It’s illegal not to have seen Legally Blonde

Today’s movie blog post will be about the one and only

LEGALLY BLONDE!!!!

Oh man! Who doesn’t love this movie? I remember the first time I watched this movie, the brightly colored first montage scene clouding my vision, like a cloud of cotton-candy scented perfume. This was how I imagined college would be. Beautiful girls wearing beautiful clothing and garnering attention from equally beautiful, shirtless boys. I mean, what care in the world did Elle have? For those who don’t know what this movie is about, please send me the address of the rock you’re living under, and I’ll promptly get the summary to you.

I’m kidding.

This is Elle Woods. She is a Delta Nu at the fictional CULA, and she is queen there. Her boyfriend is Warner, a class-act who has decided that Elle is no longer good enough for him as he is going to Harvard Law School and he needs to stop “dicking around.” Elle, the ever ambitious romantic that she is, decides that in order to prove that she’s good enough for Warner’s affections, she needs to also go to Harvard Law. While there, she gets involved with a criminal case, eventually winning it using her own wit, and along the way proves to herself that she doesn’t need Warner’s at all.

This movie starts off unsurprisingly sexist and not very feminist. But I’d like to point out an early scene in the movie that really inspires me. Elle goes to visit her academic counselor and boldly claims that she wants to go to Harvard Law.

When her counselor, dubious (with reason to be as Elle’s major is Fashion), asks what her (Elle’s) backups are, Elle states that she doesn’t have any, as she is going to Harvard Law.

Her counselor could have easily taken this moment to crush her dreams, becoming another obstacle in Elle’s way, but of scoffing at her determination, her counselor simply goes along with and sets up a game plan with Elle.

Her overall support and willingness to try and at least help Elle succeed really sets up an example of women supporting other women, which I’ve said before, means a lot to me. When women help other women, it shows a bond that I feel some people don’t think women have with each other. I understand that it is the counselor’s job to help Elle, but some counselors would have very much tried to deter her from such outrageous ideas. I think it’s special that Elle’s counselor didn’t and that she gave her that foundational support that Elle might not have known that she needed.

Other early instances of women supporting Elle through this:

• Elle’s friend (the blonde one???) briefly questions why Elle would want to go to law school. However, she almost immediately jumps into support mode and gives Elle her scrunchie for luck.
• A friend helps Elle study during what looks like a really freaking fun party- all to help Elle (what a good friend)
• her friends grade her practice  LSATs for her (once again, really good friends, supporting her through this, as the movie points out repeatedly that Elle going to law school is not normal for those who belong to Delta Nu)

Anyway, so the movie goes on, and Elle’s having trouble fitting in because apparently everyone who goes to Harvard Law is stuffy and allergic to pink and all things fun and girly. Waner’s new girlfriend is also stuffy, also not nice and plays a mean joke on Elle, prompting Elle to get SERIOUS. Elle also realizes that Warner’s does not respect her, and so if she’s gonna succeed, she’s gonna have to do it for herself.

I really adore (I’m not sure if this is the right word) this one scene later on when Elle tries to join Warner’s study group and the token, typical college feminist tries to trash Elle and Elle shoots back that if typical feminist had gone to a rush party, Elle would have at least been nice to her. I don’t know why I love this scene, but it just kinda shows that you don’t have to look like a feminist to be a feminist. You can love all the girly stuff and be obsessed with fashion and still be a kick ass lady who supports other ladies in their endeavors.

So then we can get to Brooke Windum. Brooke is being tried with shooting her husband. Brooke is also a former Delta Nu, so she and Elle get off on the right foot. Elle immediately, without a doubt, believes that Brooke is innocent.

She doesn’t even need a lot of convincing, and she knows that Brooke’s lawyer, Elle’s law school teacher, doesn’t believe Brooke at all. So even at this very early point, Elle is on Brooke’s side, completely in her corner, and just wants the best for Brooke. Once again, this woman support just makes my heart sore. And when she finally get’s Brooke’s albi, which Brooke makes Elle swear not to tell, Elle keeps her promise and tells Callahan (the lawyer teacher man) that she can’t “break the bonds of sisterhood.”

Isn’t that kind of empowering? Not kind of, it is really empowering! And Vivian (Warner’s girlfriend who is gross- at this point-) later on tells Elle that she thought it was classy that Elle respected the wishes of Brooke. It’s a crazy cute scene where we see two girls become closer even though a stupid boy is supposed to be standing in their way, even though they’re supposed to be feuding. But these are two ladies that are starting to realize that Warner is literally such a skeez and that in this man’s game, it’s not worth it to be enemies.

So then the trial starts and Callahan puts the moves on Elle, and Elle decides that the only reason she made it this far is because Callahan thinks she’s just a piece of meat and she decides to quit. But then the mother of all powerful ladies in the film, Professor Stromwell, basically tells Elle to keep on trucking on, because some men suck and it shouldn’t be the reason Elle gives up on law.

Anyway, Elle wins her case all by herself (with some help from Emmett- adorable Emmett who has always believed in Elle) and basically proves to herself that she can do anything she wants, and even though she went to Harvard because of a man, she succeded by having faith in herself. And that is the reason this movie is so powerful. Because, very similar to Clueless, this a movie that centers around a beautiful girl who is a little ditzy and loves fashion and girly stuff, but who also can do lawyer stuff and have a serious side. I love the idea that you can be a powerful woman and you don’t have to look like typical feminist girl to be that kind of woman. The kind of woman that supports other women through thick and thin and gives stuffy gross girls second chances.

And Elle ends the movie as class-elected speaker, and delivers a super cute speech that reminds everybody watching, you must always have faith in yourself.

Well that’s it. Until next time,

DELTA DELTA NU!