Gender Roles in Legally Blonde PDF

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GENDER ROLES THROUGH “LEGALLY BLONDE” Gender Roles through “Legally Blonde” Television and film are ubiquitous. It is clear that both have had significant impacts on society. Feminism is one of the elements that have been impacted by film and TV. The term feminism in itself strikes diverse connotations and seems to lack a definite description. Throughout history, feminism has occurred in waves, one of which is currently being experienced. An example of an artifact from the modern-day wave of feminism is the film Legally Blonde 2001. The movie tackles gendered roles &stereotypes in promoting and encouraging strong, powerful, and independent women through the protagonist. Legally Blonde follows the life of the Elle Woods (protagonist) a prominent figure at Delta Nu sorority. At the beginning of the movie, Woods is portrayed as a woman struggling to conform to pre-set societal standards. For example, at the introduction scene, Woods is depicted brushing her long blonde hair, trimming leg hairs, and applying nail polish. All these actions convey the stereotype that feminine beauty entails having well-kept hair and near perfect glooming. In addition to this, at the onset, Elle dresses in revealing clothes seemingly in an attempt to gain recognition in a society where the woman is sexualized. For centuries, patriarchy has defined women as objects to meet the needs of men and elites (Malik, 2014). Towards the end of the film, Elle confronts this stereotype by switching to formal non-revealing suits. Fundamentally, as soon as Elle changes her dress code, the elite’s perspectives of her are altered. Elle transforms from the “dumb blonde” to a successful legal mind. This situation suggests that elitists promote sexual objectification of women in an attempt to limit the possibility of women rising and taking up their roles. Women who are unable to meet certain body “standards” are likely to be less motivated in achieving their professional goals. According to Ramseyer-Winter (2015), the media endorsement and encouragement of an ideal woman

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particularly concerns because most women are unable to free themselves from an impossible beauty standard that “presents women’s bodies and body parts as objects” (Ramseyer-Winter, 2015: p. 13). Elle encourages the woman to break free from this cultural stranglehold and live with the consequences. Another essential element in the movie is the fact that Elle pursues a degree in law after getting dumped by her boyfriend, Warner. At Harvard Law University, Elle discovers that she has a good grasp of the law than she could have previously imagined. Elle takes her studies seriously and emerges as the top student in her class. Despite her achievements, society still looks down on her. Conversely, Warner’s career and professional life is nothing but successful. He is neither able to land an internship or a job. On graduation day, Warner graduates without honors. The story of Warner and Elle, therefore, demonstrates the need to promote gender equality. Historically, certain professions are male-dominated, such as the legal profession. However, as typified by the case of Elle, women have the ability to compete and even outperform men in diverse areas. Unfortunately, despite her capability, some of the characters did not take seriously based on how she looked and the career path she had chosen. The failure of characters in Legally Blonde to take Elle serious epitomizes the double bind. In the context of this film, the most prevalent double bind is femininity versus professional competence bind. The dilemma implies that women have to choose between being feminine and being competent, but they are not allowed to have both. In society, women struggle with the bind. According to Braden (2015), women are faced with a dilemma that on the one hand expects them to be feminine while, on the other hand, ensuring that as feminine creatures they are not offered the autonomy to make decisive and independent choices. Elle struggles with this form of a bind. She is unable to be herself and wear pink, or be a serious, legal mind — Elle experiences

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difficulties pursuing her ambition of becoming a lawyer while maintaining her feminine identity. Towards the end, Elle trounces over this bind. The incorporation of the bind is an essential element because it demonstrates to women that the bind can be broken. Moreover, Legally Blonde demonstrates the importance of judging people (male of female) on the basis of their character and not by following gendered stereotypes. Elle’s appearance leads to most characters misjudging her either subtly or blatantly. Cross-sections between gender and class are exemplified when Elle goes on a shopping spree with the principal aim of finding a dress for her engagement dinner. A sales agent on one of the malls describes Elle in arguably the most disgusting manner, “There’s nothing I love more than a dumb blonde with daddy’s plastic” (Legally Blonde, 2011). Intriguingly, this statement is uttered by a fellow woman who barely knows Elle, her class, and what she does for a living. Despite not knowing her, the salesperson insinuates that on the basis of her looks, Elle is a “spoiled child.” The sales person also depicts Elle as incapable of having her own money. The incidence demonstrates how gender and classism are incorporated to specify the roles of the woman. Additionally, Legally Blonde suggests that the seemingly high social status of the boy child could impede progress by promoting narcissism. For instance, when Warner arrives to pick Elle, he drives up in a beautiful convertible while exhibiting extreme confidence. Warner’s confidence and display of arrogance emanate from the fact that he comes from a well-off family. The incidence also indicates how money and material possessions have been used to reinforce gendered roles. Upon arriving, one of the girls opens the door for Warner and acts star-struck when Warner offers her greetings. This typifies how society has encouraged women to idolize wealthy men irrespective of their character. It is this kind of reaction that enhances masculinity. According to the gender stereotype theory, men are perceived to be more masculine than women

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while women are perceived to be more feminine than men (Kachel, Steffens, & Niedlich, 2016). Based on the achievements of Elle and Warner, it can be noted that femininity and masculinity do not solely depend on an individual’s gender. Legally Blonde, also implies that women have played a significant role in reinforcing gendered roles. For instance, when Warner kisses Elle in front of the other girls, all they do is murmur and wish they had rich boyfriends. The girls applaud and are in awe because Warner kisses and describes Warner as “beautiful.” The girls act like Warner vindicates Elle’s beauty an issue that can be traced in society. The concept of women empowerment is another essential component in Legally Blonde. The theme is primarily constructed to communicate the message that women should support each other. Characters in the film that adhere to this theme are portrayed positively. Women empowerment is particularly seen through Elle, Delta Nu, and Brooke. The character representing the societal position that women do not support each other is Vivian Kensington. At Harvard, Vivian demonstrates hostility towards Elle. Vivian emphasizes that she has more in common with Enid because she exhibits “professionalism in clothing and personality” (Legally Blonde, 2001). Despite Vivian’s aggressions, Elle is complimentary of Vivian. Towards the end of the film, Vivian recognizes that she has nothing to gain from her rivalry with Elle. This incidence shows that women have the ability to rise above personal differences and support each other. Ultimately, Legally Blonde exemplifies girlie feminism. This form of post-feminism revolves around the fact that a woman can be a feminist while maintaining her femininity. It strikes away the perception held in some quarters of the society that women have the potential to be powerful, only if they cease doing “girly” things. Elle embodies a girlie feminist. While

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fashion and beauty remain vital to her, as typified by the many hairstyles, her impeccable academic performance indicates that being feminine and feminist are not mutually exclusive. Besides, as the president of Delta Nu, Elle is able to showcase her leadership qualities which shows that neither her femininity of feminism negatively impacts her professional competence. Also, Elle subconsciously uses her femininity to her advantage when tendering her application as the professor’s intern. The resume she forwards to the office can be identified from a stack easily because it is pink and scented. Through her femininity, Elle was able to create a resume that was unique from the others. The unorthodox strategy adopted by Elle works as she earns the internship position thus indicating that women should not feel the need to undermine their femininity in pursuit of feminism. In conclusion, Legally Blonde addresses the subtle gendered roles in the modern society. Firstly, Elle’s triumph over the femininity versus competence bind demonstrates that women have the ability to conquer cultural limitations. Secondly, through Warner, the film demonstrates that women have played a significant role in empowering male masculinity. Thirdly, the film exemplifies the importance of women empowerment through Vivian and Elle. Finally, Legally Blonde crystallizes the fact that femininity and feminism are not mutually exclusive components. Cumulatively, these themes make Legally Blonde 2001, an important feminist artifact.

GENDER ROLES THROUGH “LEGALLY BLONDE” References Kachel, S., Steffens, M. C., & Niedlich, C. (2016). Traditional masculinity and femininity: Validation of a new scale assessing gender roles. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 956. Legally Blonde. MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. Malik, S. (2014). Women’s Objectification by Consumer Culture. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 2(4), 88. Ramseyer Winter, V. L. (2015). Sexual objectification, self-objectification, body appreciation, and quality of the sexual relationship in relation to preventative sexual health behaviors in a sample of emerging adult women (Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas).

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