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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ธ.ค. 2020
- Why do we view Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) as an underdog, even though she is extremely wealthy? In this video essay, I talk about how different displays of wealth and social class are treated differently in the movie Legally Blonde, and why we like Elle Woods so much.
big thank you to Hannah and Nicky for their immense help!
Russian subtitles by Кристина Черпатюк
my patreon: / maxteeth
resources i used for this video essay:
Legally Blonde (2001; dir. Robert Luketic) (obviously)
Arrested Development S01E05 (or E06 depending on who you ask) (shoutout to ant)
Dolly Parton performing "Jolene":
• Dolly Parton - Jolene ...
Class by Paul Fussell
Amazing Legally Blonde costume analysis by modern gurlz:
• a legally blonde style...
Interviews with costume designer Sophia De Rakoff:
www.elle.com/culture/celebrit...
ew.com/gallery/legally-blonde...
Interview with director Robert Luketic:
web.archive.org/web/202007131...
the clips in this video constitute fair use, please youtube gods have mercy on me
(Elle and Bruiser Woods are geminis!!!) - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
first of all, thank you all so much for checking out this video! i’ve really enjoyed reading the comments even though i can’t reply to each one. i wanted to give a few general replies here to some comments i’m seeing a lot of:
1. the anti-blonde discrimination scene - so i think this comment from me missed the mark a bit. an important context is that in the original screenplay, the anti-blonde discrimination was a much bigger part of the plot, and honestly, the way it was handled there came off to me as kind of dismissive and poking fun at real-life race and sex discrimination. so that’s why i was surprised they left that one line in, even though the original ending where Elle founds a pro-blonde college club (yes, really) was cut. i know the blonde thing is also a metaphor for femininity and i wasn’t trying to knock that. but, with that said…
2. "this movie is actually about sexism, not class conflict" - well, yes, of course this is a movie about sexism-but sexism doesn’t exist in a vacuum. it intersects with other factors such as race and class. elle’s experience of sexism is informed by her experience as a wealthy white woman-even if she is “new money”. if elle were working class and/or a woman of color, this would be a very different movie. that said, it’s ok if you don’t agree that class conflict is present in this movie. i just want to point out that movies can have several layers, and to me, sexism is just one of them for legally blonde.
3. "actually, this movie is just about differences in east and west coast fashion" - again, fine if you disagree with me about the class issues in the movie, but i’d like to ask a question-why are east and west coast fashion so different? sure, the weather plays some part, but both coasts cover a wide range of climate zones. i’d like to propose that maybe a part of the difference in fashion between the coasts of the US arises from the radically different economic and social class makeup of the two regions. obviously not every rich person on the east coast is old money and vice versa for the west coast, but i think there are trends!
thanks for reading and watching! i can’t say enough how flattered i am that so many people are watching and critically engaging with this video!
Damn, you went hard on this and I deeply respect you for it.
As someone who also loves but has a lot of deep thoughts about movies like this, and this movie specifically I was so glad to hear you articulate things I couldn't even quite describe.
I mean the concept of generational wealth presentation based on fear was a whole new idea for me, like the divide between presentation was clear and the feeling of wealth security, but that being a reason behind why conspicuous consumption became unfashionable? Blew my mind.
I just thought it was purely to differentiate old money status from new, cause new money can buy whatever's trendy but like you said, only old money gets to decide what's classy
What’s is the name of the movie in the beginning when the girl walks out the door?
@@missmessysexydoggy1739 it’s from Teen Witch which is a terrible movie lol, it’s just the only vaguely related movie i had on my drive at the time
There is absolutely a connection between the east coast and old money, most of which dating back to around the 19th to 20th centuries, which was roughly the most popular era of westward expansion in the US. While the majority of US citizens in these developing states were farming and laboring, the east coast became an even more concentrated center of wealth when it was already the center of political power. There's a reason more than HALF of our presidents came from strictly east coast states. You did a wonderful job with this video.
I used to live near Browns campus in Providence and noticed that amongst students there were very few blondes! I actually commented on it to my partner 😂
I always looked at legally blonde as a sort of metaphor for sexism and how women are looked down upon, especially in terms of intelligence. I never really payed much attention to how the movie treats class and wealth, this video was really interesting!
Same, it challenges the idea that in order to be taken more seriously and be perceived as more intellectual, a woman needs to diminish her femininity and behave and dress more masculine. There's nothing wrong with a woman who wants to exhibit more masculine than feminine traits (many find it better suiting to their personality anyway), but women who thrive being very feminine shouldn't be discriminated against either.
It's not a metaphor
I didnt take it as a feminist message. It was a "dont judge a book by its cover" story. She was a ditzy blond who didnt take anything seriously and gives lap dances to her professors to get A's and expected to sit around in glamour for the rest of her life. She only tried to change herself superficially to impress a guy. And she really changed her mind because she found that she actually enjoyed being challenged. Everyone thought they had her figured when really she was just blooming on her path. It wasnt about her being a woman, it was about her being a dismissed stereotype.
@@shihoblade It was both. The ditzy blonde stereotype itself, as well as all the ridicule Elle gets for her girly fashion, personality, and priorities, tie back to sexism and how "excessive" femininity is frowned upon as not smart or serious. Elle spends a significant part of the movie toning down her personal tastes bc of this, but at the climax, it's her "frivolous", feminine knowledge that helps her save her client. So the message of the movie is both. Or rather, it's all one and the same - "don't judge a book by its cover" IS the feminist message, bc the reason ppl looked down on her cover to begin with was subtle sexism.
@@irisa198 Thank you for your view. I agree. If I can have a couple minutes, I'd like to present my case.
1) It's not about the style being masculine vs feminine. Girls didn't dress in a masculine way to be accepted as professional. Pastels and autumn/winter colors were both worn by both sexes at that time. It was about perception, East Coast serious vs West Coast frivolous.
2) Thematically, Elle was knocked because she typified the blonde, ditzy California Girl that East Coast people act like they hate. So, being feminine isn't truly the film's issue.
It's that Harvard Law students don't see being from Los Angeles, perky, and wearing pink outfits as Serious.
3) To fit in, Elle was forced to visually conform at first to be taken seriously rather than be the butt of jokes, picked on, and left out. But, once she became more confident, you see her reassert her old self in the courtroom scene, dressed in pink LA style, with her blonde hair flowing, and a big smile on her face. Elle Wins By converting back to Being Herself.
As proof, recall the scene when her classmates introduced themselves. They were feeding kids in Africa and building houses with Habitat For Humanity = serious; Elle was president of her sorority = not serious. The word "serious" is spoken and inferred often in the film. There's even a girl that looks like she's from San Francisco, considered a "serious" city with "serious" people -- unlike LA -- who fits right in with the image, and even has contempt for Elle as a brainless LA Barbie doll. This hints at the Northern vs Southern California rift.
4) Monetary amount and age doesn't really seem to be the issue either. Elle has the same Amount of money as most of her monied Harvard classmates, so she's not judged on being nouevau riche. Actually, I don't recall that being said in the movie as a fact at all. Even the woman accused of murder wasn't judged on that. She was targeted for being a young LA Barbie doll obsessed with her looks (a Marilyn, like Elle) who intruded in the father-daughter relationship with her sexuality.
And so: It's the Way Elle expresses herself, her personality, that rubbed them the wrong way. They harass her about it from her arrival until she Conforms in looks and Proves herself in the classroom; proving that she's Jackie, not Marilyn (as Warner told her earlier).
The Conclusion: This video seems to forcibly apply current standards to the norms of a different time, place, and social identity while adding today's obsessed over themes as a focus of the film where there aren't any, or barely touched upon. Doing that could be -- what's that word again? -- problematic, creating a tone deaf alternate reality to the movie.
Caveat: Then again, it's been a long time since I've seen Legally Blonde.
PS. Stanford, West Siiide
the analysis of elle’s dad’s outfit is something i’ve never even thought about and as soon as i heard it totally agreed. geez the costumes in this movie are just beyond amazing
also, this analysis is really wonderfully detail-oriented. good job
He also always has his martini. Even at Elle’s graduation. It’s like a part of his costume. 😂
I also think that the reason dad’s outfit resembles the style and image of “old money” while still missing the mark, is because he most likely also encountered a lot of class insecurity around people in his career and had to adapt to look more like them.
I think the "I'm discriminated against by being a blonde" scene is talking about sexism, but idk if the writers actually realized that's what the whole treating women like crap for being feminine thing was all about
I think it’s just a bout being a female blonde and facing extreme sexism. I went blonde for a summer and people were far lest respectful Maliki get blonde jokes and honestly it makes me scared of going blonde again. Will I not be taken seriously ? Is my brunette hair my blanket from further discrimination?
Exactly! We see Elle being sexualized at every turn, particularly during that application scene. Men feel like they can ogle at her and even grope her just because she's pretty and blonde. I also think that she's talking about people thinking that she's dumb, which extends from that sales lady at the mall all the way up to her Harvard law professors. It's not "anti-blonde" in a very literal way but rather talking about the sexist attitudes that she has to deal with due to her hair color and also by the way she dresses.
It’s also the double standard of women and femininity in male dominated spaces.
It’s why Elle wearing bright (pink) and extremely femme styles immediately marks her as “dumb blonde” and everyone treats her like it.
@@user-ok2xn1fy5i sheesh imagine people that born with a certain type of hair like coily or curly, same shit being called nappy hair, dirty, and unprofessional when it's on your DNA and you can't change the hair type, you CAN change the hair color. This movie is a joke lol
I interpret this movie as that being the thesis. As someone else said she is sexualized throughout the movie. There is no way that it was unintentional. They may just not have had the vocabulary to say it in the early oughts
I had a boyfriend that had extremely an extremely affluent family, his dad always used discrete clothes like sweaters and blazers but one time I payed attention to his watch and realized he was wearing a Patek Phillippe Nautilius casually on a Wednesday. For context that watch is worth 2x my student loans from law school.
Yeah I went to a school that had very wealthy families and really you didn't see labels or anything of the sort to signify wealth but tailoring, high quality materials and perfectly fitting clothes really identify the people with generational wealth. It's kind of understated, but one you really look you can tell how expensive those clothes are.
@@martinasophiaisaksen3034 those fabrics look heavy right? I don’t know how to describe it but they have a sturdy feel to them.
@@princessirulancorrino4695 And then they casually have senators having a beer on a Sunday BBQ lol
@@andreblackaller3560 Some of them yes. Basically they look very well made as in there is no fraying, no bad colouring, the weave isn't too wide? Not sure how to describe that but if you look closely it doesn't look thin and there are no little holes between each thread, the thread isn't too thin and if it is there are no lose threads, and things don't look... Transparent. Like you shouldn't be able to see wear and tear on the clothes and undergarments that aren't meant to be seen can't be seen through the material. And you're right, a lot of them drape very nicely but i think that has more to do with good tailoring than the fabric itself.
@@andreblackaller3560 yes. It’s why I started paying for quality vs quantity. A little more money but fewer items over all. You take care of those pieces and they’ll last you ages. Even if it’s hard to afford you save and buy one or two pieces. A lot of it comes from thrift stores so it’s easier to afford.
Just about finding a good balance between amazing quality for hand tailored and great quality at an affordable price.
Don’t need to be wealthy to have nice items. Life is more than clothes and our houses. It’s about experiences and family.
I have never thought about looking at it like “old money” and “new money” (being flashy). Thanks for sharing.
thank you for watching! :) definitely took a couple viewings before i had that "aha!" moment
It was actually one of the first things I thought of, because I also ran smack into the class wall at college, and while I'm not of the "wrong-kind-of-rich" class division, I definitely recognized the "I have no idea what the rules are here and they don't make sense anyway" vibe. And the divisions within classes are very interesting, too, when looked at intellectually (there are also different modes of being poor, and even different modes of being middle class)--just not always when being experienced.
@@babs3241 I noticed it but I'm British and my parents come from very different classes.
My mother's family are upper-middle class today but her parents came from upper class homes. Unlike her siblings, my mother didn't go to Cambridge. She married at 18 years old while attending a university and had 3 kids during this time. My cousins from my mother's side had horses and had sea/oceanfront properties in England, Ireland and the Canary Islands. My father grew up in a single family home in East London taking care of his younger sister. He's not educated but was a fireman. His grandmother came from the workhouse. My uncle (Dad's sister's ex) ended up in prison for 10 years for armed robbery. My aunt and cousins lived in a council flat and used to throw bricks as commuter's cars.
I had very extreme differences in how the world looked depending on whether I was with my Dad's family or my Mum's family.
Getting to university I felt very torn. Following the script felt disloyal to my father, but rejecting it felt foolish. I mostly just kept to myself. I always feel othered.
Now I need to re-watch with the Great Gatsby in mind lol!
Most Americans have no idea what social class actually looks like. They tend to think that having the most money makes you top of the food chain, but that's really not the case. Elle is probably wealthier than the majority of her peers, even at Harvard, but wealth doesn't buy generations of connections, good breeding, etc.
It goes the other way too. I came from a WASPy old money family that isn't super super wealthy anymore, but the attitudes are the same even if the bank statements change. I've run into a lot of cultural barriers with my husband's family, who are pretty squarely middle class. It's a lot of little things. I was horrified that they took his ten year old nephew to Disney World, when they've never taken him to an art museum, the theater, etc. I'm horrified how many toys the kids in the family get at Christmas. In my family we got comparatively few toys, lots of books, and checks for our college savings accounts. Even when it comes to travel or holidays, education, even in a broad sense, always comes first. They care about new cars and keeping up with the neighbors. Old money doesn't care about keeping up with the Joneses, you *never* buy things to impress people, and you don't replace things until they're worn out. When they travel, the go somewhere inexpensive and stay at the nicest hotel in town. Old money is the opposite. You go somewhere lovely (Paris, Florence, etc.) and stay somewhere convenient and clean. We've been together for eight years, and their lifestyle is still really foreign to me.
I think the class concept connects well with the gender concept. Men have dominated high class spaces for a long time, and upper-class women are supposed to be trophy wives. To gain respect as individuals in high class spaces, women often have to act masculine in some way. Elle being looked down upon for being new-money could also be seen as her being looked down upon for being feminine.
yes!! So well put
I don't know. I think the whole "trophy wife" thing belongs to new money. Old money men usually marry old money women who are well-dressed, but not flashy.
@@lorrilewis2178I'm not sure there is just one sort of trophy wife. If the definition is that they help raise a man’s status, the trophy wife of a rockstar may have a clothing brand and modeling career While the one of a fifth generation senatorial family may have gone to Spence, got a degree in art history at Cambridge, etc.
YES! So while Vivian might still be feminine shes not a blonde or obsessed with pink. She wouldn't be caught dead saying or wearing the things Elle says or wears. And all of that is internalized elitism and misogyny. Even down to the shape of Vivian's tops, how often she wears pants, and the color palette relying heavily on blues and purples as accent colors which opposes Elle's with pinks and reds. It's exactly as you put it, "men dominated high class spaces"
@@archervine8064 The old money man doesn't consider his wife a "trophy" though. He just thinks he's marrying someone of the same class.
Plus, he's so established via his family legacy, that he doesn't need to have his status raised in the first place.
See the difference?
Fun fact about Elle’s dad shirt: that color is called Nantucket red which is sold in bulk on Nantucket Island to tourists who want to feel like old money but in reality is a signal to ACTUAL old money that they are anything but. You hit the analysis right on the head!
One thing that you didn't mention but that was still evident in the video, is that Warner's performance of wealth also changes from the west to east coast. When he is picking Elle up to go on their final date he is wearing a grey blazer with shoulder pads, sunglasses at night and a convertible sports car. As soon as he gets back to Harvard his wardrobe completely changes to much less ostentatious displays of wealth to fit in with his old money surroundings. As the only other character to feature in both places I think it's interesting that he seems to traverse both environments much more easily than Elle does.
I loved that because the juxtaposition of the two's ability to navigate the different cultural standards of new v. old money or west v. east coast really ties into why I like Elle so much. Even when Elle tones down her style and adopts the more layer heavy, grey toned outfits, she still maintains her sense of self through her style in a way that Warner never does. She might wear a grey toned outfit, but she'll wear a pink scarf to go with it, and that always made it feel like Elle was utterly authentic. Whereas with Warner this effect is used to show how performative and fake he is.
Warner was code switching. He is not so much a fake as he’s more a chameleon with no sense of self so he molds himself to his environment. This can be interpreted as phony but some may think of it as self preservation.
I absolutely adore Elle because she doesn’t fit the rich girl stereotype of being a spoiled brat, as most rich kids are stereotyped as being so. I also love her because she shows femininity is not weakness and never dumbs herself down for anyone. She also knows what she wants and goes after it. I personally favor the ending, when the guy goes after her and she drops him, finally knowing what she wants
You would love the musical. Instead of Elle telling Warner to take a hike, she actually thanks him for setting this all into motion. It's one of my favorite parts and a shame the movie didn't find it important
@@DirtyPrancing I’ll try out the musical. Thank you!
She's definitely one of my favourite characters of all time ☺️
Right?! I loved all the things you mentioned but my favorite thing about Elle is her integrity and character. You can be any class of wealth and severely be lacking in integrity.
It could help explain why Brooke is less hostile towards Elle than the other lawyers, and why Elle is much more compassionate towards her. Nothing screams ‘new money’ like making your fortune off exercise videos, and Brooke acts like she’s used to people looking down on her for it.
i actually prefer a story/character where their wealth is just there rather than justified through the idea that they “earned” it, that’s not to say people don’t earn their wealth but it’s often held up as an example as to why being poor isn’t real
oh i absolutely agree, a lot of those "earned it" stories just read as "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" bs. but i do think it's easier to make the audience relate to a character who starts off more like them
@@maxteeth tbh I was a little bit put off when you mentioned it in the video. Whether or not I root for the character has everything to do with their personal qualities and nothing with their financial circumstances.
@@maxteeth It’s funny because the phrase “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” was originally a sarcastic way to say it’s as impossible to advance your socioeconomic status as it is to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Which makes sense! No one can lift themselves up off the ground by pulling on their bootstraps!
I think another way to make us empathize with Elle is that, even while dressing differently to fit in, she never changed her core identity. Instead of succumbing to the hypocrisy and callousness of old money to get ahead, she stays true to herself and is rewarded for it. I'm sure many of us hope to have that strong sense of self if we ever reach her wealth level, but it's not certain that we would.
This is another way the costuming is so genius--even when she tones down her look she still has that very branded Elle-ness about her in all kinds of little details. It's not as obvious but it's always there and she never becomes this bland clone of who she thinks everyone else thinks she should be.
the legally blonde musical does smth very interesting with class: emmett is given a backstory that explains his drive. he’s from a very poor area and raised by a single mother. his want to give his mother and himself a better life gives him a “chip on his shoulder”, which elle lacks at the point in the story. elle and emmett’s relationship suddenly goes from just colleagues to two people helping each other thru the ways they know how: emmett teaches elle how to put everything into proving herself as intelligent to the others at harvard and elle helps emmett actually show off his true inner self thru fashion and confidence. they bond over never being taken seriously by the rich elite at harvard as emmett is poor and elle is “tacky”. i think its a bit shaky but adds a cool layer to their relationship.
ooo that's so cool. I didn't know that at all because I haven't seen the musical yet. Thanks!
The nails elle’s mom has, artificially long and curving are also a “new money” signifier. She doesn’t need to use her hands to work, but rather than having an impeccable manicure, she has over the top, claw-like acrylics.
In a way I think we could almost read Legally Blonde as the anti-Great Gatsby. In Gatsby the message is ultimately that new wealth can never buy class, and that Gatsby is doomed to suffer exploitation at the hands of old money “East Egg” types; he can buy a big house and parties, but he will never be accepted. Elle Woods meanwhile not only does succeed, but gains class acceptance from Vivian.
Thank you so much for this piece! It was really interesting.
I think thats interesting, old v new, I always saw it mainly as East v West coast culture and sensibility. Though I understand it, and when I went to a rich kid college (as a working class student) I saw the differences in clothing and behavior between older money, newer money, and us brokes. Like often reflected what I considered nice clothes compared to rich peers, and in my sociology class we talked of how rich people mask their wealth by buying regular clothes that cost thousands more. Now I am thinking more about the musical, which focuses a fair bit on Emmett’s situation as a first generation college student who is poor.
i actually forgot about that aspect of the musical! i haven't seen it since i was in middle school and they played it on MTV. might have to give it another look. i think in my mind, rich west coast people tend to be more new money and rich east coast more old money, but no idea if that's statistically accurate. i've never been out west but over here on the east coast it's crazy the lengths rich people will go to seem not just not-rich, but like, fully poor, like it's a fashion statement or something.
oh dope, i had no idea it was free on youtube! that's kinda crazy
I think you're right, epecially since west coast money is often new money by definition because it was settled by Europeans much later than the East Coast.
@@maxteeth Yeah someone posted that mtv recording and it hasn't been taken down! you should check it out
@@NiaJohnson101 It's not just a settlement thing. I think the West Coast is a hot bed for new money because of the entertainment & tech industries. The major pioneers of the Digital Age (which took off around the 1980's) are North of California. Celebrities (who often live in Southern California) are also new money and part of their job is to perform their wealth. I'm sure there more examples but I cant think of any right now.
In addition, I’d say that the less gaudy outfits of the old money also reflect the boom of the fast fashion industry - as the lower class gained access to knock-offs and trendy silhouettes, the “louder” displays of wealth were no longer considered stylish. Those who rose into wealth may still see those styles as “rich-looking,” but the people who were raised in a wealthy environment know better; they instead opt for high quality materials and subtle designer items like jewelry or watches to display their wealth.
This is such a fascinating and nuanced take on these characters. Breakdowns like these prove the importance of good costume design, which does not get the credit it deserves as both a talent and a profession.
Thank you for this video. I can't wait to see more of your work.
totally agree, there are so many aspects of movie production that go unnoticed--partly because if done right a lot of this stuff is subconscious. i have another costume design video coming real soon, hope you'll enjoy it too!
ditto. Movies are a bubble, and the savvy director/staff can do so much with that. Really great to see you unpack a pop movie with the nuance any well-thought-out movie deserves....not just the so-called arthouse or critic's picks. People don't realize that 'pop culture' is never just fluff. It's a great reinforcement of, and a mirror to, our culture's hierarchies, customs, etc. keep up the good work, please!
This was so great! I used to think that her peers reaction to her moving in and her displays of wealth as informed college students who did not envy the rich. However, I don't think a single peer of hers is shown to not be incredibly wealthy. I understand now that the laughter and scoffing wasn't someone laughing upwards at the rich but instead the wealthy looking down at someone performing wealth and class "incorrectly".
From my understanding the people she meets when she first gets to Harvard are shown to not be incredibly wealthy, but even they look down on her for failing to meet their standards of wealth
Wow! Great essay! I got the Jackie vs Marilyn comparison, but I never realised that it's old vs new money. Amazing point of view! I'll check out what other videos you might have ✨💛✨
just saw you commented on a bunch of them, thank you so much! it really means a lot 💜
I always interpreted it instead as Elle being initially looked down upon not for her "new wealth", but for her outward femininity and for the notion that perhaps she was one of the types who bought their way into elite schools because they have enough money, rather than through a means of earning the spot. For example, the line where Elle says "What, like it's hard?" [to get into Harvard] almost reads as if she's taken the opportunity for granted (which she kind of did in the beginning), and because it's difficult to get into Harvard, people look down on her because it's interpreted as her having never worked hard for anything in her life (because of Wealth). Also the femininity part is a whole nother discussion I'm sure many have talked about, but that's my interpretation of it
honestly this makes alot more sense, because in all the movies and tv shows we have seen prior to legally blonde, i can easily say, if the character was blonde, rich and liked or wore pink, 90% of the time it is likely she was the villain.
Of course there are different ways in which the upper class new or old money dress, however I do not think the explanation that she is insecure in wealth is why she dressed more boring. Pink is not considered a serious colour, even now, which is the main reason she slightly changed colours.
Also femininity is still looked down upon today, so when Warner asked Elle if she got into Harvard, it was more him implying her stupidity rather than her wealth. Also style trends, and true sense of style play a big part in this too, ngl i have personally have seen plenty of families that are old money dress similarly to Elle because they do not care and are more educated in the realms of fashion compared to families that are old money but do not have a keen eye for what meshes together well which explains an easy cop out for preppy outfits which are very easy to style and still look good on most. They get the old money vs New money thing correct but only to an extent.
I think the general idea of this is normally seen from an outside perspective, obviously i'm not super educated on the upper class of the west coast and east coast old or new money vs old money, and how movies and tv shows portray this.
even in 2021 you get some guy on youtube telling people, if you have old money you dont dress flashy etc, but they wear clothing that would not even last a month because it is "inconspicuous" and screams extremely wealthy and people eat this up.
Apologies for the 2000 replies. 😊
@@lucyn3771 The whole point of legally blonde was to take the stereotype of the rich white blonde pink loving woman and spin it to be the opposite of what people expected.
1)The people who blatantly tell her she does not belong here are people whos family have gone to the school for multiple generations IE did NOT learn their way in and people who paid their way in IE Warner who was waitlisted and whos daddy had to deal with it.
2)There is a huge difference in old money and new money as someone who grew up dealing with both i can promise you there's a huge difference. for example someone like Kim Kardashian vs Dakota Johnson. Kim is new to Hollywood but Dakota comes from generations of famous and wealthy people.
-old money vs new money is usually not so EXTREME but for the purpose of a short film it makes sense to make it even more obnoxious.
3)Why is it that pink is seen as not a serious color but blue, purple and green are? This is where sexism and wealth come hand in hand. Anyone who comes from old money knows this while someone new would not.
-And even when Elle tones down she still wears pink and red for her accent colors which opposes Vivian's blues and purples.
4) Warner is asking her because he thinks she's stupid AT FIRST but the continuous belittlement and questioning makes it apparent that he realizes that she's smart and is now just trying to whittle her down. He goes as far as blatantly saying she doesn't "fit in" rather than implying she's dumb.
5)The broadway show takes this a lot further with a lot of statements and interactions that make it even more apparent, where it takes the hour and a half film and expands it to 3 hours doubling it in length and background information.
-This is where she says where she grew up and that she's not trailer trash and Warner laughs in her face.
@@sofiarodriguez6768 I'm speaking from a first hand experience too, this analysis of saying Elle is insecure because shes not old miney because of how she dresses makes no sense to me.
I think we agree, however I've never heard of the Broadway show, also her saying shes not exactly trailer trash, does not mean shes new money.
Old and new money dress different depending on where they grew, and somebody who studied fashion or is interested in fashion will have a different fashion sense to the general population.
Also climate, rich or old money people from different climates are nor going to dress the same as others.
LOVED this!! always think about how the aspirational wealth / class hierarchy relates specifically to gender & femininity in particular and you nailed a lot of the dynamics in this movie. Your point about Elle and Dolly Parton looking like a regular persons ideal of how they’d dress if they were rich was super interesting too in terms of what it says about celebrity and class
yes! and i think some of the Dolly Parton similarities may have been deliberate-Sophia De Rakoff (the costume designer) says in an interview that she and Reese bonded over a love of Dolly, so i think it's very possible that that leaked into the costume choices. in general i think the costumes in this movie say soo much, which is so appropriate for the subject matter!
As a non-elite person who went to an elite university full of Old Money, New Money, as well as the Some Money and a few No Money, I couldn't agree more with your analysis.
My best friend in high school came from wealth, my family had worked hard towards middle class. I remember being shocked that they were able to buy new furniture all at once to redesign their house, none of which was secondhand. I couldn’t imagine being able to buy more than a piece at a time for a style change. I then understood why none of the furniture at my house matched.
In early childhood I assumed my mum had bought the furniture at the same time bcs the pieces matched. They were the same style and she got them little by little. The living room sofas, the dinning room chairs and table, one of the buffet tables, her dresser, night tables, mirror and her headboard, the kitchen cabinets, the main kitchen appliances...
2 large pieces a bookshelf and the bigger buffet table were made by a perfectionist yet affordable carpenter and designed by my mum's first husband who was a very talented, sensitive and creative person. But the finishing and the handles matched the other stuff, so it looked very well coordinated.
Then when she replaced some items that got too old, piece by piece, her house became a combination of somewhat clashing styles. I knew we were poor don't get me wrong but I didn't realise furniture and house appliances are so expensive at that time.
Sounds like your friend was upper middle class at best. Or possibly nouveau riche. The old money upper classes usually don't buy new furniture, they inherit it, and it rarely ever matches, that's considered a middle class thing, to want matching furniture. They don't spend a lot of money on redecorating.
@@valeriemacias6285 agreed - it seems like old money furnishings pieces have an accompanying story/legacy attached….
I feel like Elle character isn't really about being rich I think we relate to Elle because of her positivity and determination to go after what she wants. She is sensitive but also goes after what she believes in she fails and we ruite for her to succeed beacause we all know what's like to fail. I just feel like her wealth isn't a huge part of her character. But that's just my opinion of course. I did like this video and did make me realize maybe Elle's wealth is a little bit about her character.
she wouldnt fail if it werent for her extreme femininity and new wealth attitude though. thats why i think this is really well thought out. like all of her failures are because of exclusion and belittlement on her femininity and how she uses her wealth to show it. we all know how to fail but plenty of rich white women fail and its the butt of the joke. here her failures are rooted in sexism and elitism.
@@sofiarodriguez6768 ya I can see that. Thank you
I agree with you 100%. I love all the comments as to other ideals this movie portraits.
@@sofiarodriguez6768 lo
I love Elle but she wouldn’t be able to go to Harvard if not for her wealth. Wealth means tutors, not having to pay for tuition, a fancy admissions video, etc. A poor Elle would be a completely different character.
I think that the 2007 musical touches on this pretty well. Obviously with the song Chip on My Shoulder discussing the fact that Elle is privileged due to her wealth be it old or new but also with smaller things reflecting better her position within the upper class like the “Warner I’m from Malibu I’m not exactly trailer trash!” line and Elle’s father’s wariness of the Harvard school fees or even acknowledgement of the actual cost of looking like Elle with the line “love is like forever this is no time to economise”. I think there are many things that the musical deals with better than the film and if you’re a fan of legally blonde I would definitely recommend checking it out even if you’re not the biggest fan of musicals (the whole thing is available free on TH-cam pro-shot)
someone else had also mentioned that the musical is a bit more frank about wealth! i saw it on tv as a kid but didn’t remember it being so different. i’m not much of a musical person but you guys are definitely making me want to check it out!
I was thinking of class issues in Legally Blonde recently....especially old East Coast money vs new West Coast money. How Nouveau Riche Elle finds connection more with the Midwestern transplant to Boston Paulette.
Also a comment is made that Elle didn't get in on her own.....oh you mean like 98% of the student body and faculty?
oh absolutely, i think elle’s relationship with paulette is so central to her characterization because they respect each other naturally in a way elle really has to earn with her harvard classmates. i kind of hate how accurate that is to real life, like how people from lower class backgrounds often need to prove that they belong in certain spaces whereas upper class people feel like they intrinsically deserve to be there.
@@maxteeth Ever read "Forever Barbie" and "The Language of Clothes"? I feel their bits about East Coast vs West Coast and class issues in clothes fit in with the analysis of Legally Blonde (and What A Girl Wants to some extent)
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 i haven’t but i’ll definitely be checking those out! thank you for the recs...will also definitely be giving what a girl wants another watch 👀
@@maxteeth Ooooh and I have thoughts on Bridget Jones's Diary (misogyny, bodyshaming, racism, privilege, Karen's, internalized misogyny i.e. girl on girl crime)
@@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254 you had be at "girl on girl crime". i think there's so much to be said for this period of early 2000s rom coms that was sort of the last big hurrah of the genre and peddled a very specific conception of love and gender. i'd love to do some more videos about that--maybe you should too! i'd love to hear what you think
“We are not correctly executing all the nuances that would come from being born at the level of wealth”
Just thought that line was really powerful
interesting class nuance: at 6:45 when Elle *thinks* she is walking with good posture and confidence in front of Vivian, it is showcasing her class standing. Notice how composed Vivian stands/walks. It shows that Vivian attended finishing school (affluent woman school) where they teach the famous "walking with a book on your head" posture. Just something I noticed.
I always thought Elle wore such designer clothes because she was into fashion. I mean she's literally a fashion major. It's a display of her intense femininity (as it is often said that the fashion realm is feminine). I mean, I grew up low-income and I know that when I attain more wealth, I will buy designer because it's a work of art and I love fashion so much. Heck, I am even planning on starting my own fashion brand. But it's not because I want to seem rich, it's because these pieces are beautiful and I know someone put thought into them. It's a display of art, not a display of wealth (in my case and I'm assuming Elle's).
To add on, I'll explain my middle school experience: when I was younger, I'd overdress and I was really into fashion. I would wear outfits similar to Elle's (minus the price lol) because I liked them. But I got made fun of it. Because I didn't fit in. Now, it's embraced to be yourself and wear whatever you want, but back then, my friends would make fun of me. I'd feel so crappy. Like Elle, I would refine my wardrobe to fit in and avoid being shunned. That's why I think it's more about individuality and not being accepted for being yourself or standing out. I was poorer, Elle was super rich but we went through similar issues.
But your viewpoint is definitely a fresh & interesting take :)
I agree completely. I also didn't read the movie as new vs old money. I read it as east vs west coast. I don't agree with her statements on the nail salon, Elle is consistently nice to everyone. I believe the nail salon was an oasis to her fashion esthetic.
I never really considered Legally Blonde an old versus new money kind of story, but you're right that the signs are definitely there visually in the costumes and in Elle's ability to chameleon herself in different settings as she forms connections or gains a more nuanced perspective of where she is the longer she is exposed to the rules of who she's around. But I do view this more as a dumb blonde discrimination story more than a class story because of the "less of a Marilyn, more of a Jackie" conversation she and Warner have when they break up. Of course, the parallel could also be viewed as an old versus new money thing, but I think it's more rooted in sexism than class. Marilyn Monroe herself was very smart, but was never taken seriously in life, and I think the reference is an early indicator of the dangers of judging beautiful, "dizzy" people prematurely. Just as Monroe had a deep and complicated inner world underneath her sex symbol status, so too does Elle. Except, Elle lived in a time that allowed her the chance to prove that she could be both sorority girl and successful law student, both someone who could take the insults in stride but know when to stand up for herself and encourage others to do so as well. She's who Monroe should've been allowed to be if the press and masses didn't box her into the label of the dumb blonde. Elle's clothes may change as she tries to adapt to Harvard's expectations, but who she is as a person does not. She only grows to become more confident in the smart and loving person that she is, and sees that she doesn't need the approval of others to know that she has something valuable to say just as she is, traditionally feminine, bubbly, pink, and all.
The class hierarchy in the UK is similar but only worse probably. Aristocrats literally have titles to show off here and just being rich isn’t usually regarded the same as being born into an aristocrat family. I call it hypocritical bs but it still exists even in this century and I don’t see it going away any time soon as long as Brits proudly worship the Queen.
A+ analysis! I also presumed a double class/intellectual insecurity on Warner's part when he dumps Elle. The writers made up a fake name for the California college they attended, which I assumed was based on a combo of USC/UCLA. Old money families, like Warner's and Vivian's traditionally valued the Ivy League/certain east coast liberal arts colleges way more than even the most prestigious West Coast colleges (they grudgingly accept Stanford). I'm willing to bet Warner's family was appalled by his choice of undergrad, either because he went to a parvenu college or he didn't want to carry on daddy's legacy admission at an Ivy.
We like Elle woods because she is the kind of rich we all like. Because in America there are rich we like and rich we do not like. Let's all be honest. One feels as if Elle knows what it is like to NOT be rich.
Right! She doesn't act superior just because her parents are wealthy unlike Warner, Vivian, etc.
I agree with you, except I wouldn't say that it felt like Elle knew what it was like to NOT be rich. To me what was so like-able about Elle was that she didn't know what it was like to not have money, but she didn't care in the way some rich people can. Vivian, Warner, and the other old money elites in the movie used wealth and class as social signifiers on whether or not someone was worthy of their respect. Elle respects everyone regardless of their wealth and social class, but instead choses to look at their actions.
I think my personal experience has always lead me to view "classy" as measured by a person's morals and how they interact with the world around them. I've known old money and upper class but never used them to define what classy is and looks like. This video really makes it clear that old money has always tried to gatekeep "classy".
Elle had class though. Others in the movie had more a sense of superiority, forgetting that the true mark of a lady or a gentleman is how they go out of their way to make those around them feel comfortable and good about themselsves.
i think she meant class as in the way old money people define it. more related to formality and subtle display of wealth. obviously us common folks define being classy as being kind, respectful and humble.
Exactly right. True class is preserving the dignity of those around you regardless of their social status.
I think this is why the musical is so interesting to me. It changed quite a few details of the original story, one of which was giving Emmett a more important role. He talks about his working class background and how it motivated him to work harder, which I think serves as a really humbling moment for Elle. It's not focused on too much but it helps show that contrast between old money, new money, and no money. So instead of a scene trying to hammer in the message of "blondes aren't dumb/don't underestimate a blonde", they instead introduce the message of "hard work = success".
I'm not saying the musical is any better or anything, it definitely makes some wrong moves in regards to Elle's story/personal growth, but I did like that part.
I think when women are stylist and pretty people assume that they are stupid. An academically brilliant girl must look nerdy or monotoned.
very solid analysis, it never really occured to me to approach the movie like this, even if now, watching your video essay, seems very clear. It would be cool if you dived deeper into it, but as it is, it's interesting and entertaining :)
This was an awesome analysis of this! I obviously picked up on the condescension from her peers and the outfits tell a story I subconsciously picked up on, but I never thought to question why her displays of wealth, such as her moving in, cause her peers to scoff and laugh at her. I used to think it was because they were college students and weren't envious of the rich. However, this makes it obvious that her classmates reaction wasn't the reaction of poor college students, but the reaction of experienced rich individuals seeing someone else perform wealth or high class "incorrectly".
This is really interesting! I always saw Legally Blonde as being all about the "blonde bimbo" stereotype, but it never occurred to me until now that the stereotype could be tied into classism. But now that you have got me thinking about it, I've never heard of an upper class blonde bimbo.
The blonde discrimination comment for me highlights Elle's ignorance and naivete. It's an example of how well-meaning but privileged people often try to relate to injustice with something they experience that isn't really injustice, or centre themselves (often using false equivalents) in an attempt to try to understand others. It's like when people say they are discriminated against for being conventionally good-looking - they might have bias against them and people might make assumptions about them, but overall that is outweighed by the privilege they benefit from by being in a dominant group or a group that has power and position in society (like attractive people).
ohhhh man this is good. I love this analysis!!! it makes me think of that quote too, uh, about capitalism making most folks still admire and defend rich people despite being directly exploited to maintain their wealth, because instead of seeing themselves as exploited they see themselves as a disgraced millionaire, one step away from earning it all back - hope I'm not talking twaddle lmao - but that overarching idea of Elle is relatable and loveable because of class, despite wealth
yes! i think it was john steinbeck who said that originally, that americans view themselves as "temporarily embarrassed millionaires", and i think that self-image is exactly what enables us to relate to Elle Woods. thank you so much for watching!
I work in a high-end furniture store.
You can definitely see old and new money as visibly as this movie shows. I live in a different country but this still applies.
However, i don't think that we root for elle because of classism within the elite. Even at the orientation, she stuck out like a sore thumb despite others being explicitly not rich.
We root for Elle because she's a fish out of water character and we've all been there.
Being new in a friend group. Being new at work. Being an introvert in a loud party. Everyone talking about something you know nothing about. Etc.
There are a lot of themes about sexism, classism, and intellectual elitism here but i also don't believe that that's the point of the movie either.
I think it's simpler than that.
It's about succeeding without sacrificing who you are.
That's what made it a classic.
You can inject new interpretation based on new knowledge and wisdom because of its simple core. You can rewatch it multiple times because it changes base on who you are at the moment.
This was extremely interesting, thank you! As someone who was born and raised in an ex-communist country, understanding class relationships is still somewhat alien to me, as even now, 30 years after it's ended, differences between our rich and the "regular people" are barely noticeable, at least when it comes down to behaviour. I love Legally blonde and have seen it a lot of times, but I'd never picked up on this new-old money dynamic. My two references had always been The Great Gatsby (which was the first time I'd heard of it), and that woman Molly from Titanic who was being shamed for being of new money. And that was always a mystery to me - like, why would a person, who managed to gain as much money as it needed mine several generations to get, be considered a loser? I would have thought those would be the coolest people. But I assume the Old money people prefer their group to remain exclusive and not easy for just anyone to get in. I have a PhD while my grandparents were blacksmiths and cleaners, so I can better identify with the new money (even though I'm not rich in any sense of the word), but realising that there are people in the world whose come from 200+ years of wealth (and are not royalty) just blows my mind.
wow, thank you for sharing this perspective! the US class system is so weird and complicated but having grown up in it, it really gets ingrained that it's "natural" somehow-even though obviously it isn't.
I know this is exploring subtext in film but... There is a huge difference between east coast affluent style and west coast affluent style. People don't dress like they are the east coast on the west coast. They dress partly for the climate. Bold flashy colors in the fall and winter in Boston are uncommon because the rain, snow, and ice make those colors impractical unless you want to have your outwear laundered constantly. One would not be wearing tight skirts and six inch heeled boots out in the snow. But, in the summertime people, even the old money people, dress in bright Californiaesqe styles. I moved to the east coast and my bright red, wool coat was looked at very askance and to be fair it became dirty very quickly. My southwestern bo-ho style stood out amongst everyone and I did not fit in. It isn't just wealthy culture... it simply is the culture of the region one lives in that determines how one dresses.
ooo this geographical fashion is another layer of analysis that could be a whole ass video
i think they totally missed this to push the narrative that Elle is insecure in her money. Especially since Elle likely has never lived in that area either, so her idea of what to wear would be slightly below average, since the whole going to havard was a spontaneous idea.
this is interesting! I will say though, as somebody who lives in England, for some reason we still tend to dress in pretty bright colours! At least, in the university setting, that is. But then again, we do have this psychological disdain for acknowledging the weather - we're determined to live our lives as if the rain didn't impact us.
Yes thank you. Also as someone who was born and raised in Boston, snobbery is not limited to those with money. There is also a brand of academic snobbery that's common in New England, which comes along with looking down on people (especially young women) who dress in a flashy way or put obvious effort into their looks because it's viewed as vapid and a waste of time that could be devoted to more important tasks (like studying).
Even the rich has layers of discrimination and politics. It’s crazy, I have few wealthy friends and they tell me the 411. Old money dresses business casual as normal and formal. New money is all flash 📸
I had only ever thought about this as her being too “West Coast” for her East Coast classmates but now I realize that’s just another way of calling her new money lol
To be completely honest, I think it is a reach to say Elle Woods represents the social climbing lower class folks just because her fashion sensibilities are bolder. We need to remember, Elle is from Southern California where she obtained her bachelors degree in fashion marketing. I think her style of dress is more indicative of the regional culture she grew up with where brighter and more experimental clothing is much more a part of the general aesthetic whereas the style of the North East is more muted and reserved. Additionally, studying fashion in school would make Elle more aware and knowledgable of unique trends that would reflect in her wardrobe. Respectfully, I don't think your video shows any evidence outside of her wardrobe that Elle's family is new money. All the movie shows me is that Elle Woods is south west coast rich whereas Vivan and Warner's families are upper east coast rich. You could maybe argue that the east coast has more older families than the west coast, but Los Angeles and Hollywood have generational wealth (half of the A-list entertainers are some other rich person's child)
Frankly, I think collectively we should move past the myth that old money is sophisticated and reserved whereas new money is inherently gaudy. Descendants of the Rocketfellers and Carnegies do not inherently possess more taste with presenting their wealth than newer families. Old money families buy gaudy yatchs, gilded mansions, and flashy clothes when they're in style just like any other group of rich folks. All the myth does is justify folks from generational wealth holding onto to their money and systems of power that allow them to stay wealthy. Intentionally or not, by repeating the idea that old money folks spend their riches more tastefully or more modestly (which again, is a myth) than newer money folks we are essentially saying, again, intentionally or not, that they are more deserving of it, regardless of whether or not they're good guys or bad guys in movies.
i agree, i dont like how the creator provided no evidence as to how elle woods is new money. it is just a theory. it could very likely be she comes from a line of rich people. many celebrities are perceived to be new money, but they usually have connections from their family/parents. i think thats just a myth hollywood perpetuates to make lower class people feel that celebrities "work" for their positions, and we could too with enough talent/hard work, when thats not the case at all.
Someone finally said it.
I’m surprised so many commenters never noticed the old versus new money dynamic. As soon as Warner talked about his brother getting with a Vanderbilt, or a Jackie versus a Marilyn, I understood it as flashy west coast new rich versus Ivy League east coast old rich. As someone who lives on the east coast, it’s soooo true in real life.
For New Money, their attire is characterized by current fashion. A reason why is because of their upbringing and no knowledge or care of how Old Money operates. We mostly see it in professions in the entertainment industry.
Motivations to look this way could stem from
1) Pride, they worked so hard to get to where they are are so they buy the most ridiculously expensive attire
2) Insecurity, they come from humble beginnings, buying clothes with a large price tag to compensate.
For Old Money, their attire is characterized by timeless fashion. They stick with the basics because of their clothing rules that were set up a century. With predominantly pastel and dark colors with simple designs, their attire could last them lifetime and them some.
This is completely accurate to social media influencers today. An example is clothes tana mougou wears. She was probably middle class or lower middle class before her Chanel, but now she’s richer than any of us will probably ever be, but she is new wealth wearing neon colors and unusual outfits that I would love to wear.
I'm not really sure the about argument that the great depression was a cause for 'old money' being less conspicuous consumers. I think it's more to do with how people see their wealth and broader socio-economic status. If you have an aristocratic (or pseudo-aristocratic) background, your self-perceived status isn't rooted in wealth itself, but rather a sense of gentility. You don't grow up hearing your family being praised for their wealth, ambition or business savviness, you grow up hearing about how your family is full of important people who made important contributions to society (likely as artists, politicians, academics, philanthropists...etc rather than pure wealth-creators), from a position of privilege.
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Wealth is central to the former group, but it's more of an enabler for the latter group. Sensibilities also matter, if you grow up in Victorian townhouses stuffed with old family heirlooms, your sensibilities about 'trendiness' might differ from someone who grows up surrounded by newly-purchased status signifiers.
I really loved your take on this! Also, I see a lot of people talking about this Elle's experiences as a methophor for sexism and they're absolutely right...as much as I love this movie though, as a young black woman that isn't filthy rich,it almost didn't matter whether it was about class/wealth or sexism, it still seemed out of touch for me, because despite what Elle went through and as much as I was rooting for her, she was still a wealthy white woman, who used her privallges (along with her hard work) to get ahead in life. And the fact that there were little to no people of color in the movie... It didn't hit me as hard as it might have to others.
Wealth is addressed a bit more in the Legally Blonde musical, where Emmett has a more prominent role and explicitly comes from a poor household. By the time he meets Elle, he's working multiple jobs and is absolutely flabbergasted by Elle's problems. He even asks her what "rich, romantic planet" she's from. It's a minor plot point that he cannot afford a good, formal suit that would allow his legal peers to take him more seriously until Elle buys it for him. It adds to her character that she uses her wealth to help others, not put them down. It's an asset to her, not a source of vanity. I just think it was very interesting and wanted to share.
i love how legally blonde warrants such indepth and on point analyses decades later when the director himself never thought of this as anything other than a dumb romcom. the actors esp. reese witherspoon was amazing for seeing the real potential in this movie.
With Elle's fashion background it makes sense that the wardrobe designers would spend so much time on this and I think you hit the nail on the head! Well done!
I like reading it as a text on East Coast Old money vs. West Coast new money. It's even reflected when Elle brings up she grew up across the street from Aaron Spelling who's a notoriously new wealth tv producer.
I mean… the fashion can still be viewed as west coast vs east coast… not even old money vs new.
west coast is newer than east coast
I’ve been reading a lot of the comments and all of you Legally Blonde fans are super smart! I’ve learned so much from the creator of this video (great job!) and from all of your comments.
This was an absolutely amazing video essay! I particularly enjoyed your analysis of Elle's parent's wealth, and why she may feel more at home at the more dated Neptune salon. I think the style of Elles parents are very much 1980s inspired, so it is almost as if they are living their youth again but this time in a more financial viable and wealthy way, which may explain Elle's own comfort with such style as seen at the aforementioned Neptune Salon. As a side note, this also could explain Elle's own appreciation for what some may call "garish" styles! All in all, wonderful video!
I love this analysis, and I've never thought of Legally Blonde in this way! It’s almost a Fitzgerald-ian allusion-the Great Gatsby focused a lot on East vs West (aka Old Money vs New Money), and it’s very cool to see that connection in the modern day. Elle's family is Gatsby, extravagant parties and shows of wealth to attempt gaining new connections, while the Huntingtons are reminiscent of the Buchanans, who are very secure in their generational wealth and look down on people who flaunt it. Thanks for posting this:)
when i first watched the movie as a preteen, i didnt find elle relatable at all. as someone who came from a lower income background and went to an upper class high school in new york (so im well experienced with that east coast ivy league culture), i knew many people who dressed flamboyantly like elle and were highly respected. i think its important to note this movie took place in the early 2000s where it was more difficult for women to get into law school, and now dressing super flamboyantly fashionable and also getting good grades as a girl isnt controversial. i believe this movie definitely impacted how wealthy women from old money dress today. now, women who are wealthy and go to privileged schools are less "scared" to dress in pink. but alas, im sure in different countries and areas, it is different. i think elle woods was revolutionary at the time but today, shes just another member of the upper class who faced gender barriers whereas poorer folk have hundreds of other barriers to face.
heck the girls at my high school were trying to outdress each other with flashy clothes worth thousands of dollars while getting the best grades in class (think gossip girl and the clique). the producers/writers of legally blonde clearly came from the upper class and were reflecting their struggles as wealthy white women in the late 90s/early 2000s wanting to be taken seriously by rich white men. i will always love elle woods for being so kind-hearted, brilliant yet befriending lower class folk (like the older woman from the nail salon). but her struggles feel outdated and i'd be much more interested in a lower income woman of color's struggles getting into an ivy league, trying to get the best grades in class, while not having the same academic resources as her peers and also embracing dressing differently from them.
Being rich, dressing in pink and being smart at the time is not controversial anymore.
It’s also important to note that elle’s fashionable and extravagant dressing cannot be afforded by middle class and lower income folk and it’s difficult for us to dress like that. Heck, i LOVE west coast fashion but keeping up and creating fashion trends is not something i could afford in comparison to my wealthy classmates who inherited tons of money from their parents, topped the class, and dressed in flamboyant trends seen on celebrities.
I am not Chinese, therefore I have not experienced any of the cultural nuances that are a part of belonging to Chinese high society, but I think Kevin Kwan’s ‘China Rich Girlfriend’ captures the old money vs new money phenomenon very well :)
Now that I think about it, Elle Woods and Kitty Pong are VERY similar to each other :O
INCREDIBLE work. Really made me think about how hard it felt to show up on my first day of work and feel like I was dressed completely ‘wrong’ for my office job. I thought I was ‘following the rules’ because wore a collared shirt, but instead I stuck out like a sore thumb next to the other workers quiet glamour. I couldn’t put my finger on why this unsettled me until now
When you talked about new money not having the same fears of old money about flaunting their wealth and being flashy I had an immediate flashback to Kim kardashian beings mugged, and now that I’m about to start buying fine jewelry I’m kinda scared as well lol
this came up in my recs today and I really enjoyed this perspective - as a brit, our class system isn't exactly the same as yours, so it was fascinating to get a look into how it works over there and how it's portrayed in the film. I really like that it mildly subverted expectations by having Elle as our hero.
Chech out Bourdieu's "cultural capital", a very useful explanation of what the video is talking about.
The idea is that there are three kinds of capital that everyone has in varying amounts, and they define our social class : cultural, financial and social capital.
Each of these is a kind of currency that can give you access to different things. A teacher's child can have a lot of cultural capital while having no money. This is what Elle lacks : a poor person with a lot of cultural and social capital would have been more easily accepted than she was, though money also helps
Bourdieu was mainly discussing the subtle layers of French high society and their relationship with media and politicians, but this framework is pretty helpful for looking at many other cultural contexts
I really love the distinction you make between the old money and new money characters and their styles! I would love to hear your thoughts on Emmett, especially in the Legally Blonde Musical.
I have always thought of this movie as a “how to” navigate through life testimonial, work hard, ignore the negative and never give up as the theme. I am throughly impressed by the vlogger’s profound ideas. Brava👏🏻
Thank you! This is what I was trying to tell people before when a fashion commenter said that an heiress was 'pretending to be poor to be relatable'.
I will add that old money takes their luxuries for granted. So dressing all flashy isn't a special thing for them, It's just normal to have expensive stuff. There is nothing impressive about it. Why would you need to broadcast it?
It is 'special' for people who didn't use to be able to do that not long ago.
Well it was also like 2001. So while we now have much more nuanced views of wealth, race and class, this was before even the 2008 recession when most people either didn’t care or know to have a problem with the shoddy politics of legally blonde; or they found it aspirational. You have to remember this was the Paris Hilton era so most would’ve just called her a “barbie” and kept I moving.
I think it's interesting to also look at it as east coast v. west coast attitudes towards wealth and how it was built.
While I appreciate a new take on an old favorite, I do think this movie is pretty obviously and explicitly (Jackie vs Marilyn, the 'you have a lot of power as a blonde' scene, etc.) about femininity and sexism rather than class conflict, and most of your examples make more sense when viewed through that lens. There is an interesting point to make about how expressions of femininity line up along class lines, but I don't really think this is that movie. Nice video, though, I'll look to see if you've made anything else.
the jackie vs marilyn example is an interesting one because it pretty well exemplifies the same old money/new money dichotomy that i talk about here: jackie was born into wealth and marilyn wasn’t. while it’s pretty indisputable that the main thematic focus of the movie is sexism, i think it zeroes in on bias against a specific type of type of femininity, because, whether intentional or not, most of the costumes in the film are heavily class-coded. i wouldn’t describe Vivian as less feminine than Elle-but becauses of her class, she is feminine in a way that is more traditional and conservative, and therefore less threatening to any existing hierarchy. it’s definitely an intersection and not purely a class issue though and i probably could have been a bit more explicit about that in the video. thank you for sharing your thoughts!
@@maxteeth I also think it has to do with the fact Jackie VS. Marilyn is a JFk reference he wanted to sleep around with blonde bombshells he needed a woman like Jackie Kennedy that would help raise his kids have him keep a solid image. Marilyn Monroe was seen as play girl and was used for powerful to sleep with. I like the video very interesting
@@moneymanagement24 for sure, the line is packed with historical context and really shows that Warner views women as tools to advance his career and goals rather than as real people. he is equally objectifying both jackie o and marilyn (just as he objectifies both vivian and elle), but the sexism is manifested in different ways
These takes aren't mutually exclusive. And the class analysis of this film was a new take that I had never thought about. Overall, I buy the thesis.
@@maxteeth It could also be interpreted as a critique against a variation of feminism that rejects traditional femininity and values masculine traits to be taken seriously in the world. I think the feminist in her class perfectly highlights this in her disdain of Elle, as she doesn't appear high class herself. New films are always being made with "badass" heroines who dress in black and don't need a man. The conclusion of the film fits better when you think of everyone's surprise when she wins the court case, not to mention she won thanks to her knowledge of hair care...a typically feminine market. Or their reaction to her carrying books and answering questions in class.
As someone who is deeply fascinated in the costuming in television and film and absolutely adore this movie I am very happy to now have an even deeper appreciation for the story a simple garment can tell. I never saw it f on this perspective but the moment it was pointed out it felt so RIGHT ya know. This is yet another detail I'll be looking forward to analyzing in other films in the future. Thank you for a fantastic video.
This is the best Legally blonde analysis I have ever seen. I did not take class and old vs new money into consideration, this makes so much more sense
LOVE this for so many reasons. Insightful, concise, and creatively edited. “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap” haha! What a great quote! Thanks for sharing
I don't know what you had been doing before you started posting on this channel, but releasing THIS as your first video here? I am pretty awestruck!
Thanks for a perspective as layered as Elle's school outfit 🫶
makes me think about the jackie versus marilyn remark--both were rich, beautiful women, yet one earned much more respect from those around her
i love how the costumes and set dressings add to the story!! you showed that perfectly!!
this video essay was absolutely phenomenal - i've watched legally blonde a couple of times now and i've noticed different aspects but this take on the movie is so original and well thought out! keep up the great work
Love this video essay! Only thing I'd add is I wish you had included Warner's quote when Elle asked him why he preferred Vivian to her, "If I want to be a senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn." This once again hints at the old money vs. new money divide -- Jackie Kennedy (born to a stockbroker and socialite in the ritzy "old money" vacation area of the Hamptons) vs Marilyn Monroe (born to a poor single mother, spent much of her childhood in foster homes, only achieving wealth through her own modeling and acting work in adulthood).
video essays are quickly becoming my favorite genre on youtube
SUCH a good video, and one of the most nuanced takes I've seen about this.
I think I love El also because she's also not stuck up as old money people can be. Plus her taking on her sleaze of a professor made me happy.
“Denim on denim for days” lmao😆
such a good point about dolly parton!! this is my fave analysis that has been done on legally blonde ,youre so right!
Excellent analysis, I always enjoy peeling back the layers of movies and series to find the nuances in the storytelling. Instant sub.
Wow. This is an excellent analysis. Thanks so much for sharing this!!
You did an amazing job. What you said is totally true. I worked for an Italian luxury brand for a while, and there is an amazing distintion between the clothes they produce for the old money in their tailor departments and the clothes they sell to the New Money (Nouveau Riche). You may see flashy D&G stuff on blogers and celebrities, but you will be surprised how "normal" and expensive their most expensive lines are. Italians might buy smth flashy for fun, but when they want smth nice, they would buy a casmere sweater from Brunello Cucinelli. Plus it is fun to remember when Logan says to Rory Gilmore "You are of us", after her elaborate pretence to be working class when in reality she used all the priviliges her old money grandparents gave her.
OMG! I never thought about it which seems really strange because it’s an obvious part of the movie, but they did such a good job of making me connect with her that I just was like yeah girl!
Really great, insightful rundown of an important topic in one of my favorite movies! Thanks for making this--it gave me a lot to think about.
really interesting take that i hadn't considered at all, thanks for sharing! i personally think the reason why elle doesn't fit in is more about her flaunting her overt femininity/barbie-esque personality---i believe it all boils down to sexism. as for why the audience likes her, i'd wager it's because of her kindness (like you mentioned) and her role as the outsider/underdog. hard not to root for her when everyone is initially against her. but yeah, after hearing your analysis, it's hard not to see the elements of new money vs old money in this film!
I watched this whole thing- SO interesting!!! Such an articulate and thorough analysis!
this was fascinating. an interesting way to look at one of my favorite films. thank you for this !
I never thought about this angle! This is a wonderful video. Great job !
This is such a unique view that I never thought of before. Thank you for such a well thought out and organised essay!
Just fantastic! I’ve dissected this movie a thousand times and you’ve still offered some fresh perspective. Great work!
Wow this video is amazing!!! Your discussions of class and your insights are fascinating and extremely intelligent