Feminist Analysis Of Legally Blonde - 1454 Words

The 2001 comedy film Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, an upbeat and optimistic sorority girl who, over the course of the movie, transitions from a simple college student with few professional aspirations into a successful law student. Elle initially presents herself as a stereotypical sorority girl: vain, superficial, and self-obsessed. As such, she consistently faces discrimination from her friends, family, and colleagues alike. The film wants the audience to view Elle as a woman who rises up above the stereotype through hard work and intelligence, and who proves herself as a capable individual in a discriminatory society. Because of this, some view Elle as a feminist icon, a person who empowers women to achieve equality to†¦show more content†¦Rather than a woman fighting for a lifelong dream, we see an emotional woman going through a rough break-up and dealing with it through drastic measures. This discrepancy completely disparages the idea of her being a fem inist icon. It is true that Elle is no longer motivated by Warner in any way by the end of the movie, indicating that she may have grown and seen the errors of her ways, but at no point in the entire film is it directly stated or even implied that Elle has a passion or interest in the study of law. Even if she truly has readjusted her perspective by the end of the film, it comes too late to have any sort of impact, as our impressions of Elle have already been made. Her actions don’t send the message of empowerment to achieve one’s dreams through hard work and passion, but rather to achieve happiness through obtaining the approval of a man. Further damaging the view of Elle as a feminist icon is the fact that she consistently reinforces harmful stereotypes about women. Elle is clearly meant to be presented as a sorority stereotype, but rather than overcoming and breaking free from it, she proves it to be true time and time again. Firstly, Elle reinforces the idea that women are overly emotional and quickly disheartened. In the very first scene of the movie, Elle is dumped by Warner and proceeds to have an emotional breakdown, crying and shrieking loudly in a public setting. This is further reinforced later in theShow MoreRelatedLegally Blonde Analysis1823 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Legally Blonde† Analysis Feminism has become the great issue in this modern era. The emerging of second wave feminism in the late 60s had bring a huge impact toward the position of women in the society. Women are free from the male values, while women have the equal rights in politic. Women also can quit from their domestic sphere. The movement of feminism still continues in the early 90s. The women’s movement experience a phase which the ideology of feminism had changed to be Third WaveRead MoreLegally Blonde Analysis1837 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Legally Blonde† Analysis Feminism has become the great issue in this modern era. The emerging of second wave feminism in the late 60s had bring a huge impact toward the position of women in the society. Women are free from the male values, while women have the equal rights in politic. Women also can quit from their domestic sphere. The movement of feminism still continues in the early 90s. The women’s movement experience a phase which the ideology of feminism had changed to be Third Wave FeminismRead MoreGender Stereotypes In Film:. An Analysis Of Female Gender1937 Words   |  8 PagesGender Stereotypes in Film: An Analysis of Female Gender Stereotypes in the Mainstreamed Motion Picture Legally Blonde All people see is her blonde hair and big boobs. Elle Woods, the main character of the 2001 motion picture, Legally Blonde, a movie about a college-aged girl who is trying to win back her ex-boyfriend, believes this statement because she is treated differently because she is a woman. Unfortunately, Elle is not the only woman who may be treated differently because of physical appearances