Why Elle Woods Should Be Your Ultimate Icon
Having rewatched Legally Blonde for the millionth time – and certainly not the last – we’ve come to the conclusion that Elle Woods should be your ultimate icon.
Two films, a book AND a musical? This is a franchise that we can seriously get behind. Little Miss Woods comma Elle, was a force to be reckoned with and her determination and success puts her high on our list of ultimate female icons.
Nowadays, we have role models such as Florence Given to take inspiration from. In the noughties, we had Elle Woods.
With a degree in Fashion Merchandising from UCLA, Elle Woods goes from a Los Angeles, Delta Nu, sorority girl to Harvard educated lawyer, becoming a symbol of female empowerment.
Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair and Jennifer Coolidge make up the film cast with Laura Bell Bundy portraying the original Elle Woods in the stage musical. Whichever interpretation is your favourite, here are our reasons why she is a serious icon.
She Gets Into HARVARD
Harvard Law School. What, like it’s hard? Well, it definitely is but Elle Woods absolutely smashes the LSATs with a score of 179.
Despite having no previous desire to become a lawyer, Elle diligently prepares. She ignores the sorority parties and sets her sights on the library.
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She is clearly incredibly clever and yet everyone seems surprised. Warner Huntington III can’t believe what he’s seeing when she turns up in the hallowed halls and her own parents questioned her decision to apply. Despite seemingly no one having confidence in her decision (admittedly a decision that came out of the blue) Elle does as she sees fit and gets her study on.
Admittedly, we’re not entirely sure that Harvard Law School admission would have accepted her video BUT we’re betting that Harvard has never seen a video as bold as that and it certainly classes as thinking outside of the box which is exactly what Harvard is all about.
She Turns It Around
She’s got into Harvard, the man of her dreams is sure to fall into her arms right? Wrong. Elle spends a lot of time focussing on getting him back as she – sadly – puts him on a pedestal. But with a little help from Emmet, Elle whips herself into shape.
Image Source/Town&Country Magazine
As if law school wasn’t hard enough anyway, Elle proves that no matter what situation you’re in, you can always turn it around. She goes from not even having prepared for the first day of class – admittedly a rookie mistake – to earning a spot on the team to defend Brooke Windham.
She Speaks Out About Professor Callahan
There are so many ways to deal with sexual harassment and no two situations are the same. In Elle’s situation, she handles it with grace and dignity. When Callahan attempts to seduce Elle, it no doubt comes as a shock as he is her teacher and superior.
At first she may have wanted to leave Harvard completely, especially as Vivienne and others (misunderstanding the situation) tell her that she’s not good enough. But Elle was simply removing herself from the situation. Later, when Emmet questions her decision, she confides in someone that she trusts and recounts the harassment.
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The attempt at seduction makes Elle feel that Callahan selected her for the wrong reasons but with some encouragement from her peers, she stages a comeback, gets back into court and wins the whole damn case. Elle gets her happy ending but many women aren’t as fortunate.
Women whose confidence is shaken by sexual harassment or gaslighting quit their jobs to escape. Those who speak out have their careers stumped. The inclusion of the storyline in this film just makes it a fully feminist manifesto and Elle Woods is our hero.
She Proves You Need A Healthy Balance Of Serious And Silly
Warner wants less of a Marilyn and more of a Jackie; someone serious and lawyerly. Whatever on earth that means. Elle might be dressed head to toe in pink, with her hair done and nails perfectly polished but why does that mean she can’t be taken seriously? For the hundredth time, she got into HARVARD.
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Whether she would have won her case head to toe in pink or head to toe in black, the fact remains she would have won the case. As the saying goes, all work and no play… Whilst without a bit of seriousness, she never would have gotten into Law School, with too much seriousness, she wouldn’t have the support from others that comes from her unique charm.
She Knows How To Deal With Men
Naturally, when Warner dumps Elle in the beginning for someone more ‘serious’, we’re screaming at her to forget that man and move on. But Elle was under the impression that he was going to propose so their relationship must have been pretty solid. Based on that, Elle would move heaven and earth for someone she loves as she proves by studying for the LSATs and moving nearly 3,000 miles.
After winning the trial, Warner seems to have a change of heart as he sees just how serious Elle can be. If she’s going to be a partner in a law time by the time she’s thirty, she needs a boyfriend who’s not such a complete bonehead.
Image Source/Elle
Warner crawling back was all she wanted – at first. But when the time came, she turns him down as she is better off without him. Enter Emmet. He saw Elle for who she really was and Elle values that as she realises that she never has to change for a man.
It’s Not Perfect…
Of course, nothing is. Except maybe Elle’s daily hare care routine. There are plenty of shortcomings in the film but for the purpose of female empowerment, deconstructing stereotypes and fabulous style, we’ll overlook them for the minute.
