusive rights to Monroe’s likeness, image and estate. This summer, the group consolidated those rights with several photographic portfolios, including Mr. Bernard’s, along with rights to products like a Marilyn Monroe line of Nova Wines, lingerie by Dreamwear and merchandise by the skateboard company Alien Workshop.

‘You don’t have 52 Marilyn Monroes out there from a packaging standpoint, you have one,’said Jamie Salter, the company’s chief executive, who said his goal was, in part, to take Monroe’s image upscale.”

In death, as in life, someone’s once again figured out how to make a buck off Marilyn Monroe, it would seem.

Michelle Williams on the cover of Vogue.

Lindsay Lohan, photo essay, New York Magazine.