Legally Blonde

Adam-Scott Green
Jeanine Perez
February 17, 2009
WST 3015

Legally Blonde

“Girls are put in a terrible bind; they are supposed to repress their power, their anger, their exuberance, and be simply nice, although they also eventually must compete with men in the business world and be successful” (Kilbourne 232). Elle Woods, the main character of Legally Blonde is definitely caught in this dichotomy. Being “thin, lean, tall, young, white, and hypersexual with flawless skin and well-groomed hair” accurately translates Elle Woods into the beauty ideal for women (Kirk 208). And yet she is brilliant, smart, and resourceful too. Watching a female trapped in a body that actually fits beauty ideals, and on top of that proves that she is more than capable of competing with her male colleagues provides the comic undertone of this film. There is obviously something more intellectual involved in this depiction of women.
We cannot forget why Elle went to Harvard in the first place. She is chasing a boy, trying to get married and live happily ever after with a cute boy. Common themes in the movie are that women are romantically driven, women are overly concerned with their body or appearance, and that women are dumb. These are implications that force me to question this movie’s portrayal of women as oppressive or liberating. Elle’s client had the perfect alibi; she was getting a liposuction during the murder she was charged with. She chose to keep that a secret from law enforcement. Shame of the procedure and fear that it would damage her career as a fitness expert hint that women would trade freedom for their reputation and for the sake of their physical body. Certainly, that is a far-fetched misrepresentation of women. In addition, why does Elle Woods have to prove that she is intelligent? What are the implications of the stereotypes that this movie reinforces? The blonde stereotype is foreshadowed in the movie’s title. Mythically speaking, because Elle is a white sorority girl with blonde hair that cares about make-up, fashion and boys, she must be a dumb, ditzy, and passive woman. She is almost too feminine and all of society’s demands on women oppresses her character. Our society expects that “women must be overtly sexy and attractive, but essentially passive and virginal” (Kilbourne 232). So, as the plot employs, Elle Woods defeats the odds of being another stupid feminine sex object and proves that she is legally legit, intellectual, female, and blonde. She blends the dichotomy, and she wins the case.
To everybody’s surprise she is not just a pretty blonde, but she is smart too. After Elle wins the case for her client in the trial scene, the judge, Elle, and the defense attorney all repeat the line: “Oh my God.” Apparently, a divine power must have had something to do with a legally blonde attorney winning this case. Nobody expected her to succeed. Still, Elle succeeds without conforming to sexist expectations or turning down her femininity. Instead, she excels with the limitations of being female, still brightly displayed by her pretty pink dresses.

Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add"Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print
Kirk, Gwyn. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print