When faced with a life crisis, you have three options. You can face it, you can run from it, or you can ask “WWEWD?” also known as, “What would Elle Woods do?” I have always tried to choose the latter as my course of action. Who doesn’t want to be the smart and fabulous Elle Woods who showed that “being true to yourself never goes out of style”? And admit it, you wanted that glittery bathing suit from the admissions video when you were nine years old (and some of us might still be searching for it on eBay…).
All jokes aside, we could have had worse role models than Elle Woods. Legally Blonde is not just about moving across the country to chase a man and finding out you’re a pretty good lawyer. There are a lot more lessons we can take away from little miss Woods-Comma-Elle (okay, so that line is from the Broadway show, but work with me here). And “whoever said orange was the new pink, was seriously disturbed” doesn’t count.
1.) Culture shock comes in all shapes and forms. And you can overcome it.
Elle gets her heart broken. So she makes a plan. She meets with her advisor. She studied for the LSATs. She even hired Aaron Spelling to direct her admissions video. And because she’s human she forgot about one little thing: she now has to live and go to school all the way across the country for the next three years. Sound somewhat familiar? Heading off to college is an experience all of us colliegettes have had to go through. Freshman year can be super scary, moving into a new city with new roommates and experiencing a little bit of culture shock. But Elle doesn’t let doubt, fear, nor a bunny suit get her down. She figures out how to work the new system (and some awesome power suits) until she is back on top.
2.) Working hard will get you everywhere.
“I’ll show you how valuable Elle Woods can be.” Once she realizes that it is Warner’s problem, and not hers, that they are never, ever getting back together, Elle doesn’t sink back into throwing chocolates at the TV (“LIAR!”). She buys herself a Mac, starts watching some CNN, and makes herself happy. And come on, don’t even deny you’ve had a run/study session to “Watch Me Shine.”
3.) Never let anyone take advantage of you.
We all have dreams, but our dreams our not worth our values. For Elle, letting Callahan hit on her was not okay, and Elle Woods ain’t got time for that. Elle Woods is kind, trusting and never let the ugly of the world get to her for too long. However, never mistake her kindness for weakness. Just like Elle, always be assertive when someone crosses the line. Vivian, you should have known!
4.) Be nice!
Was Elle really just trying to hang out with Warner when she brought substance to the study group? Yes, but hey, muffins are nice! And out of the blue she totally helped David look super cool in front of those girls. Elle knows that everyone you meet on your way to the top will be the people that you meet while you fall, and that everyone has something special to offer because people underestimate her the time! Do you really want to be the bozo that was mean to Elle Woods?
5.) …and if that doesn’t work, a snarky comment or two will come in handy.
But as previously stated (#3) Elle doesn’t let her kindness be her weakness. So when she meets people who, erm, dress up looking “constipated,” she tells them how it is. And don’t try to even question her legal technique. She has made it clear Chutney was in the shower, thank you very much.
6.) Friendship is important.
Elle takes the sacred bond of sisterhood very seriously. Not only does she know a Delta Nu would never sleep with a man who wears a thong, she knows she can’t betray Brooke’s trust, not even for a job. If that isn’t enough, the entire plot of Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde centers around the fact that Elle will literally go to the ends of the earth (i.e., Congress) for her best friend (even if he has four legs).
7.) Stay positive.
For an A-type personality like Elle (I mean, she does have a portable water dish for her dog) moving across the country and having things (i.e., grades, boyfriend, friendships) not work out immediately was difficult. But once she put her mind to it and realized she had the power to make law school great, it became great (even if it was over the course of a montage)! In addition, when faced with the fact that yet another person was judging her by her looks and not her brain, with a little help from Emmett, Elle totally turned that frown upside down, and rocked that pink power suit.
8.) No, but really. Being true to yourself, never goes out of style.
Elle is a girly-girl. She felt pressure to be serious at Harvard. But how would Callahan had known that Chutney’s story was implausible? That is a job only for Elle Woods. While you have to let yourself change and grow, you have to stick to your fundamentals and values. When faced with a suit that just doesn’t fit, put on one that does. As a smart girl once said, “You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.”