fiLike many, one of my first glimpses of Greek life came from watching "Legally Blonde." In 2007, my dad asked if I wanted to see it when we went to New York City that summer. For some reason, at 11 years old I was very adamant that that the show cast women (and blondes) in a bad light and refused to support it. Flash forward three months, I finally watched the movie and realized that Elle Woods was, in reality, an awesome role model for women. Even more so, she is an amazing representation of Greek women as a whole.
She honors the importance of her sisterhood and supports other women.
In both the movie and the musical, Elle is fiercely dedicated to supporting other women. While she refuses to give Brooke's alibi to the legal team, she stands strong in moral conviction — she refuses to tell a secret. When Vivienne gets Elle kicked out of her first day of classes, she tells her that "girls have to stick together. We shouldn’t try to look good by
making each other look bad." This is so incredibly important. In the media, we constantly see women competing with one another — we have shows dedicated to women competing for the love of a man. While Vivienne may have had what Elle wanted, Elle never made her look bad in order to get what she wanted. Elle surrounds herself with positive female relationships, while helping our women love themselves — the bend and snap, anyone?
She exudes confidence.
When she shows up to her first Harvard party in a killer Playboy costume, she doesn't run away in embarrassment. She struts right in and shows to everyone that she has a thick skin. Despite standing out, she doesn't shy away from who she is. If anything, Elle embraces herself even more at Harvard. By realizing that she is different, she finds success.
She refuses to abide to stereotypes and doesn't take no for an answer.
She remains true to herself.
While she begins to take her studies more seriously throughout the movie, she never sacrifices who she is. She still rocks a lot of pink, loves her sisterhood and dances through life with her positive attitude. She refuses to become someone she isn't. So many movies show women changing for men, as if that is the only way to find happiness. While she may have initially gone to Harvard for love, she discovers her passion for law — all while wearing insanely cute clothes. She finds happiness in her discovery of self-love and appreciation.
Elle Woods represents the Greek women that I know and love, the women who make me love Greek life. While I don't know any girl who is an exact copy of Elle, I know so many women who have the same wonderful characteristics. If I wasn't Delta Zeta, I would be happy to call myself a Delta Nu, sister of Woods comma Elle.
