When I was younger, I watched the movie, Legally Blonde, and I absolutely loved it. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that. After all, it’s comical, cute and uplifting! What’s not to like?
A couple of weeks ago, I watched the movie, again, on Netflix, this time as a 21-year-old woman. While I still adored every bit of the film, I was able, this time around, to look at the overarching plot with some more wisdom.
Here’s what I learned (spoilers ahead)!
- Determination is important.
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We should all want the motivation of Elle Woods. In the movie, she works her butt off to get into Harvard. Many people just see her as the bubbly, blonde sorority girl, but she proves the haters wrong. She sets a goal and doesn’t let society’s judgments stand in her way. She knows what she wants, and she makes it happen.
- Don’t let people treat you like you’re stupid.
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Warner, Elle’s ex-boyfriend, constantly belittles her, making her feel like her only role in life should be to look pretty. Even after she gets into Harvard Law, he makes her feel like she isn’t good enough, telling her that there is no way she can land the elite internship that is being offered to the class. Her instructors and peers make unfair judgments about her intelligence, too. While Elle is constantly being made to feel inferior, she knows that she’s smart, and she ultimately shows this. After all, she… gets into one of the most prestigious colleges out there, wins the court case at the end of the movie and graduates with immense recognition.
- Girl Power is the ultimate weapon.
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In the movie, Elle is the ultimate sister. When she meets Paulette, a woman who works at a salon, Elle listens, offers advice and doesn’t make a single judgment. In the part of the movie when Paulette is trying to get her dog back from her deadbeat ex, Elle goes with for moral support. When the ex-husband starts to say mean things to Paulette, Elle immediately intervenes and says that she’s Paulette’s attorney, ultimately getting the dog back for her friend.
- The Girl Code is law.
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Another girl power moment is when she is representing Brooke, who is on trial for the murder of her husband (Elle proves her to be innocent, btw). Her alibi is that she was getting liposuction, but she doesn’t want people to know that because it would affect her fitness brand negatively. Elle promises her that she won’t tell a soul, and she totally keeps her promise. Even when her professor asks her to spill the info., she will not, under any circumstances, go against girl code.
- Be confident, and know your worth.
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Obviously, Elle is confident. A scene that displays this is when Warner’s new girlfriend, Vivian, invites Elle to a “costume party.” When Elle arrives, dressed up as a bunny, she finds that Vivian lied, as everyone else is dressed casually (OMG). She feels silly at first, but then she goes about her business not really caring what people think. If that were me, I totally would have run away crying, locking myself in my room for all eternity. Elle, on the other hand, owns the situation.
- Love yourself and take care of yourself.
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Elle also shows us what it means to love yourself, not letting anyone define you. While she initially enters Harvard with the hopes of winning back Warner (*commence eye roll*), by the end of the movie, she sees that she is so much better off without him. When he finally acknowledges how wonderful Elle is (Duh, we already knew that) and asks for her back, Elle pretty much tells him to get lost. HA!
- Be the unashamed, unabashed version of yourself.
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Throughout the entirety of the movie, Elle doesn’t lose sight of who she is. She wears what she wants, when she wants. She says what she feels needs to be said. She isn’t ashamed of who she is. She knows that she’s a strong woman who can do anything.
“You must always have faith in people, and, most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.” — Elle Woods