In 2001, not long after my sixth birthday, a movie was released that would provide me–and the whole world, really–with a role model who hadn’t really been seen in popular films before. She was smart, determined, ambitious, ultimately successful, and rejected the idea of needing a boyfriend to make her happy or complete, but what was unusual about her was that she also was emotional, sensitive, cheerful, enthusiastic, naive, and she loved pink. This movie that changed my life and my perception of myself, is Legally Blonde.
I have a lot in common with the quirky, emotive, pink-loving heroine of the movie, Elle Woods. I’m emotional, sensitive, cheerful, enthusiastic, naive, and yes, I love pink. Yet I’m also smart, determined, and ambitious. However, that second set of traits often gets ignored or overlooked after people see the first set of traits. And before the movie came out, the common attitude towards the girly-girls like me, was that no matter how smart we were, or how hard we worked, we would never amount to much because no one would take us seriously.
Throughout my academic career, I have taken inspiration from and tried to model myself after Elle. It’s gotten to the point that I have friends who refer to me as “the real-life Elle Woods” and even call me Elle. I like to think that this is less because I print important documents on pink paper (it’s harder to lose them that way!), and more for my determination to succeed and my tireless optimism and persistence. I think that of all the movie characters to be compared to, Elle is one of the best. She’s a good person who tries her best and stays true to herself, finding success, happiness, and people who love her for who she is along the way.
I’m not saying that I aspire to be a real-life replica of this character because I don’t. I have no desire to be a lawyer because I avoid confrontation at all cost. I could never score 179 on the LSAT, not only because it isn’t actually possible, but because I don’t have a logic/math/left brain way of thinking. I’m not as wealthy or well-dressed, I didn’t grow up in Bel-Air, I don’t have a dog, and I’m not a Gemini (I’m a Cancer) or a vegetarian (sorry!). I’m not even blonde (I was a blonde child when the movie came out, but my hair has gotten darker as I’ve gotten older). But this movie, despite its title, was never about hair color. It was about anything that makes you not quite fit into the little box that others want to put you in, to fit with their ideas of who you should be.
This character, and the success she achieves by the end of the film, inspires me and shows people that being feminine, and liking pink does not prevent someone from being successful. It has shown me that I shouldn’t have to change who am I or what I like in order for people to respect me: the only people I want to spend time with will respect me regardless of my favorite color.
I re-watch Legally Blonde fairly often because I love the movie, but I always watch it the night before the first day of school, or before starting any new endeavor, because it always makes me feel more confident and sure of myself. After I watch this movie, I always feel determined to put forth my best effort for whatever it is I’m doing–while wearing a super cute pink outfit of course.
I love that there is a movie that celebrates the girly-girls of the world, and shows that they can be successful and happy. I love that Elle’s success at the end of the movie is representative of a larger success for all young women who embrace stereotypical femininity, all women who have ever been written off by people who thought that they weren’t capable enough or serious enough or however else we somehow weren’t enough. I always cry during Elle’s graduation speech, when she says, “Most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself,” because isn’t that the lesson of the whole movie? Whoever you are, whatever (or whoever) you love, have faith in yourself, because you are lovely and marvelous and amazing exactly as you are.