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MM was intelligent but spiritually broken, hence vulnerable.

Her persona of the blonde sex bomb was a complete fabrication. Something invented to get parts and more press. But it wasn’t truly her.

Her time with Arthur Miller was spent with the goal of breaking the stereotype of the dumb blond sex kitten and to let emerge an intellectual lady who had very deep character and talent for acting. She was trying to change her image. But the studios kept casting her for character parts that she was famous for and for which they were assured a profit. And then she truly loved Joe because he was the consummate family man which she also wanted and needed. But he was baseball and not a giant intellect like Miller.

So her internal conflict was never resolved. Her suffering the abuse of the Kennedys pushed her over the deep end. She overdosed perhaps not intentionally but to try and escape her conflict, thinking she would face it again another day.

So many men that knew her said the same thing about her, that they thought they could help her. But in the end they could not. But this is the quality that attracted the men in her life. She was intelligent and not demanding, and yet she made men want to help her. And as they held her they were drawn into her softness and sweetness. She had the special magic that made men feel more masculine.

Many other beautiful and brainy women of her era were not vulnerable, not in need of help and so men thought them competitors, thought they could never be certain with such women, did not feel so heroic and important as they did with MM.