IndexIntroductionLegally Blonde Film Review (Essay)Personal OpinionConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionAs the saying goes, "Beauty is only skin deep." Elle Woods, in the film Legally Blonde, interprets the proverb beautifully. The film debuted in 2001 during a time when feminism wasn't as prominent as it is today; the early 2000s represented a period of regression to classic gender roles in media and popular culture. Reese Witherspoon, the start of Legally Blonde, gained worldwide recognition for playing a role that required more than sitting poolside in a bikini. Witherspoon became a popular staple in American culture for her role as the ultra-feminine yet driven Elle Woods on her journey to becoming a prosperous lawyer. Legally Blonde is known for its inspirational storyline that has transcended into an American classic, forever challenging blonde stereotypes. This Legally Blonde movie review essay will explore the film's plot and characters, as well as its lasting impact on American culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Legally Blonde Movie Review (essay) The movie, Legally Blonde, follows natural blonde Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) who seems like she probably has the world at her fingertips. Woods is the president of her Delta Nu sorority, also a scholar, and is dating an aspiring senator, her sorority boyfriend, Warner Washington. At the beginning of the film, it is clear that Elle lives a wealthy, luxurious lifestyle and indulges in social approval. While waiting for a proposal, Warner breaks up with Elle at dinner, saying that if he wants to be a senator by the age of thirty then he must marry "a Jackie, not a Marilyn." It is evident that he does not see a future with Elle, implying that she is not a practical and "too blonde" partner in general. Elle, heartbroken and insulted, hatches a plan to not only win her ex-boyfriend back, but also to prove him wrong. On an impulse, she is accepted and follows Warner to Harvard Law School, planning to humiliate him with her intelligence. Unlike her usual tendencies in shopping and poolside activities, Elle is for once socially frowned upon due to her lack of sophistication and naivety. Later, he discovers that Warner has rekindled an old flame with the brilliant law student named Vivian Kensington. Over the course of the film, circumstances turn in Elle's favor as she discovers a true passion for the law and becomes one of the college's top students. A key secondary character in the film is Professor Callahan; Woods studies hard and wins an internship for Callahan. The perfect opportunity presents itself to showcase his knowledge and adoration for the field in a court case. Teaming up with Callahan and attorney Emmett Richmond, they work together to save a prominent fitness instructor accused of murder. Elle ultimately helps win the case, earns the respect of her colleagues, and discovers a legal career that's right for herself. Warner tries to rekindle the flame with Woods and obviously gets rebuffed. Two years later, Elle Woods graduates with honors and is the speaker-elect at the ceremony. The film ends with Elle being invited to one of Boston's most prestigious law firms and settling down with Emmett. Before watching the film, I noticed that the poster for the film Legally Blonde (2001) features the tagline: "Boldly going where no blonde has gone." It is clear that the film already first-hand arouses controversy and degradation towards blondes. In the first few minutes of the film, we are immediately introduced to the main protagonist, ElleWoods, a high-achieving college student with a near-perfect life. We know that she is the president of her sorority and we get glimpses of her sisters; they're all basically blonde clones of Elle, taking part in the same activities without thinking, and are painted to be painfully naive. So, living up to the “dumb blonde” stereotype. Elle and her sisters are mostly seen in pink, over-communicating the idea of ​​being female; while everyone else wears darker, more muted colors. When we are introduced to the main antagonist of Woods' boyfriend, Warner Washington, he is portrayed as the typical alpha male. Washington is a tall, privileged white man with a hunger for a successful career as a senator. In turn, Warner breaks up with Elle because she is "too blonde", making her unsuitable for his wife. Elle expected him to propose; instead, she was slapped in the face with a sudden breakup. Like most women, she bursts into tears and sobs uncontrollably to the point of being almost unrealistic. An exaggerated use of paralanguage is one of Elle's tendencies throughout the film. Because of Elle's upbringing as a rich white girl, she aligns with the standpoint theory discussed in our textbook. Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz (2019) state: “Standpoint theory focuses on how membership in groups, such as those designated by gender, race, class, ability, and gender identity, shapes what individuals experience” . That said, it's clear that Elle Woods doesn't have much experience with adversity, considering her lavish lifestyle and her tendency to bask in the approval of others. He even asks Warner, “You don't like me? Everyone likes me." In short, Elle is a socialite; she places great importance on her appearance. "Girls and women are more likely than boys and men to feel pressured to look good not only in special occasions, but at all times." From start to finish, Elle is steadfast in maintaining an elegant presentation wherever she goes and here she wonders if it was her looks that turned Warner off. On the other hand, the pursuit of status and prestige on Warner's part can be linked to the statement: “As adults, men are expected to compete for status in their professions, 'to make it.'” Biologically, men are described as providers as a primary precondition for manhood and they often seek prominence in the workforce to do so. As stated earlier, Warner Washington is a man who shows his dominance without showing emotion or vulnerability does in the scene following their breakup, when Elle runs away from the restaurant, when he la he convinces them to get into the car by saying, "You'll get your shoes dirty." Such a statement undermines a woman's worth by essentially claiming that her shoes are more important than her emotional well-being. “Masculine language [consists] of ways to achieve concrete goals, exert control, preserve independence, entertain, and enhance status.” Warner is pleased that he does not feel like the perpetrator in the film, he does not feel empathy, but simply puts women (Elle) in their place of least value as emotionally fragile and dependent beings. Stubborn in putting aside his pride, he shows no remorse or emotion to justify to Elle that he is missing out on nothing without her. A common theme in the film is the traditionalist view of maintaining gender roles. Later, when Elle has a conversation with her mother about going to law school, her mother makes an incredibly sexist comment about gender roles. Baffled by her daughter's newfound interest, she says, “Honey, you were first runner-up at the'Miss Hawaiian Tropics' contest. Why will you throw it all away?" While it's clear that Elle does well in school, even her parents can't look past a pretty face; it seems like college girls are all about their image and maintaining appearances. Naturally, the film incorporates many examples of patriarchy “…reflecting the perspectives and priorities of men more than those of women.” In the United States, Western culture is very evident and is not surprising when it is mentioned in Legally Blonde Callahan, is assigned to complete senseless and boring tasks that are not related to the field of law itself. Together with the other female interns, they are performing personal tasks to please the man. It seems that they were granted the internship only for their support and care services Likewise, women are sexualized in the film sometimes wearing revealing clothing or almost no clothing. In their article, Jaimee Swift and Hannah Gould talk about the exploitation of women and girls in popular media. “An American Psychological Association (APA) report on the sexualization of girls in the media found that girls are portrayed in sexual ways more often than boys; dressed in revealing clothing and with body postures or facial expressions that imply sexual availability." In the first five minutes of the film, the Delta Nu fraternity mingle with fraternity members wearing bikinis while engaging in activities. Swift and Gould (2019) also state that the media is extremely responsible for promoting female sexualization. Women in these films wearing little or no clothing attract males and give the impression that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for sexual pleasure. It also leads members of the public to believe that when women wear bikinis or expose items of clothing, it's okay to take it as a sign to make immediate sexual advances towards them. Likewise, another example of an unmistakable element of patriarchy is Elle's admission video to Harvard. As a mandatory guideline to be considered for admission to Harvard, she does so in a naive way that only she could devise. The video sees her dressed in a bikini boasting her best 'assets' and 'qualities'. In the video, we see Elle poolside in a bikini most of the time while a montage plays with her talking gibberish. Soon after, the admissions committee is deeply infatuated with the video based solely on her appearance and ultimately accepts her. This says a lot about how a man thinks and his perception of women as property. As a result, Legally Blonde encourages heteronormativity with both its heterosexual and few homosexual characters. As a reminder, “…heteronormativity is the assumption that heterosexuality is normal and all other sexual orientations are abnormal.” It is assumed that Elle's family and her closest companions are all considered heterosexual. The LGBTQ characters are all portrayed in cliché supporting roles. When Elle's friends find out that Warner has left her they say, "We thought she would be the first to get married and now she's completely adrift." A cold statement like this means that anything other than a straight sexual orientation is frowned upon; it almost seems like women can't be single and should always be in a relationship. When Elle is the lead lawyer on the court case, she befriends a gay pool boy named Enrique. He openly states: "Gay men know stylists, straight men don't." When in reality there are many straight men who are more than aware of stylists. While on the Enrique topic someone shouts: “I should have known; he left a CD ofCher in the pool house. Identically, Enid is a lesbian who Elle also meets and is described as a radical feminist. In fact, she makes it clear that she would never associate herself with the girly girl that Elle is; this is no surprise as he is rude and selfish. The film stigmatizes the LGBTQ community in the most stereotypical way by making the characters one-dimensional: gay men are delicate and lesbians are hostile. Aside from the criticisms found throughout the film, it promotes the idea that women can do anything men can do. , often times better. There are some uplifting and optimistic lights of feminism that aid Elle's triumph towards the film's conclusion. Despite petty rivalries and girl drama, Elle is surrounded by many loyal companions who want the best for her. For example, Elle is clearly very respected and adored by all of her sisters and it is indisputable that they are proud to call her their President. At the beginning of the film, we see that Delta Nu's sisters are all in favor of his upcoming proposal. Another example is when he begins his journey to the East Coast by applying to Harvard; Serena and Margot, her two closest friends, gave her courage by telling her that she had what it took to be accepted. When it came to the court case, with Elle as the lead attorney, her friends were protective when she was questioned or disrespected. Female friendships make for the best camaraderie for these reasons because “…communication between friends tends to be empathetic, expressive, and supportive.” Arguably, men tend to be more tense when socializing and tend to lack permeable boundaries with friends; while women are more united and share a greater sense of togetherness. While Elle may have had a better future than some of her friends, her friends remained emotionally supportive and caring from start to finish. Personal Opinion Overall, the film took me by surprise given the basic and simplistic look of Elle Woods' character. to be. However, this was my initial thought in the first ¼ of the film as I didn't believe that Elle was actually a genius under all the glitz and wealth. I think the most important lesson to learn from the film is to never form an opinion until you are really close to the person. If Elle Woods were a real person, I would assume she was another stuck-up blonde who never had a hard time because of her socioeconomic status. But I was sorely mistaken, and by the end of the film it was clear that Mrs. Elle Woods really had it all: looks, intelligence, and taste. Woods' plan to sabotage her ex has turned into an admirable and successful legal career for herself! LGBTQ characters were poorly represented and did not match how they are characterized in contemporary society. The film made gays and lesbians have very narrow personalities and almost annoying in how predictable their role was. I think Enrique would have been a great supporting role for Elle and could have been someone she could reveal that she likes her friends. Our textbook mentions that the relationship between a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man is very intimate, due to their shared sexual preferences. The whole movie was about Elle trying to prove her ex-boyfriend wrong and I think a gay character like Enrique could have been an insider and been a great help to Elle. Interestingly, since the film debuted in 2001, almost twenty years ago, it makes young adults like me think about how cliched and cheesy the characters sometimes are. I definitely don't think the film coincides with my perception of gender and communication for different people.