Beware of spoilers!
If you didn’t already know, last week Reese Witherspoon celebrated the 15th anniversary of “Legally Blonde” and shared it all on Instagram and her Snapchat story. She tried on some of Elle’s most memorable outfits, demonstrated the ‘bend and snap’ (classic!), and re-enacted some of the best scenes from the film.
“Legally Blonde” (2001) is about a valley girl at UCLA, who is president of her sorority, Delta Nu, and dates the cutest boy, Warner Huntington III, until he suddenly breaks up with her before attending Harvard Law school. With the goal of becoming a senator, he states that he needs to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn. Determined to win Warner back by showing him she is serious, she applies and is accepted to the same school. However, she quickly finds out that he is engaged to an old girlfriend from prep school that also attends Harvard Law, Vivian Kensington. After numerous people, including Warner, put Elle down because she clearly doesn’t fit in, she decides to prove them wrong. While trying to impress Warner with her dedication to school, she realizes she is quite successful in the practice of law.
Not only was the film successfully made but there are many lessons that this film taught me and many other fans. Those lessons certainly apply to everyday life and even more-so as a college student. Here are seven reasons why I proudly celebrated the 15th anniversary of “Legally Blonde.”
I learned to...
Be ambitious and also, do not be discouraged.
After realizing that the only way to get the love of her life back, by becoming an exceptional law student, she visits her advisor at UCLA to discuss Harvard Law School. The advisor evidently tries to put things into a realistic perspective for Elle, a fashion merchandising major, by stating Harvard is a top three school and tells her they “won’t be impressed that you aced History in Polka Dots.” Then she asks Elle what her back up schools are and Elle confidently says, “I don’t need backups. I’m going to Harvard.” No one would have imagined that Elle Woods would ever get into law school, especially not Harvard! She could have listened to her advisor and believed that the chances of her getting into Harvard were slim to none, but she never would have lived up to her potential. She taught me that even when you might not have the best chance at succeeding in something or others discourage you, don’t let it tear you down. Believe in your abilities, give everything all you got, and if you want something badly enough, it might work in your favor despite the odds.
Be determined!
Do you think it was easy for Elle, the president of Delta Nu, to skip Greek Week by studying for the LSAT exam? Not easy at all. It all paid off though after scoring a 179, which is one point away from a perfect score and four points more than Harvard’s desired score for admission, on the LSAT.
Brush things off.
After being scrutinized and humiliated on her first day of school by Professor Stromwell and a fellow peer, Vivian Kensington, she blows it off. Of course, she leaves the classroom upset, but she just shrugs her shoulders and nonchalantly tells Warner it was “no biggie.” Gosh, I wish I could brush things off like that. If that were me, I might have bawled my eyes out in my room and thought about that moment repeatedly for a couple weeks. Elle puts the incident behind her and doesn’t let it bother her. I applaud her for that ability and strive to have that attitude one day. I believe it will make my life much easier.
Take care of yourself.
Elle certainly knows how to destress and cheer herself up. Even though she does this by going to beauty salons, she clearly takes care of herself physically, mentally, and emotionally
“First impressions are not always correct.”
Elle definitely had a rough start at Harvard. Let's be honest, Elle being around students like Enid Wexler and David Kidney makes her stand out like a sore thumb. For example, Enid Wexler received a Ph.D. from Berkeley in Women Studies with an emphasis in the history of combat and organized the event Lesbians Against Drunk Driving. David Kidney earned a Masters in Russian Literature, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, and dewormed orphans in Somalia for eighteen months. You can imagine their reactions when Elle introduced herself to them by saying “Last week I saw Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal, and I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed.” They certainly didn’t think highly of her and looked flabbergasted that she was even accepted to Harvard law school. Despite whatever David might have thought about her, he still helped her and never acted condescending to her, unlike Enid. By graduation, though, you can definitely tell their perception of her turned around.
In fact, Elle judged Vivian. After their horrible start in class together and Vivian flaunting her relationship with Warner in front of Elle’s face, Elle believed Vivian was a horrible person. However, towards the end of the film when they work together on a murder trial case, they grow fond of each other.
“You must always have faith in people.”
If it weren't for Emmett, an associate working on the same murder trial, giving Elle the opportunity to represent the defendant instead of his boss Professor Callahan, they would have lost the case. It was his faith in Elle that allowed her to question the plaintiff and win the case (well thanks to her hair care knowledge).
Don’t Forget...
It also has two empowering songs on its soundtrack.
“Perfect Day” by Hoku is the opening and closing song of the film. It is upbeat and really livens up your attitude when you listen to it. It’s difficult to not feel excited or ready to take on the day after listening to this song. Another favorite is “Watch Me Shine” performed by Joanna Pacitti. This motivational, girl-power song plays after Warner tells Elle to do something more valuable with her time instead of attending Law School (assuming Elle isn’t smart enough or fit to be a law student). Elle simply walks away, determinedly stating, “I’ll show you how valuable Elle Woods can be!” Then a montage of scenes plays during this song. We see Elle buying a new laptop, carrying several large books as she walks past Warner and Vivian with their friends surprisingly asking themselves “Was she carrying books?”, And her answering a question correctly in one of her classes. If listening to this song or watching this scene doesn’t motivate you, then I don’t know what does!
If you ever get the chance to watch the film or want a girl’s night in, this is definitely the film that will have you and your friends laughing while also feeling inspired and capable of anything you set your mind to!
