Movie Review: "Legally Blonde" and it's significance in the world of Feminism Blog Post #4
In remembrance of Women's History Month, I wanted to have fun with this assignment and write a movie review about an inspiring female lead. Legally Blonde is a movie from the year 2001 about an inspiring young woman named Elle Woods, and how she went from a fun-loving, fashion major, living in California, to an inspiring, mature graduate of Harvard Law School with a Law degree, all because she originally wanted to win her ex-boyfriend, Warner, back. Only to instead, fall in love with law, remember her worth when others don't and become an amazing lawyer.
One of the things I enjoyed about this film was that in the beginning, although she was fun-loving, pink wearing, California girl, she was still smart and capable. We first see this in the beginning when a dress saleswoman tries to get her to pay full price for a dress, but Elle, using her *fashion knowledge, outsmarts the underestimating woman's antics. After she starts law school, she feels pressured to conform, and be more serious, but one of the main lessons from the movie is that you can still be who you are and achieve your dreams. Instead of her conforming, the film demonstrates her intelligence and maturity flourishing, but her kind heart and feminine, bubbly personality stay the same. This is such an inspiration for women because this inspires us that we can still be feminine and extroverted, and still achieve our dreams concerning our careers. Although some women, like the saleswomen, some of her peers, and even one of her own bosses, underestimate her, she doesn't let this bring her down or treat other people differently, bringing me to my next point.
Too often in the media and society, women are pitted against each other, but in this film, the use of women supporting women is phenomenal. For starters, when Elle tells her friends that she wants to go to Harvard and study law, instead of her girlfriends discouraging her because they think she isn't smart enough, they're lightly hesitant because they know that it's not wise to chase after a boy. As for Elle, she's a prime example of treating everyone around her with respect. For instance, when one of her female peers that tried to embarrass Elle by telling her the wrong attire to wear to a Halloween party, she doesn't use that instance as an excuse to treat her differently. Another example of her good nature would be when Warner's new girl, Vivienne, that he dumped Elle for someone serious like her. Instead of her being jealous or rude to her, Elle even befriends Vivienne and she convinces her that she can do better, causing her to dump Warner (Karma is so interesting, right?). She also befriends her nail tech (Jennifer Coolidge) and inspires the nail tech to leave her trash boyfriend. This character, as well as this movie entirely nailed demonstrating the importance of female friendships and treating fellow women with respect, which feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the typical 'dog eat dog' culture in our modern day world.
**Spoiler alert, her knowledge of more feminine things, also helps her prove a client's innocence, and win the case!!
In contrast to this world where it feels as though femininity, and leading with your heart aren't as welcome as they should be in the work world, this movie proves that a woman's femininity and emotions aren't her weakness, but instead can be her greatest strength. Although she's beautiful, kind, and a total go-getter, she endures a lot of spite and underestimation for that, but she never lets this tear her down and treat other people poorly. And best of all, she learns that it's ok to be herself, regardless of her environment and through doing so, she proves everyone wrong about her. If that's not one of the most feminist, inspiring notions I've ever heard, then I have no idea what is.
When you have time this month, from the bottom of my soul, I'd recommend finding the time to show some love to the powerful women in your life, because chances are, one of them gave you life. If not, at least give this movie a shot, because I can guarantee, either, or both will equally enrich your life. You can watch this movie on Tubi right here, Legally Blonde, or on Roku TV for free.
It’s amazing to see how strong women are, especially those who are under extreme and pressure.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great analysis. I think femininity is often seen as immature and shallow, thus labeling anyone who is feminine as immature and shallow, but this is just so untrue. That's a very man-centered view of things that goes back to women being seen as immature and shallow themselves. Why is it more acceptable for a man to be interested in dirt biking than it is for a woman to like fashion? Aside from that, many people have interests that are seemingly unrelated, so we shouldn't limit ourselves to just one area.
ReplyDelete