Feminism in the 'Legally Blonde' Movie

"You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."

Women — blondes in particular — have been subjected to the portrayal of being dumb and unintelligent in films and movies. Whether it's for entertainment or comedic purposes, the mere fact that women are being depicted as human beings lower than men is alarming as it can instill a false narrative in the public who watches movies with these kinds of themes. Surprisingly though, "Legally Blonde" used these misogynistic remarks about a blonde woman and created a satirical film that not only pokes fun and these nonsensical opinions about women but as well as making a statement that women are of equal status to men.

        In "Legally Blonde", the main protagonist was seen as very popular in her area, and she was even the leader of a sorority, making all the other girls idolize her. This particular aspect in the movie creates a "false hope" for many young women as it can influence them into believing that achieving such popularity that the protagonist has can lead to a better life and treatment for blonde women. Not just blondes but women as a whole are all most likely portrayed as dumb in movies which results in people perceiving them as so even though they are not all stupid. 

        The movie hinted at many signs and images that were undoubtedly very offensive to women. As the film progresses though, the lead character, Elle, showed some character development. She was once determined to get and win her man back, but now, she is determined to win and make it through Harvard for herself. This arc in the movie can serve as an eye-opener to other women who are in the same position as Elle to stand up for themselves and also change their way of thinking and how they view their self-worth. The movie that I once thought was another movie that promotes stereotyping of women, became an empowering feminist movie that highlights and shows that women should take no trash from men — to be independent and show the world that they too can keep up with men, no matter how difficult the challenge maybe. 

        Judith Butler, a theorist, argues that women have been "lumped" together in a group with shared characteristics and interests, and this actually limits their capacity to choose their own abilities. Now, when we say feminism, this pertains to fighting for women's rights and standing up for them. But even so, regulating the true meaning of feminism would be hard to dissect as it can be derived and interpreted by many according to how they want to perceive it. That's why even though this movie and many more female empowerment movies are fighting for feminism, it still mustn't limit the qualities a woman should have because that would only be another way of oppression that the men have been doing to women for years.