-Women: stereotypes for women are widely used in this film, It is obviously created to be the perfect encapsulation of any female stereotype; Stupid blonde, daughter sister, extremely feminine, crazy, and it`s even a scene that shows Elle as a bad driver. All these stereotypes that accumulate in Elle make her even more endearing. But by promoting stereotypes of women throughout the film, they highlight inequalities between men and women within the professional environment, and its general use is questionable. She starts out as a passive, stupid blonde, but the film ends up fighting that cliché. She learns to be less passive and acquires a sense of self-awareness. At the beginning of the film, she is not aware of how people make fun of her and make fun of her, but later she is aware of it and knows how to react. Since many female characters are passive or subjugated, this film is subversive in terms of the agency and independence she earns. She learns to leave the predators in her life, including Warner and a professor who sexually harasses her. She is not a girl in distress or a prisoner of these predatory men.
The movie may say blondes can be smart, but investing all the time, money, and energy it takes to get into law school just to win back an ex is anything but a smart decision. To make matters worse, she discovers on her first day of school that Warner is engaged to a woman named Vivian Kensington. Vivian is feline and rude and obviously does not like Her; She helps Elle get out of a conference and doesn`t let her into the class group. Hegemonic masculinity and accentuated femininity – Purushu Arie. (2020). Retrieved July 2, 2020, purushu.com/2016/02/hegemonic-masculinity-and-emphasized-femininity.htmlMusitano, Allison. “How Does Legal Blonde Stand as a Feminist Film?: A Perspective for 2019.” His campus, 2019, www.hercampus.com/school/unh/how-does-legally-blonde-hold-feminist-film-2019-perspective This year, the film “Legally Blonde” celebrates its 16th anniversary. The film starring the beautiful Reese Witherspoon is about a blonde fashionista named Elle Woods, abandoned by her Warner Huntington III boyfriend. Warner broke up with Elle because he was an aspiring politician who “had to marry a Jackie, not Marilyn.” She is privileged because she is a white woman born in the country and does not face the struggles that a POC or an immigrant would face.
The biggest racial struggle she faces is that she is fired because she is “too blonde.” However, the film has some nuances in this regard, as she is treated as a stereotypical white woman. Men assume she is stupid and mock her for entering a male-dominated field. She is probably treated as a sexual object and sometimes she even treats herself that way. However, the struggles she faces as a white woman ignore the intersectional struggles faced by immigrants and EFCs (Coasten, 2019). Despite Warner`s engagement, She`s still trying to win him back, which only makes Elle stupid, because if someone is engaged, it should be clear that you lost and the fiancé won. It should have been her signal to move on to a guy who wouldn`t leave her because of his interest in fashion or blonde. Fun fact; I can recite the whole judicial scene of the legal blonde. And his Harvard admissions group. pic.twitter.com/BMH33TlvHu We see Elle finding her self-esteem outside of the man she wanted to marry when she becomes a smart litigator and realizes that she cares a lot about her new calling. The rest of the story takes place when She discovers that she is really capable and intelligent, and when her beauty wants her back, she has moved on without him.
Throughout the film, the setting of Harvard Law plays a big role, as it is the setting where She takes lessons, gets an internship, falls in love, and finds herself. When Legally Blonde came out twenty years ago, it became a fan favorite. People quickly fell in love with the dynamic and motivated Elle Woods. Her character was automatically classified as a feminist icon, and fans cited her ability to challenge stereotypes, enter a male-dominated field, and inspire young women to achieve their goals. The problem? At the beginning of the film, Elle`s biggest goal is to pursue a man. Fortunately, through law school, she discovers that her true path is to be a passionate and caring lawyer who uses her vast knowledge to help others. The inconsistency in the film`s approach to important societal issues doesn`t end there, it illustrates ridiculous stereotypes about women and the LGBTQ+ community, negligence in reporting sexual harassment, and some not-so-empowering moments that shouldn`t have made the final cut. Despite these issues, Serano told Insider in June that he had fond memories of his time making the film and playing Enrique.