I was about eleven years old when I first watched Legally Blonde, which, in case you’ve been stranded on a desert island since 2001 and haven’t seen the movie, is a feel-good comedy about a blonde LA girly girl and sorority president named Elle Woods who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win him back. To eleven-year-old me, Legally Blonde was just a fun movie with a lot of jokes and references that I didn’t really understand. Now a wise and mature college freshman, I have seen the movie more times than anyone I know and I am proud to say that I understand most of the adult jokes.
Hear me out, though. Legally Blonde may be exaggerated and silly, but it is also truthful. It has taught me important lessons about how to be successful and happy—in college life and in life life. These lessons are the reasons why I’m not afraid to say that Legally Blonde is my favorite movie of all time.
Lesson 1: Appearances and first impressions can be misleading and people will surprise you. Everyone underestimates Elle and writes her off as a dumb blonde, and then she graduates at the top of her law school class. Don’t be too quick to make assumptions about people.
Lesson 2: Life isn’t always fun. Sometimes you need to pull an all-nighter doing work instead of going out with your friends if you don’t want to fail your classes. Recognizing this means you’re growing up (and passing your classes).
Lesson 3: Manicures improve most situations.
Lesson 4: Learn to think outside the box. Elle won a murder trial as a first-year law student by applying her knowledge of hair care and following her instincts. You never know what information might come in handy someday.
Lesson 5: Stand up for yourself. Don’t let the bad guys win because you’re afraid.
Lesson 6: Things will go wrong and you will experience setbacks. It’s okay to cry in bed and eat chocolate for a while (like, a day), but eventually you need to get up, put some grown-up clothes on, and keep living your life. Be resilient and have faith in yourself and good things will happen. You’re capable of more than you think you are.