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Growing up being taught that femininity was inherent weakness, I spent a lot of my childhood rebelling against anything I considered feminine. But movies like Legally Blonde helped show me I could be strong and intelligent AND look cute doing it.
X2 girl! I always said I will not be a mom because it seems to make you less vale but since I have a boyfriend I started to think that it is not like that and maybe in the future I would like to have one
Ditto. In middle school, I stayed short, but inherited the large chest the women in my family usually get. Suddenly people I’d known for years spoke down to me, like I’d become less intelligent. Female friends didn’t like crushes being around me. Then rumors started up that I was having sex with, well, everyone basically. It was... really horrible. I dressed in baggy clothing and rejected anything feminine in an attempt to seem less a threat so other girls might not dislike me so much. I hadn’t changed, on the outside at least, so it was really hurtful. It’s taken years, and losing every single friend and contact I had, to actually find out who I naturally am and what I like, instead of just... adhering to the routines I had to try to survive a distressing situation. It turns out, I like makeup, and doing my nails, and not for any guy, but for me. I just... like it. And it doesn’t make me less intelligent or somehow suddenly man crazy. It sucks that women still do this to each other over things we can’t help, so threatened that we can’t risk helping each other. Maybe one day we’ll learn. Maybe.
I completely agree, like this one time I wanted to play soccer at school, my friends that I know for years tought I was joking until she realised I was doing matches and practice
“Our culture sends the message that traditionally feminine tastes and female-oriented bonding activities are lesser, in order to de-value women.” PREACH!!
Elle is amazing representation for strong women. So much of the time in media ‘strong’ women are depicted as having masculine traits, there is nothing wrong with having those traits of course but that mentality also equalizes traditional femininity with weakness. There are different types of strength and there’s power in pink!
I greatly concur! Being feminine or into fashion doesn't take away from intelligence, and women should be portrayed as being smart, whether they're a tomboy or a girly girl!
@Glenna Smith Hella! Truth! Also, heels started off as a mens-only fashion. We just need to remember that gender roles and norms are socially constructed and the power lies with * us * to challenge them or even overthrow them. Don't go for gender roles, go for egg rolls.
@@Kille483 I mean, debatable. I am not denying that as an influence. But our species is fucking six million years old. We made it so far because we cooperated and grouped together for most of it - we had _society._ We have had society forever. Which is why dichotomy of nature vs. mankind does not hold up well in my opinion, it is all too meshed up together (most dichotomies are fishy anyway; human experience is too complex for "either this or that and nothing else in between"). Soooo. I do not deny your point, but separating the social and the biological is a doozy and I for one would not know where to start. So why worry about it. Discuss and challenge gender as per your convenience and don't sweat over whether norms are "natural". Though, a nifty understanding of gender that I have heard of and that I like is: as a social, biological and psychological institution. I hope my comment did not make it seem like I am condemning gender or the culture of gender. If markers and traditions of gender make someone happy and do not harm them or other people, I got no beef.
First Cher and then Elle, there is genius in the blonde never underestimate that. It shows that we do a disservice to women who are conventionally attractive. Women are more than their looks
Preach! Some advice that I would dispense to each and every girl out there is that you can have brains AND beauty, you don't have to choose between one or the other. 📚💅
Absolutely. When we stop treating people like utilities that can only be or do one thing. We'll get a lot more Elles. Confident people, who work their ass off and dig their own unique hotness.
thats really nice of you to say about women, blondes are a lot less priviledged than it may look like, its really hard for people to take you serious, and it takes a strong character to pull it off
Tigerlily they tend to be white and benefit from white privilege which is where the whole blonde stereotype stemmed from. That situation you described happens to poc woman a lot
I always liked the twist near the end, where you think the perv law professor was the one who vouched for her to go to Harvard Law, and then the lady law professor reveals herself at the salon when Elle's at her lowest point.
We've been here with Marilyn Monroe, too. She was the original blonde bombshell with sex appeal for days, but in real life she was ahead of her time on integration, highly intelligent, well-read, ambitious and determined. Just like Elle. And yes, I adore Elle's genuine love for other people.
@Natasel but she's more than who she's had sex with. That doesn't make her a bad person. If anything it makes Kennedy a sleaze cause he was still married to Jackie at that point. But at the end of the day that was just hearsay and speculation. We don't know if they actually fucked and they're not alive anymore to confirm or deny this.
Elle was my inspiration when I went back to college last year. I went and got binders and a pencil case covered in flowers. That's my love, and while my profession won't be in the flower field, I can bring them with me wherever I go. Oh, and I'm still at a 3.9 GPA while being a single mom.
That's so awesome well done! I might need to take a leaf from that flower book for when I go back, ergh no pun intended haha. I skipped on glitter-covered everything at uni the first time!
hello is it me youre looking for, my mom finished her degree when she was forty, it doesn’t matter how old you are people aren’t as judgmental as we think they are
I absolutly love how You analize those "chick flicks" or "teen girls movies" (like Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Clueless) and show how much valuable life lessons they pressent, how much thought was put into those characters and how simply good they are. Just like Elle is often looked down on, those type of films - with girls and women, what a suprise - don't drow so much atention and aren't discussed that much, I think. It's so nice to have a place like Your channel in my feed. Thank You.
oh my god I never realized this - the very topic the movie talks about, that girly stuff isn't taken seriously, happened to the movie itself because it's girly. meta
This movie inspired me to get into medical school. That scene where Elle decided to prove how valuable Elle Woods can be is my go to scene when I'm feeling down
Same. Her and Hermione Granger isnpired me a lot. I don't think I would be a med student if it wasn't for them. Representation and role models are important.
YESSSSS. Preach it, girls! PREACH. IT. Elle Woods is my idol, feminine but not weak, vulnerable but strong. Absolute queen. Reminds me of your Cinderella video, how femininity doesn't mean you're doing things the wrong way.
I totally agree. Growing up, I sought inspiration in fictional, intelligent young women, such as Matilda Wormwood, Hermione Granger and Elle Woods. They showed me that knowledge is power, and how you shouldn't try to hide that intelligence just to appeal to the rest of society. Yay for strong, independent female protagonists!🎉
That bit about fashion merchandising and history of polkadots being silly and unimpressive has always been so hurtful to me. First of all, merchandising is part of overall marketing and business studies, which is extremely hard and competitive. Second, as a fashion historian, let me tell you - history of polkadots or any other patterns is a fascinating anthropological study! ❤️
Ariella Goichman Yes, that's exactly what I love about this movie and what it was trying to prove. And it applies to anything society doesn't value but individuals do. Something may seem shallow or boring and even if one does take the opportunity to deeper understand it and still not see the interest in it, there is someone who does appreciate. For that sake alone, for the sake of the persons credit and humanity, their subject of interest deserves respect. Therefore any interest (as long as it's not leading to real world harm) deserves respect.
@@gonderage They first became a popular print in Germany in the 1850s when Polka music was becoming very popular, hence the name "Polka Dot". But it became a popular garment print around the world during the rise of new fashions for women in the 1920s 😉❤️
IKEHH IKEHH I really don’t know. We live in an _extremely_ racist country. We truly need to be asking when white people, particularly white women, are going stop thinking they _need_ to use racism against black women to compete with others & get ahead in life. I can see some progress with women like Adut Akech, Chloe Bailey, Ducky Thot, & Lupita Nyong’o, but Idk if whites will truly ever treat racism like a psychopathology and do something to rid themselves of it within our lifetimes. 🤷🏽♀️
Mo'mina Makin Idk what your personal hang-ups are with femininity, but what you’re mainly talking about are beauty and/or grooming rituals. There is a Divine Feminine principal that has been completely been sublimated in favor of the Divine Masculine principal and there is little balance between the creation, communalism, compromise, compassion, nurturing, reconciliation, renewal, peace, & stability commonly associated with femininity and the socially disruptive aggression, hierarchy, authoritarianism, and destructive competitiveness associated with _unrestrained_ masculinity. Furthermore, the Divine Feminine principal is associated creation, death, and renewal and femininity can be a vengeful destructive force when roused to anger IN RESPONSE to aggression - I suppose that’s the ‘mama bear’ trait when a woman is protecting her young or Mother Earth responding to pollution with melting the ice caps that could drown us all. *The fact that feminine values & behaviors **_expressed through actual females_** have been so disassociated with the notions of having political and economic power & influence is indicative of the lack of balance between femininity and masculinity in this world. You can have self-confidence, set boundaries, and be assertive (not aggressive, but assertive) in a **_feminine manner._* As for the beauty rituals, they are things you don’t _have_ to participate in to be a feminine woman. They’re nice, and yes most people consider them feminine traits (sorry, but they do), but you don’t _have_ to do them to be a feminine woman. Anyway, I’m not a feminist. I do not subscribe to extreme Anglo-American feminism as practiced in the U.S. I’m definitely not a second wave feminist, who thinks the height of equality for woman is to be an androcentric pseudo-man nor am I _warped_ third wave feminist who celebrates ‘Raunch’ culture for females & thinks that the ONLY differences between women & men are social while completely disrespecting the biological differences between women & men. Yes, I think this sex/gender neutral b.s. is not only absurd, but disrespectful. In short, I think you should do some research on femininity.
Minty Minty Maybe you should ask yourself why you didn’t read what I said to the other person w/ hang ups about femininity. Please tell me what I, as a female who has no psychological problems or body dysmorphic issues with being a female, should value instead of femininity? Masculinity? “Neuter”? Again, I’m not a feminist. Again, femininity isn’t solely tied to the narrow stereotypes people see on the idiot box - and by idiot box, I ALSO mean phones, tablets, & laptops now, b/c people still can’t seem to divorce themselves from the mainstream media’s b.s. online. Why would any self-assured, informed woman EVER truly believe the propaganda about femininity and view femininity as being in a “hierarchy” with masculinity? I have a problem with the lies and social stigmatizing of femininity by males _and_ females, not femininity itself. Why? Because I’m ACTUALLY informed about all the things that femininity encompass.
@@veronicajade20 I would read your book if you write one. In fact I always enjoy reading your commentary on TH-cam and everything you say resonates with me somehow.
Harvard aside, fashion merchandising is a very valuable skill. It's not easy to learn the mechanics of the fashion industry from the designers to the manufacturers the make the clothes to the retail stores. It takes a lot of work to manufacture, distribute and market clothing then make profits. Especially that the fashion industry is very competitive.
Natasel she could be an amazing fashion lawyer with those expertises, and fashion law is quite complex, the copyright alone in fashion is very different from other creative fields who have more black and white views on copyright.
@Natasel that was her internship, its not unusual to intern at something you don't end up doing just to get experience on the field, but my point is she didn't necessarily throw out her education in fashion merchandising in the garbage because there is a whole field o law that she can apply it to. It can make you a more specialized professional to have different interests because you have niche knowledge that isn't common.
@Natasel as an example, I took a copyright law class in college and my teacher was a lawyer who when he was young was very involved in theater, because of this he got to meet a lot of theater and other creative people who became very successful and sought him out for law advice when he became a lawyer. So he eventually started to get recommended and ended up getting quite knowledgeable about copyright law and entertainment law in general so now he has several high profile clients in entertainment.
Shoot, I'm a guy and I still love that movie. It has everything that a good movie should have. Also, seriously, if my daughter ends up half the person Elle is (smart, charming, compassionate, thoughtful, genuine), I will be able to tell myself that my wife and I are excellent parents. You can teach alot, but reinforcing those qualities would make the world a far better place than emphasizing greed and success at any cost.
My natural hair color is pretty close to Elle's. I can't even begin to count all the times I have been labeled a "dumb blonde." I actually dyed my hair about 5 years ago because I was so fed up with being treated like I didn't have a brain. Then I saw Legally Blonde and it made me proud to be a blonde. Im trying to grow the stubborn dark brown out.
Ive died my hair pretty much all color (black, brown, red, blond) and I can see a difference in the way people (mostly guys) act towards me. Now I'm blond and a guy made a comment about it this summer. And it was over something I didn't understand in a language that is not my first. Telling ya the guy didn't dare to say it again hahaha I'm sorry you are experiencing that a lot... be yourself I'm sure you are great !!! 😊 Blond have more fun anyway hahahah
Please could you do another analysis about Mean Girls, this time about how Janice herself is corrupted by popularity and how her judgement of the Plastic's for their feminity and sexuallity, is just as manipulative as judging someone who isn't as girly or sexual and confident. So how a lot of femme characters in films or through media are portaryed as the villians, and how Janiace is sort of just excused for her choices to use Cady and how unfair it is that she doesn't get punished, mauybe even looking at how the popular film reverses and condradicts the message of girls to stop hating one another, maybe even looking at the problems through Tina Feys writing and possible interviews, and comparing the characters change in the musical.
I remember that troupe being really prominent in the early 2000's. the "I'm not like other girls" Girl who thinks she's better than people who are into popular stuff completely missing that automatically dismissing something for being traditional, or popular on sight is just the other side of the coin to someone who follows the crowd without a second thought.
I disagree. The plastics were the ones who bullied Janice because she wasn't a stereotypical girl. No the other way around. I mean the plastics were "evil" (for teenage girls and petty high school standards). Janice was right to be honest. I mean Regina was a freaking homophobe who started a rumor that Janice was gay which made other girls not like her. You would be angry too. I mean that is unfair analysis. Regina George is a good character but in real life would you really think Janice was wrong.
I'm not like Elle Woods at all, but I love her so much. I love these movies. She is so smart, so open to new things, and ready to accept anyone. I was drawn into the movie because it was funny, but every time I watch I can't believe how smart and how nice she is to people. It's my hope that even though we don't have the same interests, I can be just as awesome as she is and let someone like her into my life. I think another rewatch is now in order!
"What, like it's hard?!" is one of my favourite movie quotes of all time and should really be on motivational posters everywhere! Love that you have analysed this movie, and agree with your analysis 100%! Elle Woods is a great role model for those who may find themselves feeling out of place and ostracised because of who they are. Elle shows that being unapologetically yourself, treating others the way you would like to be treated, and having faith in your abilities are all qualities that should correctly guide you along whatever path you are meant to take in life. I also love how she stuck to her goal of completing law school despite her reasons for doing so changing. For me this represents that, although the "why" in your plans can sometimes change, it doesn't mean that the actual goal should, and you should just keep pushing to achieve that goal if it is right for you. Legally Blonde also represents how your destiny can sometimes appear to be one thing, but that thing is in fact leading you to your actual destiny. Elle's primary motivation for doing anything after Warner broke up with her was to get back with him, but this ended up leading her to her destiny of becoming an amazing attorney, which is even better! It's also great to see how Elle's sorority is behind her all the way. This is the kind of positive support amongst women that we need to see a lot more of in movies and series! Love this movie, love The Take!
I first saw Legally Blonde when I was about 12-13, at that point in my life I'd been going through a big tomboy-goth phase where I thought that I had to pretend I hated pink and keep my guard up around other girls in order to be strong. When I was little, I made no secret of my love for pink & interests that are considered traditionally feminine, like princesses and cute animals, but I also had a love for things that were considered "boyish", like monsters and comic books. After having some rather negative experiences with other girls who were also "girly" and ended up bullying me, I felt the need to abandon all things feminine and only embrace the things I liked that were considered "dark" and "edgy". I'm a dirty blonde, and several times I seriously considered dying my hair black to distance myself from girly stereotypes. Elle Woods helped me to understand that being myself & being strong meant embracing every aspect of myself, the part of me that wanted to see every horror movie AND the part of me that wanted to wear pretty dresses, and not caring what ANYONE thought about it. She told me that blonde girls who like pink are just as capable as anyone else of being smart & strong & worthy of admiration, and that it if someone does assume I'm just a dumb bimbo, they were the one with a problem. Thank You so much for making this video!!!
Anna Bunovsky wow i always wanted to dye my hair blonde (and i have) because i wanted to embrace the girly side of myself. i’ve always liked girly things since i was a little kid but i was also interested in boyish things. i never got the best of both worlds until i grew up (now) and ive realized i can be both and that’s okay. one day i may want to dress up and one day i may want to have a casual look that doesn’t draw too much attention. you can be both 💖
Exactly!!! 💕 The idea that we’re only allowed to fit into one specific kind of social niche, especially when we’re children, is really limiting & even damaging
Oh my God, like my story, it's just not a blonde problem! When I was little, I was obsessed with pink, wearing skirts or dresses, buy flowers, decorate my room with ribbons, playing barbie, and only watching Barbie or Disney princesses (until now actually). But when I was in middle school, I suddenly changed because all of my friends were too ambitious, obsessed with education, and thought someone like me is not serious person. Now that I'm in high school, I'm starting to act like the real me and many people think I'm stupid. Even my teacher thinks I don't know the difference between Cartesian and polar coordinates, my friends think I don't understand the meaning of 'instinct', my other friends don't believe the answers I give when they ask me, and sometimes they don't believe when I get A grades. I was so sad, but until now I tried to prove that I'm not as stupid as they thought.
Damn bro I'm not blonde but i have been through that "not like other girls" phase just like you. I hid my feminine side to not be viewed as weak and superficial. And i only showed my side where i like stereotypical boy things. The thing is, i always loved girly things and stereotypical boy things at the same time. I still do. The media made me so embarrassed to be girly so I vowed to never show my girly side. But now that I'm older i show both sides with ease
i'm a brunette yet i so strongly identify with elle woods. if you look a certain way, society assumes you _are_ a certain way and they treat you as such even if you behave to the contrary. it's even worse if you behave in a way they don't expect (i.e. if you're model pretty but mensa smart) because then you're abused by jealous men and ostracized and ignored/back stabbed by women out of jealousy. it's a very isolating feeling, even if you're a genuinely nice person. because no one reads it as sincere, they think you're being fake. it's really stupid and damaging and i hope one day society is rid of this behavior.
@@joyceadena i feel like it's a truth that no one wants to speak out loud or accept because "oh well you're beautiful so your life is perfect and you've never had any issues therefore i can be mean to you and demean you and it's fine" like, how? why? this needs to not be ok anymore.
@@sal4538 me too! how do you handle it? i often find i have to hide my true feelings or swallow a lot of my pain because if i bring it up, i'll be accused of whining over nothing or being "dramatic" because i want attention?? lol make that make sense, you know??
@@k_a_y_l_e_e I'm sorry you're in such a horrible situation. Maybe try journaling or talking to a close family member or friend. Just to get it out of your system. You deserve better than that. I found it very hard initially to handle cruel people, but those have helped. And prayer (if you're religious)
Elle has always been my biggest role model of the 2000's, next to Hermione Granger. Both of them show that intelligence is a vital skill to have, and that you shouldn't have to dumb yourself down to appease what society THINKS that you should be, based on their limited understanding of who you are.😊
*likes (scratch that, ❤️s) Trina Q.’s comments for its speeches on why Elle King is one of the greatest representations of female empowerment, so she needs many subscribers including me!!*
I love this movie. However, there is something missing in this analysis, which is how men see her. What makes her a good, nice person and allows her to make strong bonds with women, it's also what makes men around her not respect her or think they can make a move on her. The issue with Elle's attitude (and why i think most women try to avoid being like Elle in the real world), is that if you behave this way, you must fight twice as hard to be respected by men. In the movies most of the relationships she has are with women, because this is a movie about female empowerment and female friendships. Men either dismiss her and try to take advantage of her, or just try to pursue her. Like her professor or Warner, both of whom do not learn to respect her, even after she has repeatedly proof herself and her worth. Her own father doesn't respect her, even as smart as she is, it's hard to believe she would grow to think she can do anything having a father that dismisses her the moment she wants to do something great like studying law in Harvard. The only man that respects her is Emmett, and it's almost a secondary storyline. Like it's the exception to the rule. If you think about it, Emmett as a character, is this one-dimensional perfect being that exists for her. The movie would not change much if he wasn't there. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it isn't very realistic. Most women in real life cannot afford to 'be like Elle'. It's really sad that being nice or a good person is seen as weakness or naivety. I've worked in an all men environment for the last 4 years, and i feel like I have to put on a façade and force myself to not smile so much or go out of my way to do nice things for others. It sounds horrible but in 4 years I've had too many situations where someone has dismissed my ideas, or tried to take advantage of my work, or think i was romantically interested in them because i brought them a cup of coffee when i went to get mine. The reality is that men, most of the time, don't respect women. And it's way worse if you are nice, bubbly or have an Elle-like personality.
Now I need to point out that her dad did not dismissed her he genuinely thought she could do better. He said to her Law is for ugly and boring people and you're neither of those. In his books being a lawyer and going to Harvard is not great it does not mean he doesn't take her seriously it's very much the oder way around.
@@sanogoadamagyram8166 I'm sorry, but putting more value on her looks than her brain, is dismissive. Even if he genuinely values more being pretty than being smart, which i doubt, since he is a rich man living in Beverly Hills, who probably surrounds himself with very smart people at work.
I think the father part was more an ironic take on parents who want their childs to take "serious" career. In tv and real life it's usually the other way around, when their children want to take more creative careers parents usually tends to dismiss those careers and force them into more "serious" careers. When in the film Elle's dad those the exact opposite he kinda sounds dumb, right? I think it's to make people aware that even the other way where parents discourage thei children from creative fields sounds dumb. I think what they're trying to convey, in a funny and light way, is that none of the paths is better than the other, and dismissing one of them isn't good. I don't think the father thinks of her as dumb, also because intelligent doesn't just mean going to law school (she was majored in fashion something, she still had amazing grades). His father is obviously rich and that money must have been coming from somewhere. Since his dismiss "serious" things he must have been making his moneys in other, more creative, ways. He never said she wasn't smart enough for law school, he only said that thise types of jobs are for boring people. I think that in the father's mind intelligent doesn't exclusively equal "serious" professions, which I think is kinda good because you shouldn't measure someone's intelligent one wether or not they do well in subject that are deemed more "serious and intelligent" by our society. He thinks creative intelligence is still intelligence but he doesn't think of it as equal as more "serious" intelligence, he thinks creative intelligence is *better*. I think here is where the parallelism with real life lies. Even if both are type of intelligence and should be considered equal in our society people still value "serious" intelligence more, thinking that is better. I think Elle's dad is here just to show how dumbs it sounds the other way around and therefore making people aware of how dumb the real life thing sounds too
@@hulyasagr5862 Yes, courage and opportunity! Most of us don't have the privileges that allow Elle to be so courageous. To "fall short" of the Elle Ideal is perfectly ok and not something we should feel bad about. :)
Ironically when I got lasik surgery all of a sudden people assumed I was dumb and all the typical stereotypes associated with blondes. All because I no longer wore glasses.
I like the Daria episode about that too, with glasses/contacts. There's always a pathway to attack and judge a woman, especially if she's pretty, which let's face it most are!
That's the dumbest, most illogical thinking I've heard of. So you don't want to be half blingd? WHY ARE YOU SO SHALLOW?? But hey, when people understimate you they just give you more power.
Elle is an emotionally strong person. Like imagine the bullying and seclution she felt when she was starting at Harvard. Yet she still got over it and smiled. I mean if I was her I would've quit a long time before. Truly an icon.
YES!🙌 I love this movie so much, especially as it subverts and reconstructs expectations of the stereotypical "dumb blonde". Elle quickly proves herself to be intelligent and savvy, as demonstrates in the opening store scene. She subverts other typical "blonde" archetypes- She's not bitchy, and even stages a fake breakup when she sees David getting rejected by a couple of girls he's trying to ask out. She's not promiscuous, as it's implied that Warner is the only guy she's ever been with. It's worth noting that Elle got into Harvard on the first try, whereas Warner had to redo the exams, and he later ends up dropping out, while she becomes a successful lawyer due to her adventures. Much like Cher Horowitz from "Clueless", Elle Woods is a fantastic female role model who shows young girls that they shouldn't have to dumb themselves down in order to be popular, and instead embrace their intellect. Think Blonde!💖🙌
Promiscuous is a very judgemental term, as well as sexist - only seems to apply to women. How many sexual partners a woman chooses to have should not define her character. That's gross. But I get what you mean. Because she is an attractive woman, who likes to wear clothes that make her look hot, she is automatically perceived as a "sexually available" woman, irrespective of the status of her sex life. I agree, there.
what's it to ya!? It’s less that it’s WRONG to be “promiscuous,” but more that it’s good that she doesn’t fit the stereotype of blondes in particular being “promiscuous”
@@user-qv2qf1jk5o if she can be hella feminine and have hobbies that make her stereotypical in people's eyes, she could also have multiple partners and be just as worthy of respect and non-judgement. That's my point. I am not calling out the film, or even OP. I am just challenging the perceived idea of who an "admirable" woman can be.
honestly in a world that demonizes everything effeminate, El is exactly what I want my kids to grow up into if I have them. Like not being effeminate specifically for being powerful and passionate and capable and intelligent. Where those qualities that people seem to look down on her actually her strengths and in this case it is hearth her femininity and humanity that makes her such an amazing. Her feminity does not take away from her intelligence like most series would have you believe. Her humanity is a valuable asset.
@Minty I have read that in work fields where the majority is a man, a femenine women is looked down on, so most of them have to show no feminity since is percibe as weak in order to survive there/ being taken serious, etc, feminity has being demonized.
such a fantastic movie, that apparently owns a lot to its main actress, that decided to play the character seriously when the movie was supposed to be much more "stupid blond' type...
I’m not blonde, obsessed with pink, or into law, but damn I’m often seemingly ditzy, random, and I love fun colors. As someone going into a field that is undervalued for how major it is in modern society, I feel the struggle of being interested in “silly” things and fighting to be taken seriously (for anyone curious I’m studying Graphic Design). And as for interests, I love videogames, which to most people seems irrelevant to real life, but honestly they’ve taught me a lot.
DeathnoteBB Graphic design is a core foundation of language. Never be ashamed of that passion. That’s how ideas and creativity work. I mean, how much of life is better because of it!
I don't know much about graphic design but it sounds really hard.I feel you though, I study Journalism and media and boy,do I get comments about how useless and easy it is! Sure, it's not science or law but you still need discipline to study.(we do politics,history, sociology,law,marketing,management, public relations,computers, arts and writing)
One thing that did always bug me about the musical vs the movie is when she passes in the movie, she's over the minimum score by 4 points but they give her the straight on 175 in the musical. I feel like the 4 points shows that she's not making the bare minimum, it wasn't a fluke, she studied hard and it paid off.
A man once said to me, "the current world is dictated by masculine energy. If we had more feminine energy govern the world, it would be transformed into something so much better than what we know now." I think Elle embodies that.
While I’m a brunette, puberty was hard for me. I was a huge geek and loved not just reading, but class, the interaction with teachers and asking questions. I had to be made to not sit with them and ask more questions at lunch. My friends and peers knew this about me. Then, I developed. The women in my family are petite and ridiculously well endowed. Like Dolly Parton big. Everyone, even my friends, started treating me like I was less intelligent, less interested in learning, and even a bad person (sexually precocious and a boyfriend stealer). Girls didn’t want me around their guys because they thought I’d try, and succeed, at winning them away. I started having more male friends because the girls sort of hanged up on me, and the rumors started. I would hang out with my sort of people, science guys who liked discussing which dinosaur was the best, what planet would be the coolest to inhabit. I hung out with other book nerds and played Harry Potter trivia games. A lot of girls weren’t into that stuff, as it was deemed not feminine to be interested. But, people started saying I wasn’t intelligent at all, but parroted what they said, and that I did well on homework by having them do it in exchange for sexual favors, and did well on tests by bribing them to let me cheat, or worse, maybe, possibly, seducing a teacher or my parents bribing them. I didn’t date in high school and eventually was too sick (a chronic thing I still have) to go physically. And the entire time rumors flew that I didn’t have a boyfriend only because I was passed around by so many guys that no one would want that dubious honor. It... was so hurtful. I hadn’t changed, on the inside at least. I remember actually saying, “Guys, it’s me. It’s still me. You KNOW me. How can you be saying this?” I was never able to “fix it,” or go back, I never got back the friends I lost, and the few I retained peeled away when I got sick. It hurt me so deeply. But a lot of things have happened since then that have been pretty hard to deal with, and if I hadn’t had that sharp lesson that sometimes bad things happen regardless of your intent, they would have been even harder to handle. I realized that some people would simply just not like me and there’s nothing I can do to change that. Whether it’s my looks, my voice, my background, my lack of brevity, my word choice, whatever, some people will just not be a fan. I can think of it as a “me” problem and try to change to suit everyone or accept it might be a “them;” problem and consider how I’d feel if a mythical friend was in a similar situation. If I would reassure them they did nothing wrong, in my heart of hearts, then I know that I need to be as kind to myself as I would be to them. Of all the people I’ve had to put up with, few are as harsh on me as I am on myself, and that’s an added burden I just don’t need in my life. Movies that remind you that sometimes people will just not like or respect you, while moving beyond finding that problem and on to finding a solution are important. Because while Elle *could* change her hair color and her “accent,” or inflection, if it makes her happy, she’s being true to herself, and she’s not hurting anyone, why should she have to? At the end of the day, when all your friends and enemies and champions and detractors have all gone away, you have to lay in the dark and listen to the thoughts you think about yourself. You’re the one companion you’ll never be rid of. So you might as well make that experience as survivable as possible. If *you* don’t like you, what does the rest really matter?
Thank you for telling your story. We had a girl in my high school that had so many rumors about having sex with a lot of boys/men. I have no idea if the rumors were true but true or not and it was wrong to be so nasty towards her even if it was true I’m sure high school was rough. I didn’t know until graduation that she had a 4.0. This was back in the late 70’s. People can be really cruel . Took 2 years after high school graduation to get over years of random bullying because of my looks. I was an easy target because I was shy and lack confidence.
I didn’t realize how much this movie influenced me...I always give ppl the benefit of the doubt and ppl think I’m airheaded. I realized from watching this, my personality can be appreciated by those who matter and don’t mind. I’m not blonde but apparently blonde is a personality 😂
What I love most about it is the message that you can be a "pretty girl"and spend time in your looks and be " shallow " on certain aspects , doesn't keep you from being strong intelligent and driven , even in a difficult field .... As in you can be hot and intelligent
I only watched Legally Blonde for the first time about a year ago, thinking that it was just a romance movie, and was pleasantly surprised that it was actually all about character development and girl power. It was delightful and a very fun movie to watch.
I've spent a lot of time observing people and studying sociology formally and informally... people do often end up living up to stereotypes because after so many people telling you what you are, expecting you to be and act a certain way, and sometimes even seeming disappointed or offended when you don't, going on for years and many of the people who even say they care about you thinking you should live up to this easy to understand view of the world... people do eventually mold their outward appearance into that. Sometimes even their inward appearance to themselves, they come to accept it as their identity. And proliferate the stereotype. It's human nature for us to want to be accepted and liked and understood. But the sad truth is so many people are caught up with their own lives and moving so fast that they quickly assess you and will try to shove you into some prerendered category of person before you even open your mouth. Even good people do this. Most people do this. This is also another natural human thing to do. But by being aware of that quick judgement and how monumentally complex a human being is (trust me honey the most talented teams of scientists and researchers have barely scratched the surface despite textbooks the size of tires, you definitely don't know how people are arranged) we can start to learn to give people a chance. Part of that is just admitting that we can be wrong. And unfroutnately our culture seems to be doubling down on "I can't ever admit that I'm wrong" ...being wrong is not a bad thing. I don't know why we turned that into a bad thing. *Being wrong is an opportunity. Not being perfect is perfectly okay.*
@Natasel Don't know where I said that friend. Don't judge a book by its cover has been a saying for a very long time because it's beneficial for all parties to not assume someone will act or be a certain way you expect. In some more extreme examples... you shouldn't assume that the really nice christian fellow who is a devoted husband and father that gives to the poor and teaches morality isn't also a murderer. Because sometimes they are. There is great benefit to YOU judging a person based on their individual merits, judging them based on what they ARE, and not what you EXPECT them to be. If everyone treated everyone as an individual then no one would be special.
Ellen woods is the ULTIMATE female role model. Because her femininity is her strength. She doesn't need to be more masculine to do just as good as the boys. Kinda reminds me of points made in your Cinderella video. Her positivity in the face of adversity is so admirable. I will always look up to her.
I really love yalls sense of femininity and strength and your analysis on theses subjects. Being an avid watcher of your content has really encouraged me to think about these things and has helped me develop a sense of my identity as a woman. Keep up the good work!
A genuine thank you to The Take for this video! Legally Blonde has always been one of my favorite movies because Elle is a truly inspirational character. She proves that femininity is a strength, not a weakness! She makes me think, "If Elle can do it, so can I! And look fabulous doing it!" Reese Witherspoon played her perfectly
When I first saw this movie I thought Elle was the life action version of Barbie and I really mean that in best way. I grew up with the older Barbie movies (starting with Nutcracker and ends around Fashion Fairytale) and I genuinely saw the roles Barbie played in those movies as a truly kind, clever, compassionate, confident, adventurous person and before someone told me of the trope "dumb blonde" I never thought of it that way. In fact, my better and competent teachers during my kindergarten and first grade teachers blondes while the incompetent and a little too laid back person was a brunette so I didn't see anything about hair colors being associated with brains or beauty, but after growing up and consuming the more teen/YA/adult stuffs where blondes and brunettes are put into categories and put against each other I feel myself being affected more and more. This is really tells you the importance of the media you consume as well as how children slowly become affected by social prejudices. It's really scary.
I wish I had understood the true meaning of this movie when I was a kid. I spent my whole life denying my femininity and tried so hard to not be like the “other girls” because I didn’t want to be looked down on. This hardened me and made me feel isolated from people who could be my friends and also gave me very low self esteem. When watching this movie I just thought of Elle as a joke and never realized how amazing she was. I’m now an adult, but I don’t think it’s too late to learn to be more like Elle💕
I LOVE that Elle is one of few examples in film of an ultra feminine woman who is NOT a villain. She is super sweet and considerate of others, which is something that we don’t see often enough. It’s also wonderful that although Elle’s friends didn’t understand Elle’s desire to pursue law school, they supported her nonetheless.
“If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, then you’re not the girl I thought you were.” Tell myself this on a daily basis! There might not be anyone else in the world rooting for you, so YOU have to always be your biggest fan.
Such a great movie. I love the message that you can be smart and competent without giving up your girly interests/personality. I'm a girl majoring in computer science and while it's great that people are encouraging girls in STEM I do sometimes feel like there's this message of "girls can be geeks, too!" that pushes the image of girls in jeans and old hoodies, gaming and eating pizza right alongside the guys. I definitely have girlfriends who match that image, but it's so much rarer to see a positive portrayal of someone like me, a girl who likes to code but also likes to wear dresses and watch rom coms and who couldn't care less about video games or Star Wars.
Elle is my hero. I have always been very feminine, I love make up, I used to do balroom dancing as a kid and I have blonde hair. People always assume I am stupid (especially some boys my age). The funny opened-mouth face they make when I tell them I am entering my third year in medical school is priceless.
This was the first movie I ever saw where the supposedly girl enemies fighting over the man decide to ditch him and go on to become friends. And it impacted my whole attitude towards female friendship into something much more wholesome.
this was so nice to watch. as a brunette who has her hair blonde, i’ve noticed how different people treat me. i’ve always wanted to play around with hair colors and i found new confidence in being blonde. not only do i look good but i love proving people wrong when they try to scam me in some way. i’ve noticed how people try to undermine me because i’m always dressed cute with makeup and skirts and jewelry. now my hair is orange with hints of blonde elle is an inspiration. we love a queen. thank u, next
Can you compare another blonde woman from another 2001 movie who showed up at a party in a Playboy bunny suit by accident? Bridget Jones (probably hampered by the same stereotypes as Elle); I seem to wonder if Elle's interaction with Bridget would be like her own with Paulette. I also noticed that the both of them wear these very bright pink outfits in the scenes where they're expressing empowerment and standing up to men (in contrast to someone like Joan from Mad Men who is decked out in pink in disempowering moments with men) I also wonder if you could do an analysis of Mimi from Digimon, the older I get, the more I appreciate her character. I love that they got the actress who played Ms. Grotke in Recess, very appropriate, since instead of talking elf from Harvard she ended up just giving Elle tips on how to best get there. Cinderella, Joan Holloway, Leslie Knope, now Elle Woods! 😍😍😍😍😍 I can keep imagining Elle and Leslie hanging out together, probably planning galentine's day
Why does this movie representing a strong, independent woman good? BECAUSE SHE FUCKING WORKED FOR IT! She proved her worth, starting from being an underdog, studied her way up to the point where she passed, and worked her way up to success. She's something worth looking up to because like everyone else, she's not good from the get-go, something that a lot of modern "strong, independent women" type of movies are missing.
This is absolutely fantastic and I loved that it proves that smart girls can be pretty and pretty girls can be smart, which is something a lot of people forget. It sounds overly simple of course but it's still very true, centuries after we've had all of these assumptions collectively baked into our subconscious. As someone who, like Elle is naturally blonde, forever optimistic and have ideals I hold steadfastly, it's still painful to be dismissed by something as shallow as looks or a buoyant attitude. What I loved the most is that she decided Warner wasn't worth it, found a new passion in practicing law and graduated top of her class, instead of chasing him down and subsequently giving up.
Ah man! Since you did Big last week I was kinda hoping you would keep on with Samantha(please!! Haha) and/or Charlotte, or the other Sex and the City men haha. I gotta say, I'm only new to that show, I just saw the entire thing a couple of months ago. Anyways, you always do cool videos that I appreciate and I know it's not easy to make them, keep on the good work!
I was the artist almost my whole life. I was the pretty girl who was good at drawing, but I hated math and wasn't that good at science. I proved everyone wrong when I decided to become a machinist. I work in the shop like everyone else, sometimes better, while keeping my manicure. I always go to this movie whenever I need motivation.
At 15:08, I could fall in love w/ Elle!! She has such a look of kindness & goodwill on her face when she says to someone who hasn't always been kind to her, "Look! He likes you!" Reese Witherspoon radiates genuine warmth & innocence there that's very attractive in just a few seconds! It pulls you to Elle like a magnet! Wow.
Please do a video on The House Bunny! it's an underrated movie that's in the same concept as Legally Blonde: it takes a stereotype of a blond bimbo and it shows how she can be smart, caring and compassionate, more so than her typically "smart/edgy" peers and it shows how women can struggle so much to be different they end up becoming mean and judgmental instead.
When you think of it God is really unfair, they made Elle a beautiful, intelligent, white, rich, optimistic, and warm person.Girl she had a 4.0 on Fashion Merchandising. That's a sub-major of Business and Design. That clearly makes her intelligent, Harvard gives anyone who was intelligent and gifted.
"No offence to Aristotle...." I loved her already. It's about time I revisited this movie. It was captivating at first when i was kid/teen to understand a lot of its nuances. It's secretly more clever than it appears. And I like that about it, the film is like the character itself. An nuance I appreciated even as a teen, which is a testament to how clever this movie is, is that it doesn't showcase a comical toppling of the mean girl - but a believable befriending of her and they make a power duo. That's a great message.
OH MY GOD IM TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!!! Like literally just yesterday I rewatched Legally Blonde 2 for some motivation and inspiration and suddenly this came out in my TH-cam recommendation!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hailey: "In legally blonde, Elle won her case because she was true to herself and looked cute" Phil: "This is real life, Hailey. Not an excellent movie"
Have you noticed that many people don't like happy and positive people? We say we do but in real life, it's not the case. Anywayssss I hope to have such a positive attitude and always optimistic coz I am mostly gloomy and always serious that I don't even have friends since I was 10 years old. I love how she is wearing her pink.
The movie represents a lot of metaphor to me, since it's main theme is the steortype 'blonde' . To me, the movie represents breaking all steortypical beliefs in our society. It sucks, really really sucks. Just because you're far from what 'normal' is to them, you don't have the ability to go beyond your limits. It's exhausting sometimes. But proving them wrong and improving yourself is the best way to let their minds blown and jaws drop that you're way courageous despite having that steorotype trait. People these days only spits out words because they don't have the guts to make a difference and as if it would heal their own insecurities. That's why I really stan Elle woods and she became my inspiration on achieving my dreams. Such a lovely person too! One of the best characters ever made in film history.
“what? like it’s hard?” “it’s pink oh and it’s scented I think it gives it a little something extra don’t you think?” This line is stuck in my head no matter what happens she’s still herself regardless! I also love her reaction when she wins the case she looks so proud of her yet she’s still so humble
Wow, I might have to check out this movie again. I saw it only once before, when I was about 14 (I'm 31 as of 2019), and at the time, I wrote it off as just another fish-out-of-water comedy. I've always found it hard to connect with characters like Elle because, having been visually impaired since birth, my initial reaction is, "Oh, I'm sorry, are people judging you because of your hair color, wealth, and fashion sense? Cry me a river, duchess. When you've faced prejudice no amount of smiling and being yourself can overcome because it stems from the fact that you live in a society which will always see an unchangeable aspect of your body as 'lesser than', then we can talk." But your essay gave the movie a different perspective and I was able to relate to Elle as I hadn't before. Thanks, guys! Love your videos. Keep up the good work!
Off topic but I thought ammonium thioglycolate was only used in alkaline perms, which are only for virgin hair? If she's been having perms since she was 13 wouldn't she be doing exothermic or acidic perms? I've always wondered this
The biggest thing about this film is the idea of women uplifting each other * sure, Vivian and Elle have conflict and they buy into that “who gets the guy” thing but Vivian is ultimately a big enough person to realise she was entirely wrong about Elle and they quickly bond over the idea of “we fought each other, for him? Nah, we both deserve so much more” * every scene with Paulette, Elle sees her pain and supports her reuniting with her dog and she does everything she can to teach Paulette that she is important and to give her the confidence to act on it * then there’s the sorority sisters, we don’t see much of them but when Elle decides she’s going to study for the LSAT even though they don’t understand it they immediately have her back and they support her, when she gets her results it feels like the results are the collective fruits of the entire sorority because they all showed up for their sister
Know who you are, be yourself, be kind, stay positive, believe in yourself, and stand firm and fight for what you believe in! Elle Woods is my role model she is so wholesome and has such substance and simple warmth in her.. This movie always gives me so much encouragement
Elle is the textbook example of what I always say when u chose to truly know who u are and be it u give others permission to do the same. She’s extremely powerful in getting what she wants because to Elle it’s all part of the process to getting what a wants.
Actually Elle is a perfect example of a powerful manifester . She’s so focused on what she wants it’s not even a consideration that she won’t get what’s she wants.
Ppl saying fashion merchandising is a joke of a major cracks me up lol. I went to a university where the fashion school is top 5 and we have alumni working for Gucci or Tommy Hilfiger. Also ots not just dresses and shoes it's learning about business and marketing in the fashion world and its highly competitive. Like 100 students are applying just for one internship in NYC.
i am naturally blonde, and i perfectly can fit the stereotype of how a blonde girl looks but i actually don't mind people saying i am dumb because i always prove them wrong lol, but what does bother me, is when people think I want to marry a provider, SIS IT'S JUST THE COLOUR OF MY HAIR, NOT A LIFESTYLE 😭
it always irritates me that they're like "Your major is in fashion merchandising. Law school won't be impressed with that." What? You think the fashion industry doesn't need/have lawyers? bullshit.
I also love how Elle supports other women on her way to the top she isn't some awful queen bee like other people assign to her she genuinely wants the best for people
As a college girl who confident with my love for pink, i look up to Elle so much. It annoys me when some girl says "pink is too feminine", "i used to love pink, but not anyomore" and judge me because they think people who love pink is dumb or whatever
Stay tuned for our SECOND Legally Blonde video!
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Can you do a take on The Devil Wears Prada? I feel like there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Miranda Priestly and how she treated Andy.
The Take when will the next video be
Um keep doing legally blonde videos and I’ll love u forever
this movie literally helps me fight off anxiety and procrastination.
Me too, I usually watch it when I'm feeling stumped by deadlines and projects.📝😫 When in doubt, I think, "What would Elle Woods do"?😻💄👛
Trina Q as u procrastinate watching this movie? 😅
SAME!
I listen to the musical whenever I need to do something that requires a lot of effort. All nighters become easier
Carlos Alejandro Alvarenga same, my favourite song is keep it positive
Growing up being taught that femininity was inherent weakness, I spent a lot of my childhood rebelling against anything I considered feminine. But movies like Legally Blonde helped show me I could be strong and intelligent AND look cute doing it.
X2 girl! I always said I will not be a mom because it seems to make you less vale but since I have a boyfriend I started to think that it is not like that and maybe in the future I would like to have one
Ditto. In middle school, I stayed short, but inherited the large chest the women in my family usually get. Suddenly people I’d known for years spoke down to me, like I’d become less intelligent. Female friends didn’t like crushes being around me. Then rumors started up that I was having sex with, well, everyone basically. It was... really horrible. I dressed in baggy clothing and rejected anything feminine in an attempt to seem less a threat so other girls might not dislike me so much. I hadn’t changed, on the outside at least, so it was really hurtful. It’s taken years, and losing every single friend and contact I had, to actually find out who I naturally am and what I like, instead of just... adhering to the routines I had to try to survive a distressing situation. It turns out, I like makeup, and doing my nails, and not for any guy, but for me. I just... like it. And it doesn’t make me less intelligent or somehow suddenly man crazy. It sucks that women still do this to each other over things we can’t help, so threatened that we can’t risk helping each other. Maybe one day we’ll learn. Maybe.
I completely agree, like this one time I wanted to play soccer at school, my friends that I know for years tought I was joking until she realised I was doing matches and practice
For me, it was Sailor Moon. She kicked ass with sparkles and pink makeup.
@@SunflowerSpotlight I'm happy that you've learned to embrace the things you love doing😊
This will always be a classic movie and a must watch for motivation.
Seconded, I absolutely adore this movie, and always watch it for inspiration when I'm swamped with deadlines for my classes!😀
If only it got my motivated to lose weight 😂, but I'm so motivated to do everything else like to try the eat heathy
Yes
Liriel Romero mm mkoom
Every time I have one of my depressing episodes, I just watch this.
“Our culture sends the message that traditionally feminine tastes and female-oriented bonding activities are lesser, in order to de-value women.” PREACH!!
Yup!
@Natasel DUDE!!! HOW CAN YOU COMPARE NAZIS WITH BLONDES?????????????????
*Well.. that escalated quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Elle is amazing representation for strong women. So much of the time in media ‘strong’ women are depicted as having masculine traits, there is nothing wrong with having those traits of course but that mentality also equalizes traditional femininity with weakness. There are different types of strength and there’s power in pink!
I greatly concur! Being feminine or into fashion doesn't take away from intelligence, and women should be portrayed as being smart, whether they're a tomboy or a girly girl!
@Glenna Smith Hella! Truth! Also, heels started off as a mens-only fashion.
We just need to remember that gender roles and norms are socially constructed and the power lies with * us * to challenge them or even overthrow them. Don't go for gender roles, go for egg rolls.
what's it to ya!? “Don’t go for gender roles, go for egg rolls.” That’s my new motto.
@@oof-rr5nf Gender roles aren't entirely constructed though. There's a lot of biology involved
@@Kille483 I mean, debatable. I am not denying that as an influence. But our species is fucking six million years old. We made it so far because we cooperated and grouped together for most of it - we had _society._ We have had society forever. Which is why dichotomy of nature vs. mankind does not hold up well in my opinion, it is all too meshed up together (most dichotomies are fishy anyway; human experience is too complex for "either this or that and nothing else in between").
Soooo. I do not deny your point, but separating the social and the biological is a doozy and I for one would not know where to start. So why worry about it. Discuss and challenge gender as per your convenience and don't sweat over whether norms are "natural". Though, a nifty understanding of gender that I have heard of and that I like is: as a social, biological and psychological institution.
I hope my comment did not make it seem like I am condemning gender or the culture of gender. If markers and traditions of gender make someone happy and do not harm them or other people, I got no beef.
First Cher and then Elle, there is genius in the blonde never underestimate that. It shows that we do a disservice to women who are conventionally attractive. Women are more than their looks
Like that lady who was convicted of killing her children because the jury thought she was too pretty and wore too much jewelry. 🙄
Preach! Some advice that I would dispense to each and every girl out there is that you can have brains AND beauty, you don't have to choose between one or the other. 📚💅
Absolutely. When we stop treating people like utilities that can only be or do one thing. We'll get a lot more Elles. Confident people, who work their ass off and dig their own unique hotness.
thats really nice of you to say about women, blondes are a lot less priviledged than it may look like, its really hard for people to take you serious, and it takes a strong character to pull it off
Tigerlily they tend to be white and benefit from white privilege which is where the whole blonde stereotype stemmed from. That situation you described happens to poc woman a lot
I always liked the twist near the end, where you think the perv law professor was the one who vouched for her to go to Harvard Law, and then the lady law professor reveals herself at the salon when Elle's at her lowest point.
I always cry at that moment
That was awesome
We've been here with Marilyn Monroe, too. She was the original blonde bombshell with sex appeal for days, but in real life she was ahead of her time on integration, highly intelligent, well-read, ambitious and determined. Just like Elle. And yes, I adore Elle's genuine love for other people.
Marilyn Monroe wasn't blonde, she dyed it.
@@inferiorinferno8859 So did Elle (Reese is a natural blonde, but Elle isn't).
Fabalocious Dee 👏
@Natasel but she's more than who she's had sex with. That doesn't make her a bad person. If anything it makes Kennedy a sleaze cause he was still married to Jackie at that point. But at the end of the day that was just hearsay and speculation. We don't know if they actually fucked and they're not alive anymore to confirm or deny this.
Marilyn Monroe did not seem to intelligent to me.😄
Elle was my inspiration when I went back to college last year. I went and got binders and a pencil case covered in flowers. That's my love, and while my profession won't be in the flower field, I can bring them with me wherever I go. Oh, and I'm still at a 3.9 GPA while being a single mom.
That's so awesome well done! I might need to take a leaf from that flower book for when I go back, ergh no pun intended haha. I skipped on glitter-covered everything at uni the first time!
SpringMommy you go girl! I’m not in college yet but when I do I’ll remember this!
hello is it me youre looking for, my mom finished her degree when she was forty, it doesn’t matter how old you are people aren’t as judgmental as we think they are
You rock!
you go girl!! rooting for you!!
I absolutly love how You analize those "chick flicks" or "teen girls movies" (like Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, Clueless) and show how much valuable life lessons they pressent, how much thought was put into those characters and how simply good they are. Just like Elle is often looked down on, those type of films - with girls and women, what a suprise - don't drow so much atention and aren't discussed that much, I think. It's so nice to have a place like Your channel in my feed. Thank You.
Trikster analize. Hehe. Snort.
I agree too.
oh my god I never realized this - the very topic the movie talks about, that girly stuff isn't taken seriously, happened to the movie itself because it's girly. meta
those were my fave movies when i was like 5🥲
This movie inspired me to get into medical school. That scene where Elle decided to prove how valuable Elle Woods can be is my go to scene when I'm feeling down
yassss I love the energy
Same. Her and Hermione Granger isnpired me a lot. I don't think I would be a med student if it wasn't for them. Representation and role models are important.
Omg same! I entered a difficult major found myself around elitist snobs.. and here I am with bombs ass grades.. Never give up lol!
Yea thats partly why I went to lawschool😍if she could have done it we could too
Same
YESSSSS. Preach it, girls! PREACH. IT. Elle Woods is my idol, feminine but not weak, vulnerable but strong. Absolute queen.
Reminds me of your Cinderella video, how femininity doesn't mean you're doing things the wrong way.
I totally agree. Growing up, I sought inspiration in fictional, intelligent young women, such as Matilda Wormwood, Hermione Granger and Elle Woods. They showed me that knowledge is power, and how you shouldn't try to hide that intelligence just to appeal to the rest of society. Yay for strong, independent female protagonists!🎉
Legally blonde is literally one of the greatest feminist movies I know
Same, I really liked that Cinderella video. :)
Feminine is never weak
Amethyst Lee I mean, it still has some intersectional problems, but it is the best portrayal of women in film I think I’ve seen... ever?
That bit about fashion merchandising and history of polkadots being silly and unimpressive has always been so hurtful to me. First of all, merchandising is part of overall marketing and business studies, which is extremely hard and competitive. Second, as a fashion historian, let me tell you - history of polkadots or any other patterns is a fascinating anthropological study! ❤️
Ariella Goichman Yes, that's exactly what I love about this movie and what it was trying to prove. And it applies to anything society doesn't value but individuals do. Something may seem shallow or boring and even if one does take the opportunity to deeper understand it and still not see the interest in it, there is someone who does appreciate. For that sake alone, for the sake of the persons credit and humanity, their subject of interest deserves respect. Therefore any interest (as long as it's not leading to real world harm) deserves respect.
Drop a fact about polka dot history
@@gonderage They first became a popular print in Germany in the 1850s when Polka music was becoming very popular, hence the name "Polka Dot". But it became a popular garment print around the world during the rise of new fashions for women in the 1920s 😉❤️
Ariella Goichman Fashion anthropologist?! The coolest job ever!!
Interesting breakdown. I like that this movie shows that you don’t have to sacrifice femininity and beauty to be determined and intelligent.
IKEHH IKEHH I really don’t know. We live in an _extremely_ racist country. We truly need to be asking when white people, particularly white women, are going stop thinking they _need_ to use racism against black women to compete with others & get ahead in life. I can see some progress with women like Adut Akech, Chloe Bailey, Ducky Thot, & Lupita Nyong’o, but Idk if whites will truly ever treat racism like a psychopathology and do something to rid themselves of it within our lifetimes. 🤷🏽♀️
Mo'mina Makin Idk what your personal hang-ups are with femininity, but what you’re mainly talking about are beauty and/or grooming rituals. There is a Divine Feminine principal that has been completely been sublimated in favor of the Divine Masculine principal and there is little balance between the creation, communalism, compromise, compassion, nurturing, reconciliation, renewal, peace, & stability commonly associated with femininity and the socially disruptive aggression, hierarchy, authoritarianism, and destructive competitiveness associated with _unrestrained_ masculinity. Furthermore, the Divine Feminine principal is associated creation, death, and renewal and femininity can be a vengeful destructive force when roused to anger IN RESPONSE to aggression - I suppose that’s the ‘mama bear’ trait when a woman is protecting her young or Mother Earth responding to pollution with melting the ice caps that could drown us all. *The fact that feminine values & behaviors **_expressed through actual females_** have been so disassociated with the notions of having political and economic power & influence is indicative of the lack of balance between femininity and masculinity in this world. You can have self-confidence, set boundaries, and be assertive (not aggressive, but assertive) in a **_feminine manner._*
As for the beauty rituals, they are things you don’t _have_ to participate in to be a feminine woman. They’re nice, and yes most people consider them feminine traits (sorry, but they do), but you don’t _have_ to do them to be a feminine woman. Anyway, I’m not a feminist. I do not subscribe to extreme Anglo-American feminism as practiced in the U.S. I’m definitely not a second wave feminist, who thinks the height of equality for woman is to be an androcentric pseudo-man nor am I _warped_ third wave feminist who celebrates ‘Raunch’ culture for females & thinks that the ONLY differences between women & men are social while completely disrespecting the biological differences between women & men. Yes, I think this sex/gender neutral b.s. is not only absurd, but disrespectful. In short, I think you should do some research on femininity.
Minty Minty Maybe you should ask yourself why you didn’t read what I said to the other person w/ hang ups about femininity. Please tell me what I, as a female who has no psychological problems or body dysmorphic issues with being a female, should value instead of femininity? Masculinity? “Neuter”? Again, I’m not a feminist. Again, femininity isn’t solely tied to the narrow stereotypes people see on the idiot box - and by idiot box, I ALSO mean phones, tablets, & laptops now, b/c people still can’t seem to divorce themselves from the mainstream media’s b.s. online. Why would any self-assured, informed woman EVER truly believe the propaganda about femininity and view femininity as being in a “hierarchy” with masculinity? I have a problem with the lies and social stigmatizing of femininity by males _and_ females, not femininity itself. Why? Because I’m ACTUALLY informed about all the things that femininity encompass.
@@veronicajade20 I would read your book if you write one. In fact I always enjoy reading your commentary on TH-cam and everything you say resonates with me somehow.
CATHOLIC THOT Aww, thanks! ❤️ I’ve actually been thinking about writing a book, so thanks again.
Harvard aside, fashion merchandising is a very valuable skill. It's not easy to learn the mechanics of the fashion industry from the designers to the manufacturers the make the clothes to the retail stores. It takes a lot of work to manufacture, distribute and market clothing then make profits. Especially that the fashion industry is very competitive.
@Natasel and women aren't one dimensional. We can have multiple interest and be experts on multiple fields.
Natasel she could be an amazing fashion lawyer with those expertises, and fashion law is quite complex, the copyright alone in fashion is very different from other creative fields who have more black and white views on copyright.
@Natasel that was her internship, its not unusual to intern at something you don't end up doing just to get experience on the field, but my point is she didn't necessarily throw out her education in fashion merchandising in the garbage because there is a whole field o law that she can apply it to. It can make you a more specialized professional to have different interests because you have niche knowledge that isn't common.
@Natasel as an example, I took a copyright law class in college and my teacher was a lawyer who when he was young was very involved in theater, because of this he got to meet a lot of theater and other creative people who became very successful and sought him out for law advice when he became a lawyer. So he eventually started to get recommended and ended up getting quite knowledgeable about copyright law and entertainment law in general so now he has several high profile clients in entertainment.
@Natasel it's not "a few contrived situations" it's a billion dollar industry who has actually a lack of specialized lawyers in that field
part of it is the idea that feminity is somehow shallow or mock worthy
The first Legally Blonde movie will always be one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure movies.
why be guilty about it, it is an excellent film
No guilt!
Shoot, I'm a guy and I still love that movie. It has everything that a good movie should have. Also, seriously, if my daughter ends up half the person Elle is (smart, charming, compassionate, thoughtful, genuine), I will be able to tell myself that my wife and I are excellent parents. You can teach alot, but reinforcing those qualities would make the world a far better place than emphasizing greed and success at any cost.
nothing at all to be guilty about, it is a straight up masterpiece
im a guy and it's one of my favorite feminist films
My natural hair color is pretty close to Elle's. I can't even begin to count all the times I have been labeled a "dumb blonde." I actually dyed my hair about 5 years ago because I was so fed up with being treated like I didn't have a brain. Then I saw Legally Blonde and it made me proud to be a blonde. Im trying to grow the stubborn dark brown out.
You do you gurl!
Ive died my hair pretty much all color (black, brown, red, blond) and I can see a difference in the way people (mostly guys) act towards me. Now I'm blond and a guy made a comment about it this summer. And it was over something I didn't understand in a language that is not my first. Telling ya the guy didn't dare to say it again hahaha I'm sorry you are experiencing that a lot... be yourself I'm sure you are great !!! 😊 Blond have more fun anyway hahahah
Please could you do another analysis about Mean Girls, this time about how Janice herself is corrupted by popularity and how her judgement of the Plastic's for their feminity and sexuallity, is just as manipulative as judging someone who isn't as girly or sexual and confident. So how a lot of femme characters in films or through media are portaryed as the villians, and how Janiace is sort of just excused for her choices to use Cady and how unfair it is that she doesn't get punished, mauybe even looking at how the popular film reverses and condradicts the message of girls to stop hating one another, maybe even looking at the problems through Tina Feys writing and possible interviews, and comparing the characters change in the musical.
I remember that troupe being really prominent in the early 2000's. the "I'm not like other girls" Girl who thinks she's better than people who are into popular stuff completely missing that automatically dismissing something for being traditional, or popular on sight is just the other side of the coin to someone who follows the crowd without a second thought.
Yes!!
I disagree. The plastics were the ones who bullied Janice because she wasn't a stereotypical girl. No the other way around. I mean the plastics were "evil" (for teenage girls and petty high school standards). Janice was right to be honest. I mean Regina was a freaking homophobe who started a rumor that Janice was gay which made other girls not like her. You would be angry too. I mean that is unfair analysis. Regina George is a good character but in real life would you really think Janice was wrong.
Maybe you should express your opinion more respectful
@@lisah8438 Janice wasn't wrong in getting back at Regina, but she was wrong for bringing an outsider to fight her battles for her like a pawn.
I'm not like Elle Woods at all, but I love her so much. I love these movies. She is so smart, so open to new things, and ready to accept anyone. I was drawn into the movie because it was funny, but every time I watch I can't believe how smart and how nice she is to people. It's my hope that even though we don't have the same interests, I can be just as awesome as she is and let someone like her into my life. I think another rewatch is now in order!
"What, like it's hard?!" is one of my favourite movie quotes of all time and should really be on motivational posters everywhere!
Love that you have analysed this movie, and agree with your analysis 100%!
Elle Woods is a great role model for those who may find themselves feeling out of place and ostracised because of who they are. Elle shows that being unapologetically yourself, treating others the way you would like to be treated, and having faith in your abilities are all qualities that should correctly guide you along whatever path you are meant to take in life.
I also love how she stuck to her goal of completing law school despite her reasons for doing so changing. For me this represents that, although the "why" in your plans can sometimes change, it doesn't mean that the actual goal should, and you should just keep pushing to achieve that goal if it is right for you.
Legally Blonde also represents how your destiny can sometimes appear to be one thing, but that thing is in fact leading you to your actual destiny. Elle's primary motivation for doing anything after Warner broke up with her was to get back with him, but this ended up leading her to her destiny of becoming an amazing attorney, which is even better!
It's also great to see how Elle's sorority is behind her all the way. This is the kind of positive support amongst women that we need to see a lot more of in movies and series!
Love this movie, love The Take!
@Natasel lmao are you okay wtf 😭😂
I first saw Legally Blonde when I was about 12-13, at that point in my life I'd been going through a big tomboy-goth phase where I thought that I had to pretend I hated pink and keep my guard up around other girls in order to be strong. When I was little, I made no secret of my love for pink & interests that are considered traditionally feminine, like princesses and cute animals, but I also had a love for things that were considered "boyish", like monsters and comic books. After having some rather negative experiences with other girls who were also "girly" and ended up bullying me, I felt the need to abandon all things feminine and only embrace the things I liked that were considered "dark" and "edgy". I'm a dirty blonde, and several times I seriously considered dying my hair black to distance myself from girly stereotypes. Elle Woods helped me to understand that being myself & being strong meant embracing every aspect of myself, the part of me that wanted to see every horror movie AND the part of me that wanted to wear pretty dresses, and not caring what ANYONE thought about it. She told me that blonde girls who like pink are just as capable as anyone else of being smart & strong & worthy of admiration, and that it if someone does assume I'm just a dumb bimbo, they were the one with a problem. Thank You so much for making this video!!!
Anna Bunovsky wow i always wanted to dye my hair blonde (and i have) because i wanted to embrace the girly side of myself. i’ve always liked girly things since i was a little kid but i was also interested in boyish things. i never got the best of both worlds until i grew up (now) and ive realized i can be both and that’s okay. one day i may want to dress up and one day i may want to have a casual look that doesn’t draw too much attention. you can be both 💖
Exactly!!! 💕 The idea that we’re only allowed to fit into one specific kind of social niche, especially when we’re children, is really limiting & even damaging
thank you for your comment, reading it was such a pleasure. kinda want to cry happy tears cos i am cheesy like that ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Oh my God, like my story, it's just not a blonde problem! When I was little, I was obsessed with pink, wearing skirts or dresses, buy flowers, decorate my room with ribbons, playing barbie, and only watching Barbie or Disney princesses (until now actually). But when I was in middle school, I suddenly changed because all of my friends were too ambitious, obsessed with education, and thought someone like me is not serious person. Now that I'm in high school, I'm starting to act like the real me and many people think I'm stupid. Even my teacher thinks I don't know the difference between Cartesian and polar coordinates, my friends think I don't understand the meaning of 'instinct', my other friends don't believe the answers I give when they ask me, and sometimes they don't believe when I get A grades. I was so sad, but until now I tried to prove that I'm not as stupid as they thought.
Damn bro I'm not blonde but i have been through that "not like other girls" phase just like you. I hid my feminine side to not be viewed as weak and superficial. And i only showed my side where i like stereotypical boy things. The thing is, i always loved girly things and stereotypical boy things at the same time. I still do. The media made me so embarrassed to be girly so I vowed to never show my girly side. But now that I'm older i show both sides with ease
i'm a brunette yet i so strongly identify with elle woods. if you look a certain way, society assumes you _are_ a certain way and they treat you as such even if you behave to the contrary. it's even worse if you behave in a way they don't expect (i.e. if you're model pretty but mensa smart) because then you're abused by jealous men and ostracized and ignored/back stabbed by women out of jealousy. it's a very isolating feeling, even if you're a genuinely nice person. because no one reads it as sincere, they think you're being fake. it's really stupid and damaging and i hope one day society is rid of this behavior.
I agree with you soo much
Dude I deal with such shit all the time
@@joyceadena i feel like it's a truth that no one wants to speak out loud or accept because "oh well you're beautiful so your life is perfect and you've never had any issues therefore i can be mean to you and demean you and it's fine"
like, how? why? this needs to not be ok anymore.
@@sal4538 me too! how do you handle it? i often find i have to hide my true feelings or swallow a lot of my pain because if i bring it up, i'll be accused of whining over nothing or being "dramatic" because i want attention?? lol make that make sense, you know??
@@k_a_y_l_e_e I'm sorry you're in such a horrible situation. Maybe try journaling or talking to a close family member or friend. Just to get it out of your system. You deserve better than that. I found it very hard initially to handle cruel people, but those have helped. And prayer (if you're religious)
YES COME THROUGH FOR MY GIRL ELLE
Elle has always been my biggest role model of the 2000's, next to Hermione Granger. Both of them show that intelligence is a vital skill to have, and that you shouldn't have to dumb yourself down to appease what society THINKS that you should be, based on their limited understanding of who you are.😊
*likes (scratch that, ❤️s) Trina Q.’s comments for its speeches on why Elle King is one of the greatest representations of female empowerment, so she needs many subscribers including me!!*
I love this movie. However, there is something missing in this analysis, which is how men see her. What makes her a good, nice person and allows her to make strong bonds with women, it's also what makes men around her not respect her or think they can make a move on her. The issue with Elle's attitude (and why i think most women try to avoid being like Elle in the real world), is that if you behave this way, you must fight twice as hard to be respected by men. In the movies most of the relationships she has are with women, because this is a movie about female empowerment and female friendships. Men either dismiss her and try to take advantage of her, or just try to pursue her. Like her professor or Warner, both of whom do not learn to respect her, even after she has repeatedly proof herself and her worth. Her own father doesn't respect her, even as smart as she is, it's hard to believe she would grow to think she can do anything having a father that dismisses her the moment she wants to do something great like studying law in Harvard. The only man that respects her is Emmett, and it's almost a secondary storyline. Like it's the exception to the rule. If you think about it, Emmett as a character, is this one-dimensional perfect being that exists for her. The movie would not change much if he wasn't there. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it isn't very realistic.
Most women in real life cannot afford to 'be like Elle'. It's really sad that being nice or a good person is seen as weakness or naivety.
I've worked in an all men environment for the last 4 years, and i feel like I have to put on a façade and force myself to not smile so much or go out of my way to do nice things for others. It sounds horrible but in 4 years I've had too many situations where someone has dismissed my ideas, or tried to take advantage of my work, or think i was romantically interested in them because i brought them a cup of coffee when i went to get mine. The reality is that men, most of the time, don't respect women. And it's way worse if you are nice, bubbly or have an Elle-like personality.
Now I need to point out that her dad did not dismissed her he genuinely thought she could do better. He said to her Law is for ugly and boring people and you're neither of those. In his books being a lawyer and going to Harvard is not great it does not mean he doesn't take her seriously it's very much the oder way around.
@@sanogoadamagyram8166 I'm sorry, but putting more value on her looks than her brain, is dismissive. Even if he genuinely values more being pretty than being smart, which i doubt, since he is a rich man living in Beverly Hills, who probably surrounds himself with very smart people at work.
I think the father part was more an ironic take on parents who want their childs to take "serious" career. In tv and real life it's usually the other way around, when their children want to take more creative careers parents usually tends to dismiss those careers and force them into more "serious" careers. When in the film Elle's dad those the exact opposite he kinda sounds dumb, right? I think it's to make people aware that even the other way where parents discourage thei children from creative fields sounds dumb. I think what they're trying to convey, in a funny and light way, is that none of the paths is better than the other, and dismissing one of them isn't good. I don't think the father thinks of her as dumb, also because intelligent doesn't just mean going to law school (she was majored in fashion something, she still had amazing grades). His father is obviously rich and that money must have been coming from somewhere. Since his dismiss "serious" things he must have been making his moneys in other, more creative, ways. He never said she wasn't smart enough for law school, he only said that thise types of jobs are for boring people. I think that in the father's mind intelligent doesn't exclusively equal "serious" professions, which I think is kinda good because you shouldn't measure someone's intelligent one wether or not they do well in subject that are deemed more "serious and intelligent" by our society. He thinks creative intelligence is still intelligence but he doesn't think of it as equal as more "serious" intelligence, he thinks creative intelligence is *better*. I think here is where the parallelism with real life lies. Even if both are type of intelligence and should be considered equal in our society people still value "serious" intelligence more, thinking that is better. I think Elle's dad is here just to show how dumbs it sounds the other way around and therefore making people aware of how dumb the real life thing sounds too
ıts alright we can't all be as strong as "Elle like people" to be unapologetically ourselves and genuinely nice. that shit takes courage.
@@hulyasagr5862 Yes, courage and opportunity! Most of us don't have the privileges that allow Elle to be so courageous. To "fall short" of the Elle Ideal is perfectly ok and not something we should feel bad about. :)
This made me want to rewatch Legally Blonde - thank you for the rainy day plans!
Ironically when I got lasik surgery all of a sudden people assumed I was dumb and all the typical stereotypes associated with blondes. All because I no longer wore glasses.
I like the Daria episode about that too, with glasses/contacts. There's always a pathway to attack and judge a woman, especially if she's pretty, which let's face it most are!
Some individuals look good with glasses
That's the dumbest, most illogical thinking I've heard of. So you don't want to be half blingd? WHY ARE YOU SO SHALLOW??
But hey, when people understimate you they just give you more power.
Women who wear glasses are called nerds. The insults go both ways.
@@ebonyplummer4621 Exactly
Elle is an emotionally strong person. Like imagine the bullying and seclution she felt when she was starting at Harvard. Yet she still got over it and smiled. I mean if I was her I would've quit a long time before. Truly an icon.
YES!🙌 I love this movie so much, especially as it subverts and reconstructs expectations of the stereotypical "dumb blonde". Elle quickly proves herself to be intelligent and savvy, as demonstrates in the opening store scene. She subverts other typical "blonde" archetypes- She's not bitchy, and even stages a fake breakup when she sees David getting rejected by a couple of girls he's trying to ask out. She's not promiscuous, as it's implied that Warner is the only guy she's ever been with.
It's worth noting that Elle got into Harvard on the first try, whereas Warner had to redo the exams, and he later ends up dropping out, while she becomes a successful lawyer due to her adventures. Much like Cher Horowitz from "Clueless", Elle Woods is a fantastic female role model who shows young girls that they shouldn't have to dumb themselves down in order to be popular, and instead embrace their intellect. Think Blonde!💖🙌
Promiscuous is a very judgemental term, as well as sexist - only seems to apply to women. How many sexual partners a woman chooses to have should not define her character. That's gross.
But I get what you mean. Because she is an attractive woman, who likes to wear clothes that make her look hot, she is automatically perceived as a "sexually available" woman, irrespective of the status of her sex life. I agree, there.
what's it to ya!? It’s less that it’s WRONG to be “promiscuous,” but more that it’s good that she doesn’t fit the stereotype of blondes in particular being “promiscuous”
@@user-qv2qf1jk5o if she can be hella feminine and have hobbies that make her stereotypical in people's eyes, she could also have multiple partners and be just as worthy of respect and non-judgement. That's my point. I am not calling out the film, or even OP. I am just challenging the perceived idea of who an "admirable" woman can be.
honestly in a world that demonizes everything effeminate, El is exactly what I want my kids to grow up into if I have them. Like not being effeminate specifically for being powerful and passionate and capable and intelligent. Where those qualities that people seem to look down on her actually her strengths and in this case it is hearth her femininity and humanity that makes her such an amazing. Her feminity does not take away from her intelligence like most series would have you believe. Her humanity is a valuable asset.
Minty The OP means “feminine”.
@Minty I have read that in work fields where the majority is a man, a femenine women is looked down on, so most of them have to show no feminity since is percibe as weak in order to survive there/ being taken serious, etc, feminity has being demonized.
such a fantastic movie, that apparently owns a lot to its main actress, that decided to play the character seriously when the movie was supposed to be much more "stupid blond' type...
I’m not blonde, obsessed with pink, or into law, but damn I’m often seemingly ditzy, random, and I love fun colors. As someone going into a field that is undervalued for how major it is in modern society, I feel the struggle of being interested in “silly” things and fighting to be taken seriously (for anyone curious I’m studying Graphic Design). And as for interests, I love videogames, which to most people seems irrelevant to real life, but honestly they’ve taught me a lot.
DeathnoteBB Graphic design is a core foundation of language. Never be ashamed of that passion. That’s how ideas and creativity work. I mean, how much of life is better because of it!
*Manic Pixie Fangirl * Thank you so much :)
I don't know much about graphic design but it sounds really hard.I feel you though, I study Journalism and media and boy,do I get comments about how useless and easy it is! Sure, it's not science or law but you still need discipline to study.(we do politics,history, sociology,law,marketing,management, public relations,computers, arts and writing)
You go girl
“Practically deformed?” Is such an unrated line
I mean the woman was not wrong though
Legally blonde is literally the most inspirational chic flick ever made.
One thing that did always bug me about the musical vs the movie is when she passes in the movie, she's over the minimum score by 4 points but they give her the straight on 175 in the musical. I feel like the 4 points shows that she's not making the bare minimum, it wasn't a fluke, she studied hard and it paid off.
It's okay though,175 got still got her to Harvard, that's hardly a bare minumum.
But why did they change the score tho?
@@darylesese why nitpick things that literally don't matter?
Five is easier to sing then nine
179 is insanely high for anyone. It may be that it was unrealistic
I love this movie and I love how you guys pointed out that our society too often confuses hope with naivety.
A man once said to me, "the current world is dictated by masculine energy. If we had more feminine energy govern the world, it would be transformed into something so much better than what we know now."
I think Elle embodies that.
Girl marry that man ,most men are sexist.
While I’m a brunette, puberty was hard for me. I was a huge geek and loved not just reading, but class, the interaction with teachers and asking questions. I had to be made to not sit with them and ask more questions at lunch. My friends and peers knew this about me.
Then, I developed. The women in my family are petite and ridiculously well endowed. Like Dolly Parton big. Everyone, even my friends, started treating me like I was less intelligent, less interested in learning, and even a bad person (sexually precocious and a boyfriend stealer). Girls didn’t want me around their guys because they thought I’d try, and succeed, at winning them away. I started having more male friends because the girls sort of hanged up on me, and the rumors started. I would hang out with my sort of people, science guys who liked discussing which dinosaur was the best, what planet would be the coolest to inhabit. I hung out with other book nerds and played Harry Potter trivia games. A lot of girls weren’t into that stuff, as it was deemed not feminine to be interested. But, people started saying I wasn’t intelligent at all, but parroted what they said, and that I did well on homework by having them do it in exchange for sexual favors, and did well on tests by bribing them to let me cheat, or worse, maybe, possibly, seducing a teacher or my parents bribing them.
I didn’t date in high school and eventually was too sick (a chronic thing I still have) to go physically. And the entire time rumors flew that I didn’t have a boyfriend only because I was passed around by so many guys that no one would want that dubious honor. It... was so hurtful. I hadn’t changed, on the inside at least. I remember actually saying, “Guys, it’s me. It’s still me. You KNOW me. How can you be saying this?”
I was never able to “fix it,” or go back, I never got back the friends I lost, and the few I retained peeled away when I got sick. It hurt me so deeply. But a lot of things have happened since then that have been pretty hard to deal with, and if I hadn’t had that sharp lesson that sometimes bad things happen regardless of your intent, they would have been even harder to handle. I realized that some people would simply just not like me and there’s nothing I can do to change that. Whether it’s my looks, my voice, my background, my lack of brevity, my word choice, whatever, some people will just not be a fan. I can think of it as a “me” problem and try to change to suit everyone or accept it might be a “them;” problem and consider how I’d feel if a mythical friend was in a similar situation. If I would reassure them they did nothing wrong, in my heart of hearts, then I know that I need to be as kind to myself as I would be to them. Of all the people I’ve had to put up with, few are as harsh on me as I am on myself, and that’s an added burden I just don’t need in my life.
Movies that remind you that sometimes people will just not like or respect you, while moving beyond finding that problem and on to finding a solution are important. Because while Elle *could* change her hair color and her “accent,” or inflection, if it makes her happy, she’s being true to herself, and she’s not hurting anyone, why should she have to? At the end of the day, when all your friends and enemies and champions and detractors have all gone away, you have to lay in the dark and listen to the thoughts you think about yourself. You’re the one companion you’ll never be rid of. So you might as well make that experience as survivable as possible. If *you* don’t like you, what does the rest really matter?
Thank you for telling your story. We had a girl in my high school that had so many rumors about having sex with a lot of boys/men. I have no idea if the rumors were true but true or not and it was wrong to be so nasty towards her even if it was true
I’m sure high school was rough. I didn’t know until graduation that she had a 4.0. This was back in the late 70’s. People can be really cruel . Took 2 years after high school graduation to get over years of random bullying because of my looks. I was an easy target because I was shy and lack confidence.
Thankyou so much for sharing your story 💖❤️ we need to destigmatize breasts so much; it's ridiculous
I didn’t realize how much this movie influenced me...I always give ppl the benefit of the doubt and ppl think I’m airheaded. I realized from watching this, my personality can be appreciated by those who matter and don’t mind. I’m not blonde but apparently blonde is a personality 😂
What I love most about it is the message that you can be a "pretty girl"and spend time in your looks and be " shallow " on certain aspects , doesn't keep you from being strong intelligent and driven , even in a difficult field .... As in you can be hot and intelligent
I only watched Legally Blonde for the first time about a year ago, thinking that it was just a romance movie, and was pleasantly surprised that it was actually all about character development and girl power. It was delightful and a very fun movie to watch.
I've spent a lot of time observing people and studying sociology formally and informally... people do often end up living up to stereotypes because after so many people telling you what you are, expecting you to be and act a certain way, and sometimes even seeming disappointed or offended when you don't, going on for years and many of the people who even say they care about you thinking you should live up to this easy to understand view of the world... people do eventually mold their outward appearance into that. Sometimes even their inward appearance to themselves, they come to accept it as their identity.
And proliferate the stereotype.
It's human nature for us to want to be accepted and liked and understood.
But the sad truth is so many people are caught up with their own lives and moving so fast that they quickly assess you and will try to shove you into some prerendered category of person before you even open your mouth.
Even good people do this. Most people do this. This is also another natural human thing to do.
But by being aware of that quick judgement and how monumentally complex a human being is (trust me honey the most talented teams of scientists and researchers have barely scratched the surface despite textbooks the size of tires, you definitely don't know how people are arranged) we can start to learn to give people a chance.
Part of that is just admitting that we can be wrong.
And unfroutnately our culture seems to be doubling down on "I can't ever admit that I'm wrong" ...being wrong is not a bad thing. I don't know why we turned that into a bad thing.
*Being wrong is an opportunity. Not being perfect is perfectly okay.*
@Natasel Don't know where I said that friend. Don't judge a book by its cover has been a saying for a very long time because it's beneficial for all parties to not assume someone will act or be a certain way you expect.
In some more extreme examples... you shouldn't assume that the really nice christian fellow who is a devoted husband and father that gives to the poor and teaches morality isn't also a murderer. Because sometimes they are.
There is great benefit to YOU judging a person based on their individual merits, judging them based on what they ARE, and not what you EXPECT them to be.
If everyone treated everyone as an individual then no one would be special.
She kind of reminds me of Barbie, misunderstood, a little naive, very positive, nice to everyone, and super smart
I think that was the point of Barbie
Ellen woods is the ULTIMATE female role model. Because her femininity is her strength. She doesn't need to be more masculine to do just as good as the boys. Kinda reminds me of points made in your Cinderella video. Her positivity in the face of adversity is so admirable. I will always look up to her.
My favourite quote is: “You have all the equipment, all you need to is read the manual.” ICONIC
I really love yalls sense of femininity and strength and your analysis on theses subjects. Being an avid watcher of your content has really encouraged me to think about these things and has helped me develop a sense of my identity as a woman. Keep up the good work!
If I hadn’t found this channel I probably would still be in my not like other girls phase. So I am grateful these guys exist
A genuine thank you to The Take for this video! Legally Blonde has always been one of my favorite movies because Elle is a truly inspirational character. She proves that femininity is a strength, not a weakness! She makes me think, "If Elle can do it, so can I! And look fabulous doing it!" Reese Witherspoon played her perfectly
Thanks for talking about how you can be a feminine human and be respected.
Amazed at how u gals churn out such deep analysis so quickly. Hats off to your team👍
SHE'S MY NUMBER 1 IDOL! Girly + Smart!!!!🎀
When I first saw this movie I thought Elle was the life action version of Barbie and I really mean that in best way. I grew up with the older Barbie movies (starting with Nutcracker and ends around Fashion Fairytale) and I genuinely saw the roles Barbie played in those movies as a truly kind, clever, compassionate, confident, adventurous person and before someone told me of the trope "dumb blonde" I never thought of it that way. In fact, my better and competent teachers during my kindergarten and first grade teachers blondes while the incompetent and a little too laid back person was a brunette so I didn't see anything about hair colors being associated with brains or beauty, but after growing up and consuming the more teen/YA/adult stuffs where blondes and brunettes are put into categories and put against each other I feel myself being affected more and more. This is really tells you the importance of the media you consume as well as how children slowly become affected by social prejudices. It's really scary.
I wish I had understood the true meaning of this movie when I was a kid. I spent my whole life denying my femininity and tried so hard to not be like the “other girls” because I didn’t want to be looked down on. This hardened me and made me feel isolated from people who could be my friends and also gave me very low self esteem. When watching this movie I just thought of Elle as a joke and never realized how amazing she was. I’m now an adult, but I don’t think it’s too late to learn to be more like Elle💕
I LOVE that Elle is one of few examples in film of an ultra feminine woman who is NOT a villain. She is super sweet and considerate of others, which is something that we don’t see often enough.
It’s also wonderful that although Elle’s friends didn’t understand Elle’s desire to pursue law school, they supported her nonetheless.
Yesss so true!! Such a wholesome message!
“If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, then you’re not the girl I thought you were.” Tell myself this on a daily basis! There might not be anyone else in the world rooting for you, so YOU have to always be your biggest fan.
I loved the Legally Blonde Musical
both it and the film are amazing 💖
OMIGOD OMIGOD u guys! Looks like Elle’s gonna win the prize!!!
i just want to announce that thanks to this video i'm rewatching Legally Blonde for the thousand time.... so thank you? i guess
Same 💁🏼♀️
Such a great movie. I love the message that you can be smart and competent without giving up your girly interests/personality. I'm a girl majoring in computer science and while it's great that people are encouraging girls in STEM I do sometimes feel like there's this message of "girls can be geeks, too!" that pushes the image of girls in jeans and old hoodies, gaming and eating pizza right alongside the guys. I definitely have girlfriends who match that image, but it's so much rarer to see a positive portrayal of someone like me, a girl who likes to code but also likes to wear dresses and watch rom coms and who couldn't care less about video games or Star Wars.
Elle is my hero. I have always been very feminine, I love make up, I used to do balroom dancing as a kid and I have blonde hair. People always assume I am stupid (especially some boys my age).
The funny opened-mouth face they make when I tell them I am entering my third year in medical school is priceless.
I gotta wonder if Elle Woods is an inspiration for the character of Leslie Knope. They are both feminine, powerful women who are kind and trustworthy.
i love how she never change
This was the first movie I ever saw where the supposedly girl enemies fighting over the man decide to ditch him and go on to become friends. And it impacted my whole attitude towards female friendship into something much more wholesome.
Bruh I'm training to be an electrical engineer because of this unstoppable lass. I am so grateful for the creation of the wonderful Elle Woods!
One of the most inspiring women in film and I’m not even a blonde!!!
this was so nice to watch. as a brunette who has her hair blonde, i’ve noticed how different people treat me. i’ve always wanted to play around with hair colors and i found new confidence in being blonde. not only do i look good but i love proving people wrong when they try to scam me in some way. i’ve noticed how people try to undermine me because i’m always dressed cute with makeup and skirts and jewelry.
now my hair is orange with hints of blonde
elle is an inspiration. we love a queen. thank u, next
Can you compare another blonde woman from another 2001 movie who showed up at a party in a Playboy bunny suit by accident? Bridget Jones (probably hampered by the same stereotypes as Elle); I seem to wonder if Elle's interaction with Bridget would be like her own with Paulette.
I also noticed that the both of them wear these very bright pink outfits in the scenes where they're expressing empowerment and standing up to men (in contrast to someone like Joan from Mad Men who is decked out in pink in disempowering moments with men)
I also wonder if you could do an analysis of Mimi from Digimon, the older I get, the more I appreciate her character.
I love that they got the actress who played Ms. Grotke in Recess, very appropriate, since instead of talking elf from Harvard she ended up just giving Elle tips on how to best get there.
Cinderella, Joan Holloway, Leslie Knope, now Elle Woods! 😍😍😍😍😍 I can keep imagining Elle and Leslie hanging out together, probably planning galentine's day
They have a great video about Joan Holloway calling her a "subversive Venus" I would definitely check it out!
Why does this movie representing a strong, independent woman good? BECAUSE SHE FUCKING WORKED FOR IT! She proved her worth, starting from being an underdog, studied her way up to the point where she passed, and worked her way up to success. She's something worth looking up to because like everyone else, she's not good from the get-go, something that a lot of modern "strong, independent women" type of movies are missing.
there was a lot of of stereotypes back in the 90's where its either youre smart or pretty, she proved you can be both
This is absolutely fantastic and I loved that it proves that smart girls can be pretty and pretty girls can be smart, which is something a lot of people forget. It sounds overly simple of course but it's still very true, centuries after we've had all of these assumptions collectively baked into our subconscious. As someone who, like Elle is naturally blonde, forever optimistic and have ideals I hold steadfastly, it's still painful to be dismissed by something as shallow as looks or a buoyant attitude. What I loved the most is that she decided Warner wasn't worth it, found a new passion in practicing law and graduated top of her class, instead of chasing him down and subsequently giving up.
Ah man! Since you did Big last week I was kinda hoping you would keep on with Samantha(please!! Haha) and/or Charlotte, or the other Sex and the City men haha. I gotta say, I'm only new to that show, I just saw the entire thing a couple of months ago. Anyways, you always do cool videos that I appreciate and I know it's not easy to make them, keep on the good work!
I was the artist almost my whole life. I was the pretty girl who was good at drawing, but I hated math and wasn't that good at science. I proved everyone wrong when I decided to become a machinist. I work in the shop like everyone else, sometimes better, while keeping my manicure. I always go to this movie whenever I need motivation.
I love her supportive friends. It's one of the things that i like about the movie.
At 15:08, I could fall in love w/ Elle!! She has such a look of kindness & goodwill on her face when she says to someone who hasn't always been kind to her, "Look! He likes you!" Reese Witherspoon radiates genuine warmth & innocence there that's very attractive in just a few seconds! It pulls you to Elle like a magnet! Wow.
Please do a video on The House Bunny! it's an underrated movie that's in the same concept as Legally Blonde: it takes a stereotype of a blond bimbo and it shows how she can be smart, caring and compassionate, more so than her typically "smart/edgy" peers and it shows how women can struggle so much to be different they end up becoming mean and judgmental instead.
When you think of it God is really unfair, they made Elle a beautiful, intelligent, white, rich, optimistic, and warm person.Girl she had a 4.0 on Fashion Merchandising. That's a sub-major of Business and Design. That clearly makes her intelligent, Harvard gives anyone who was intelligent and gifted.
"No offence to Aristotle...." I loved her already. It's about time I revisited this movie. It was captivating at first when i was kid/teen to understand a lot of its nuances. It's secretly more clever than it appears. And I like that about it, the film is like the character itself.
An nuance I appreciated even as a teen, which is a testament to how clever this movie is, is that it doesn't showcase a comical toppling of the mean girl - but a believable befriending of her and they make a power duo. That's a great message.
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Thanks for doing it justice!
Yesss Elle Woods. I may not be blonde but I like pink and being feminine and there's nothing weak about that 👏👏👏
OH MY GOD IM TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!!! Like literally just yesterday I rewatched Legally Blonde 2 for some motivation and inspiration and suddenly this came out in my TH-cam recommendation!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hailey: "In legally blonde, Elle won her case because she was true to herself and looked cute"
Phil: "This is real life, Hailey. Not an excellent movie"
Aaa as a blonde I’ve personally disproved many’s premonitions about “dumb blondes”, and I love this movie !!
So Elle Woods is like a nicer and girlier version of the character "Tracey Flick" in the film "Election Day" (1997), also played by Reese Witherspoon
I LITERALLY just got an Elle Woods ad, her doing the bend & snap, RIGHT at 5:24!!!
Whaaaaaaaat???
Have you noticed that many people don't like happy and positive people? We say we do but in real life, it's not the case.
Anywayssss
I hope to have such a positive attitude and always optimistic coz I am mostly gloomy and always serious that I don't even have friends since I was 10 years old. I love how she is wearing her pink.
The movie represents a lot of metaphor to me, since it's main theme is the steortype 'blonde' . To me, the movie represents breaking all steortypical beliefs in our society. It sucks, really really sucks.
Just because you're far from what 'normal' is to them, you don't have the ability to go beyond your limits.
It's exhausting sometimes. But proving them wrong and improving yourself is the best way to let their minds blown and jaws drop that you're way courageous despite having that steorotype trait. People these days only spits out words because they don't have the guts to make a difference and as if it would heal their own insecurities.
That's why I really stan Elle woods and she became my inspiration on achieving my dreams. Such a lovely person too!
One of the best characters ever made in film history.
“what? like it’s hard?” “it’s pink oh and it’s scented I think it gives it a little something extra don’t you think?” This line is stuck in my head no matter what happens she’s still herself regardless! I also love her reaction when she wins the case she looks so proud of her yet she’s still so humble
Wow, I might have to check out this movie again. I saw it only once before, when I was about 14 (I'm 31 as of 2019), and at the time, I wrote it off as just another fish-out-of-water comedy. I've always found it hard to connect with characters like Elle because, having been visually impaired since birth, my initial reaction is, "Oh, I'm sorry, are people judging you because of your hair color, wealth, and fashion sense? Cry me a river, duchess. When you've faced prejudice no amount of smiling and being yourself can overcome because it stems from the fact that you live in a society which will always see an unchangeable aspect of your body as 'lesser than', then we can talk."
But your essay gave the movie a different perspective and I was able to relate to Elle as I hadn't before. Thanks, guys! Love your videos. Keep up the good work!
Off topic but I thought ammonium thioglycolate was only used in alkaline perms, which are only for virgin hair? If she's been having perms since she was 13 wouldn't she be doing exothermic or acidic perms? I've always wondered this
The biggest thing about this film is the idea of women uplifting each other
* sure, Vivian and Elle have conflict and they buy into that “who gets the guy” thing but Vivian is ultimately a big enough person to realise she was entirely wrong about Elle and they quickly bond over the idea of “we fought each other, for him? Nah, we both deserve so much more”
* every scene with Paulette, Elle sees her pain and supports her reuniting with her dog and she does everything she can to teach Paulette that she is important and to give her the confidence to act on it
* then there’s the sorority sisters, we don’t see much of them but when Elle decides she’s going to study for the LSAT even though they don’t understand it they immediately have her back and they support her, when she gets her results it feels like the results are the collective fruits of the entire sorority because they all showed up for their sister
Elle was such a good role model 🥺💕 i never realized how much this movie impacted me
Know who you are, be yourself, be kind, stay positive, believe in yourself, and stand firm and fight for what you believe in! Elle Woods is my role model she is so wholesome and has such substance and simple warmth in her.. This movie always gives me so much encouragement
Elle is the textbook example of what I always say when u chose to truly know who u are and be it u give others permission to do the same. She’s extremely powerful in getting what she wants because to Elle it’s all part of the process to getting what a wants.
Actually Elle is a perfect example of a powerful manifester . She’s so focused on what she wants it’s not even a consideration that she won’t get what’s she wants.
Ppl saying fashion merchandising is a joke of a major cracks me up lol. I went to a university where the fashion school is top 5 and we have alumni working for Gucci or Tommy Hilfiger. Also ots not just dresses and shoes it's learning about business and marketing in the fashion world and its highly competitive. Like 100 students are applying just for one internship in NYC.
i am naturally blonde, and i perfectly can fit the stereotype of how a blonde girl looks but i actually don't mind people saying i am dumb because i always prove them wrong lol, but what does bother me, is when people think I want to marry a provider, SIS IT'S JUST THE COLOUR OF MY HAIR, NOT A LIFESTYLE 😭
it always irritates me that they're like "Your major is in fashion merchandising. Law school won't be impressed with that." What? You think the fashion industry doesn't need/have lawyers? bullshit.
brilliant and inspiring as ever, all this channel's analyses are awesome
I could watch legally blonde everyday and still love it
I also love how Elle supports other women on her way to the top she isn't some awful queen bee like other people assign to her she genuinely wants the best for people
As a college girl who confident with my love for pink, i look up to Elle so much. It annoys me when some girl says "pink is too feminine", "i used to love pink, but not anyomore" and judge me because they think people who love pink is dumb or whatever