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Charlotte Goto

Phillips

Cultural Media Literacy

5 January 2020

Legally Blonde

In 2001, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer released ​Legally Blonde​, a feel-good romantic-comedy

that won over the hearts of viewers around the globe. This film portrays a sorority sweetheart

paving her way through Harvard Law School, earning a spot in a prestigious internship and

finding the perfect boyfriend along the way. Elle Woods rises to the top of her class and proves

her exceptional intellect by solving a perplexing murder case. While Elle Woods may appear to

be the shining icon of feminine power, underlying aspects of this film’s plot draw away from her

inspirational image. Though some claim Robert Luketic’s work stands out as “an impressive

feminist film,” ​Legally Blonde​ presents numerous problematic concepts (Cowley). Despite

empowering intentions, ​Legally Blonde​ falls short of a feminist emblem.

Throughout the movie, Luketic grants male authority by implying female dependence on

men. The premise of the film, Elle’s journey through Harvard Law School, comes to fruition due

to her intense desires to earn the admiration of her self-centered ex-boyfriend, Warner

Huntington III. Though she finds tremendous success in this professional practice, the storyline

asserts that Elle had no prior passions or goals other than to secure a rich, handsome husband. In

fact, in the nail salon, Elle declares, “This is the type of girl Warner wants to marry! This is the

girl I need to become.” That proud proclamation demonstrates that Elle focuses entirely on
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serving men and attaining their validation and approval, equating her self-worth with male

opinion. In the breakup scene, Warner explains that their long-term relationship was nothing

more than “dicking around.” Despite his crude, demeaning remarks, Elle labors tirelessly to

rekindle their relationship. Gradually, Elle realizes Warner’s poor character and builds her

self-confidence. The concluding graduation scene showcases Elle’s academic accolades and

inspirational self-growth; however, critics claim that female success alone is not enough to

satisfy the average viewer (Dixon). Luketic combats this by utilizing the final line of the film to

reveal that “Emmett is proposing to Elle...tonight.” Although Emmett and Elle have a healthy

relationship, this concluding line reinforces that women--even the Valedictorians at Harvard Law

School--are incomplete without men.

Furthermore, Luketic detracts from an instersectional feminist message by employing

offensive stereotypes, particularly in women. Elle Woods, President of the Delta Nu Sorority,

appears to be the leader of dozens of shallow, stupid sisters. Luketic presents these young

women as nothing more than pretty faces. Their lack of intelligence serves as the punchline in

various circumstances, including in Elle’s legal debut when her two closest friends proclaim,

“Oh look, how cute! There’s, like, a judge and everything.” Also, Elle’s mother portrays a dumb,

girly girl stereotype. Upon hearing her daughter’s plans to apply for Harvard, Mrs. Woods firmly

objects. She views Elle’s physical appearance as her only strength and inquires why she would

want to “throw that all away.” On the other hand, Vivian Kensington, with her cold demeanor

and indifference toward appearances, represents the opposite of these ditzy women. Throughout

the story, Vivian slowly reveals more feminine aspects of herself and demonstrates greater

kindness. As a result, many critics argue that Luketic indirectly associates kindness with
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femininity (Gill). This reinforces gender codes and asserts that women must conform to gender

norms in order to be seen as acceptable and likeable by society. Enid, Elle’s peer at Harvard Law

School, provides further evidence of this problematic concept. Enid fulfills the “feminazi”

stereotype, a demeaning profile that classifies feminists as men-hating extremists (Schlaffer).

Her character’s ridiculous opinions offer comedic relief; in one party scene, Enid demands that

semesters change to “ovesters” to recognize femininity. Despite serious problems for women’s

rights, Enid only speaks of the most trivial matters. Enid, a women’s studies major and

self-proclaimed feminist, symbolizes Luketic’s attempts to separate his film from feminism, a

loaded label in modern society (Dixon).

Lastly, Luketic fails to adequately uphold intersectional beliefs through Elle Woods’

uber-privileged lifestyle. Despite being a conventionally attractive, straight, wealthy, white

person, Elle fails to ever acknowledge her privilege. She receives many advantages due to her

looks, including admittance into the nation’s most prestigious university. The Harvard

admissions board, comprised of all men, are quickly persuaded by her video essay, featuring

herself in a pink bikini and glamorous makeup (Gill). As a fashion merchandising major with no

prior intentions to explore a path into the legal field, Elle clearly lacks some credentials;

however, her stunning physical appearance helps to earn her admittance into Harvard Law

School. Elle Woods never acknowledges her privilege, though. In fact, her famous line, “What?

Like it’s hard?” reinforces an ignorant mindset of privilege. The essence of feminism is

intersectionality--diversity in race, sexuality, religion, ability, and other marginalized groups;

however, this film lacks representation in nearly all of those categories (Richmond). Perhaps due

to his own privilege, Robert Luketic overlooked these features while directing the movie.
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Although some may argue that ​Legally Blonde​ is an iconic film that preaches girl power

and female strength, this film presents numerous problematic concepts. While Elle Woods finds

success by owning her feminine side, nearly all of her actions are controlled or influenced by

men, which grants male authority and takes away from Elle’s independent image (Musitano).

Additionally, while Elle’s female friendships provide strength and support, Luketic employs

various harmful stereotypes in the female characters. Overall, despite positive intentions of

highlighting a woman defying expectations, working hard, and learning her self-worth, ​Legally

Blonde​ still falls short of a feminist masterpiece.

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Works Cited

Cowley, Sophia. “Why LEGALLY BLONDE Was An Impressive Feminist Film For 2001.”

Film Inquiry​, 8 Nov. 2018, www.filminquiry.com/legally-blonde-feminist-film-2001/.

Dixon, Christine-Marie Liwag. “Things You Only Notice about Legally Blonde as an Adult.”

TheList.com,​ The List, 22 Feb. 2018,

www.thelist.com/102993/things-notice-legally-blonde-adult/​.

Gill, Rosalind. "Supersexualize Me." ​Wise.willamette.edu​. N.p., n.d. Web.

Legally Blonde​. Dir. Robert Luketic. Perf. Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson. 2001. DVD.

Musitano, Allison. “How Does Legally Blonde Hold Up as a Feminist Film? : A 2019

Perspective.” ​Her Campus,​ University of New Hampshire, 21 Sept. 2019,

www.hercampus.com/school/unh/how-does-legally-blonde-hold-feminist-film-2019-pers

pective.

Richmond, Abby. “Is Elle Woods a Feminist?” ​Jewish Women's Archive​, 4 Mar. 2016,

jwa.org/blog/risingvoices/is-elle-woods-feminist.

Schlaffer, Natasha. “Feminist Faux Pas in Legally Blonde.” ​Penn State Presidential Leadership

Academy​, Penn State University, 10 Oct. 2018,

sites.psu.edu/academy/2018/10/10/feminist-faux-pas-in-legally-blonde/.