This is a paper I wrote for my Images in the Law class in law school and I’ve been wanting to share! With more attention on females and lawyers going off on their own path, on their own terms, I thought now was a good time, enjoy!
At first glance, Legally Blonde is a superficial movie with a glamorized take on law school. Only one of those things is true. As many movies, particularly about law school are, Elle Woods’ time at Harvard Law School is portrayed as a walk in the park with a few major hiccups along the way. Law school is notoriously difficult and the various films and television shows that have depicted the experience in the last few decades tend to range from accurate to not so realistic.
Legally Blonde falls somewhere towards the not so realistic side with some key elements that stand true to the law school experience of today, such as tough, Socratic method loving professors and an emphasis on competition, internships, and practical experience, but there are some elements of the film that are quite out there such as Elle trying a murder case and working that extensively at a law firm her first year. The superficiality of the film, however, is overcome if one looks past all the pink and Cosmo talk and examines Elle’s growth throughout her time at Harvard.
Elle’s debut at the prestigious Ivy League law school is quickly met with heavy criticism and stereotyping. Even before she walks onto the pristinely manicured lawn, her parents, friends, and school counselor doubt her. She makes a grand entrance, unabashedly and although she struggles to adjust, as all law students do, she stays true to herself throughout the film. Elle’s ability to do that when she is being ridiculed by professors and classmates alike is inspiring, and it’s not something many law school films or Hollywood overall highlight. Her motive for enrolling at Harvard may not have been completely well intentioned or positive, but as the movie progresses, Elle makes a case for herself, her friends, those she believes in and for why she deserves her spot at the institution. That is a testament to Elle’s character, her resilience, and the power of being feminine in a male dominated space. And the key to Legally Blonde being so much more than a frilly movie. Just like Elle herself was underestimated, so was the film, and while it doesn’t get everything about law school right, it is a champion for strong, female leaders in business, who also happen to be a little high maintenance – in the best way.
It has been said many times in the last twenty years since the film was released, that Elle Woods was ahead of her time. There are four major themes of the movie that demonstrate exactly that: girly feminism, the power of being a fish out of water, the importance of finding yourself and not getting caught up in the process of finding your passions and career, and not judging a book by its cover. Whether its Hollywood scriptwriting or it was truly Amanda Brown’s experience, which led her to write the novel the film is based on, or Reese Witherspoon’s impeccable performance, Elle Woods has made an impact on the women of this generation and in true unapologetically pink style.
The first major theme is twofold. The reason that is often cited for why Elle was ahead of her time is that she didn’t fall into the two common female tropes in early-2000s movies, either smart and tomboy or girly and popular. She proved you can be both. In media, even today or it can be argued, more so today, women are pitted against each other for everything from careers to relationships. Society loves to stir the pot and make women fight over each other, even challenging which type of women is most successful. The amount of Buzzfeed articles about where you shop defining the type of woman you are and the career you should have is ridiculous. Elle does a great job of showing women that they don’t have to choose. That they don’t have to alienate a part of themselves to achieve their goals, the same way they don’t have to be a tomboy to be smart and that a woman can be popular and pretty and still be a serious academic or want to be successful in business.
Elle shows throughout the film, once her motivation for being at Harvard changes, that she can be a serious student and still care about her appearance and taking care of herself. She often is shown getting her hair and nails done, by Paulette, who everyone loves, and working out on the treadmill while reading for class. She is the posterchild for multitasking and doing it constructively. She is working on her mental health by getting a sweat in, keeping her figure in shape while studying. She is proving she can be both smart and care about how she looks, the ultimate “girly” trait. She also shows she can be popular and nice, unlike Vivian and her posse, which is another major early-2000s trope, but that’s another discussion.
This duality is such an underrated motif of the film, and one that should be talked about more. Its paramount that society tells young girls they don’t have to dumb themselves down to be popular and that they can be beautiful and smart. Women should never have been made to choose one over the other, the media should stop perpetuating that narrative. Legally Blonde does a great job showing women how they can be both and have it all.
The second part of this girly feminism theme follows the first. Once a woman believes that she doesn’t have to choose between the two tropes, she must believe that she can be a serious professional. While there are sure to be other films that showcase this or maybe show why they cannot, Legally Blonde has a uniquely feminist message. Especially for the early-2000s, when most TV and movies about women were centered on relationships and partying. There is definitely that in this film, getting a boy back is the very reason Elle embarks on a journey of getting a 179 LSAT score and having “a Coppola” direct her admissions video all to get into Harvard. But within the first half of the film, Elle has realized she deserves more than Warner Huntington III and sets off on the journey of cementing her place at Harvard and a prestigious law firm while she’s at it.
Elle isn’t shy about using her looks to get her in the door, but once she’s in she wows everyone with her charm, wit, and intelligence. That is the message society should be teaching young women. That it is ok to use looks, but it’s even more special to use both beauty and brains to achieve success. After all, men do it, and we’ve all seen those movies – Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men, anyone? – so why is it so wrong for women to do the same.
Elle is unafraid to be herself, even when she does play it safe and attempts to blend in at times. She isn’t afraid to stand up for herself, others around her and do what she feels is right. She demonstrates immense emotional intelligence, which is a key to a being a great leader, a nod to her position as President of Delta Nu Sorority in college and her future role as class elected speaker at graduation. This ability to empower others without dimming herself, which is so rare these days, comes from her belief in herself and that she can do whatever she sets her mind to. She taught a whole generation to not let that feminine side of who we are get pushed aside by the journey to success in a male dominated world and for that she is a feminist icon. That’s true feminism, believing in feminine energy and being true to what makes you happy.
Another main theme of the film is the benefit of being a fish out of water. Elle may be out of her element in Cambridge, but she isn’t alone in feeling that way. In the first days of school scenes, the audience meets a few of Elle’s classmates and they are all undoubtedly different, from the guy with multiple graduate degrees, to the stoned out of his mind genius, to the uber feminist, to Vivian, who is portrayed as a class pet with a chip on her shoulder just for being young, beautiful, and wealthy. And then there is Warner, Elle’s loser ex-boyfriend that we later learn couldn’t get into Harvard on his own, which Elle could. Elle gets singled out as not belonging at such a revered institution, but it can be argued that being the fish out of water is not always a bad thing.
There is a deep-seated power in not getting too comfortable. While it can be a source of tension for someone, especially in a high-stake environment such as Harvard Law School or any law school, it can also be a great growth tool. Elle learned that early in the film when she believes she’s getting proposed to and is thrown for a loop. She quickly channels the post break up emotions into the LSAT and getting into Harvard which pushes her towards the most significant challenge she faces in the movie. When she arrives on campus and is met with resistance, she could easily run home to Bel Aire the minute Warner introduces Vivian. Instead, she chooses to power through again and her transformation truly begins. Being the fish out of water provides Elle with the opportunity to look inward and evaluate what she really wants to get out of her time in Boston.
Reflections like this don’t usually happen without a catalyst and for Elle, constant push back from those around her when she makes headway at school are the perfect storm. If she had easily fit in with her peers, perhaps at a California state law school, she would have never had to do these evaluations and that’s the beauty of discomfort. It teaches a person to really rely on themselves, get to know and learn to love themselves. Elle certainly knows that beauty is pain and there’s no better teacher than exploring what you are capable of.
This ties right in to the third major theme of the film and the one most noteworthy to me now, having gone through most of law school, albeit not at Harvard. Even while Elle is challenged to discover what she’s really doing at Harvard, she doesn’t lose herself in the process of law school. In fact, she finds herself, a version of her she didn’t know existed. Legally Blonde does a great job of highlighting the importance of finding yourself and not getting caught in the minutia while in the process of finding your passions and career.
It is a very common struggle for women in their early 20s wanting to go into higher education and/or a career, to question how much of her true self can she show outwardly in pursuit of her goals and how much she feels the need to suppress to achieve those goals. This balancing act often leads to getting lost in the shuffle, trying to fit in with whatever is deemed the best method and losing the part of themselves that makes them unique. While Elle does attempt to get in with Vivian and her friends at first, she quickly realizes she doesn’t need to fit in to do well at Harvard. This is a lesson more pop culture and media should be teaching, that if fitting in and the traditional path requires one to make themselves small and be someone they are not, its ok to do their own thing if it gets them to their end goal and it doesn’t hurt anyone along the way.
Throughout the film Elle learned to believe in herself too, one of the most important lessons in the movie and how she was able to stay true to herself. Her confidence was boosted, she was more graceful and kind to those who were not so kind to her, and she was able to stay focused on her newfound goals even when Warner suddenly wanted her back. This belief in herself is what led to Elle getting the coveted internship, winning the case and so much more.
This realization and her growth allow Elle to find not only herself, but her passion for helping others and in turn a career. On the outside, she came across sure of herself and confident, but it was apparent from early in the movie that she did not have any goals for herself, and she was happy just floating through life. She was popular, had a degree, showed aptitude for leadership yet her friends and her parents did not expect much of her and neither did she.
But as she went through law school and discovered what she wants to use her legal degree for, she also discovered she doesn’t have to hide what she’s passionate about and can enjoy doing it. Her impressive knowledge of perm maintenance and her bond with Brooke played important roles in her ability to win the case, teaching the audience that even if your interests are girly or not related to your career, that doesn’t mean they can’t serve a purpose. This win also proved to Elle herself that she is a great law student, lawyer in training and that she had found her calling. This personal growth story arc really put a focal point on the importance of finding yourself, falling in love with yourself and not getting lost in the noise while working to establish your career. A beautiful lesson from a movie seemingly about a dumb blonde.
This exact stereotype is the foundation for the last major theme of the film for the sake of this discussion: don’t judge a book by its cover. As mentioned above, Elle’s intentions for going to Harvard were not very empowering and from the moment the audience meets her, she is portrayed as shallow and only looking for a husband. Which there is nothing wrong with, but that stereotype is usually not conducive to a woman aspiring to attend an Ivy League university.
That’s just it, though. Elle herself was unaware she was capable of Harvard, but her stubbornness and naivety gave her the courage to go after what she wanted and let it take her where she was meant to go. This quality is highly overlooked in commentary about the film, even now. She may have made a bold and not so great first impression, but she proves that looks can be deceiving and just because she’s blonde and loves pink doesn’t mean she is Malibu Barbie. At least all the time. Repeatedly she shows, not tells, the audience why she is a force to be reckoned with and why society shouldn’t overlook overly feminine women, especially in the workforce.
The beauty of this theme, however, is that while she could easily let it get to her head that she is proving people wrong, she chooses to focus her energy on herself and her academics and that is even more powerful. Most people would enjoy the adrenaline rush of overcoming the stereotypes placed on them, but for Elle, channeling that energy into schoolwork and representing her client further shows why we should never judge based on the version of someone they project to the world. Legally Blonde does a wonderful job of illustrating this with multiple characters, namely Vivian and Warner.
When Vivian is first introduced, you want to hate her for being the woman Warner chooses over Elle, and she doesn’t redeem herself until towards end of the film but once she does you realize she isn’t so bad. Warner is another story altogether. He’s first introduced as this major catch, and you quickly learn he’s a loser that doesn’t deserve Elle or the reputation he has as this amazing guy. Luckily for her, Elle realizes this quickly and she chooses herself, her goals, and passions over taking him back.
This is a lesson many women realize after one to many bad breakups or friendship drama and it ruins their confidence. This ties into the previous theme as well, once a woman knows who she is and she wholeheartedly believes in her power as a woman, she has the confidence to shamelessly go after what she wants. Little kids are taught not to be mean to each other and sharing is caring, but as adults these messages are thrown away. While film and TV are meant for entertainment, the stories portrayed can influence the way society operates and as we enter a new decade society needs to stop judging women, trying to put them into boxes and then punishing them when they try to break out. Elle gets rewarded for her resilience with the class elected speaker position and even gets the guy at the end of the movie. It’s important that the film gave the audience the big Hollywood happy ending, but it’s even more important to understand that Elle wouldn’t have been able to get that ending without the growth she undertakes during the movie.
Legally Blonde not only can teach women how to bend and snap to get a cute guy’s attention but how to believe in themselves and trust their gut. Not judging based on first impressions and taking a chance on people and opportunities has a lot to do with gut instincts which Elle demonstrates with ease. This film encompasses so many incredible lessons for women wanting to make an impact and cements why Elle Woods not only is a feminist icon, she’s also a trailblazer. She paved the way for multifaceted and multi hyphenate women in this generation more than any other and she eloquently embodies what it means to be a woman supporting women. Elle is the flagbearer for girls everywhere who read gossip magazines, enjoy fashion, makeup, and a good costume party, that want to make partner by 30 and be happy and fulfilled doing so.
On the surface, Legally Blonde is the classic early-2000s tale of a girl chasing a guy and the lengths she’ll go to get him. But when you step back and empathize with Elle Woods, you discover that there is so much more than what meets the eye. There is a tremendous power in that. A power that the women who grew up watching the film are only just discovering.
As Elle herself says at the end of Legally Blonde,
““The law is reason free from passion.“ Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law — and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.”
If we learn anything at all from this movie, let it be that it’s ok to be a little unconventional in the pursuit of what makes us happy and fulfilled. That women can’t be placed neatly in a premium UPS shipped box and that our passions and interests not only make us interesting, but they also give us the confidence to show up as the best versions of ourselves.
The beauty of this film is that it is innocent yet dynamic. A theme all too well known to women. Women are told to make themselves small and unintimidating to get ahead in this world. Especially in the workforce and even more prevalent in professional careers such as law. Women are expected to move quietly and not celebrate their accomplishments because they should just be grateful for the opportunity to be there. But Legally Blonde, while still steeped in the messaging of the decade it is a product of, compels us to go deeper and really examine the stereotypes and tropes that have been indoctrinated into us.
The film challenges us to stop being afraid of what we’re passionate about. To embrace the quirks and interests that shape us, our perspectives and be sure of ourselves. Elle teaches us that you can be both girly and smart, there’s something to be said about a woman who knows who she is and doesn’t shy away from being that woman, and to be kind to everyone around us because even those who treat us badly can become an ally.
Elle Woods may have made an impact on the Harvard Law School Class of 2004, her professors, her close friends, and the world, but the most symbolic impact was on the women who came after her. Not many films or TV shows can truly say they did that for the reasons Legally Blonde did. The movie may glamorize law school a bit and it can be a little surface level but at heart, there is a handbook for how to become a powerhouse in whatever field a woman chooses and how to do it with style. Elle may be loud and charismatic and a little dramatic, but what she lacks in East Coast preppy refinement, she makes up for in compassion and brilliance. And with Bruiser by her side, a little sass, and a whole lot of pink too.
Let me know your thoughts on this paper in the comments or DM me as always!
xo Kayla