Photograph by Gregg Felsen

It’s not a mirage. This 26-foot tall Marilyn catching the breeze in downtown Palm Springs is 34,000-pounds of real. And whether or not you appreciate the novelty of admiring the views from under Marilyn’s skirt, at least admit that Palm Springs—where the Follies are performed nightly by octogenarian showgirls, Sonny Bono was mayor, and Frank Sinatra swam in a piano-shaped pool—is perhaps the only place in the world where something this over-the-top campy might actually make sense. Or that at least embodies the spirit of a town where more than a few come to scratch that seven year itch.