Sorry Lindsay but you don’t come even close. You may be young and you may be fragile after your battles with alcohol and drugs but this is not reason enough to touch something that shouldn’t be tarnished: the beautiful memory of a true Hollywood icon, Marilyn Monroe.

Lindsay Lohan is slowly making her way back to the public eye and her current approach seems to be mainly photographic. Photo shoots for various magazines are Lindsay’s thing right now. Not parties and public reckless behavior. Not movies either.

Back in December, it was kind of cute how Harper's Bazaar photographed her in several Los Angeles spots accompanied by one superhero or another: Batman, Robin, the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man, with Lindsay bedazzled each time in a different frock.

This time around however, the 21-year-old starlet poses nude for the spring fashion issue of New York magazine, recreating Marilyn Monroe’s famous photo shoot of 1962 – her last.

The photographer that worked with Marilyn then, Bert Stern, worked with Lindsay now, on Feb. 5 at the Hotel Bel-Air. Marilyn’s photo shoot became known as The Last Sitting after she was found dead in her apartment a few weeks later, apparently from an overdose.

Marilyn has already starred in such classics as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Some Like It Hot.” She was 36 at the time of her death. She had personally crossed out the photos she did not like from the series created with Stern in red marker; the photographer later published these as well, showing an uncensored Marilyn.

What right does Lindsay have to pose as the blonde goddess of 50s movies? Somewhat candidly, the teenager admitted in the accompanying interview that this was too rare an opportunity to pass, adding that she is a big fan of Marilyn’s.

“I didn’t have to put much thought into it. I mean, Bert Stern? Doing a Marilyn shoot? When is that ever going to come up? It’s really an honor.”

And yet, Lindsay has failed to prove her full talent – or even come close to suggesting it. She’s starred in a handful of teenage movies, like “Freaky Friday,” “Mean Girls” and “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” as well as the more recent, probably intended as more mature, “Chapter 27,” about the murder of John Lennon, “Georgia Rule,” with Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda, and “I Know Who Killed Me,” the film that earned her two nominations for a single role as worst actress at this year’s Golden Raspberry Awards.

While no single movie singles her out as a hard-working talented actress, she does have three visits to rehab on her resume, a couple of DUI arrests, an 84-minute stint in jail and community service.

During the interview with New York magazine, the subject of Marilyn Monroe’s drug overdose, as well as the more recent one of Heath Ledger, came up.

“They are both prime examples of what this industry can do to someone,” Lindsay said. “I’m not them,” she added. “I sure as hell wouldn't let it happen to me.”

Bert Stern told the Associated Press that he thought the photo shoot would give Lindsay the chance to portray herself as a grown-up and gave her credit for her willingness to pose nude. Lindsay only donned a blonde wig, black eyeliner and translucent bed sheets.

“I thought she was a natural, not at all squeamish,” Stern said of her.

Lindsay, how about a new movie? A good one this time.

Photo credit: www.nymag.com