Over the years, movies have multiplied by the thousands. 14 years ago, my favorite movie came out and my life was changed forever. Growing up I was never the girly type; I was the girl in basketball shorts playing sports with the guys.
I distinctly remember watching Elle Woods apply to Harvard Law School with all of her trials and tribulations along the way. I practically could recite the movie by age nine. Since then, I have grown up, graduated high school and been in college for two years and my favorite movie is still "Legally Blonde" -- and I have good reasons why.
"Legally Blonde" seems like such a silly movie to some, but it showed me I could do anything I set my mind to. Elle Woods was shown as a rich, blonde, stereotypical sorority girl from California who woke up one day and decided she wanted to go to Harvard. Granted, she went for a guy, but in the end, stayed for the education. She was depicted as an airhead sorority girl who parties a lot and cares more about her looks than anything else. Being a communications major, I looked at the movie a bit differently. In the movie Elle's advisor had a conversation with her when she decided she wanted to go to Harvard. Elle explained how she had a 4.0 in her major and intended to apply anyway. Though her major was fashion merchandising, she still had the grades and did the work to get them. Fast forwarding to when Elle takes the LSAT. As Elle walked down the stairs to open the letter she squeals with excitement about the score. 179. Elle Woods got a 179 on the LSAT -- the highest score the test can produce is a 180. She was one point away from perfect. She was one smart cookie. When I was younger, I realized I did not have to be ashamed of being smart but rather be proud of my achievements and that has stayed with me to this day. Elle also helped show me a little hard work can make a big difference in your life.
"Legally Blonde" shows everyone how you cannot judge a book by its cover. Everyone Elle encounters at the beginning of the movie writes her off as the dumb girl and the only ones who believed in her were her friends, even though they were across the country. By the end of the movie she was a speaker at graduation, doing bigger things than her ex Warner. She took a terrible time in her life and used it as a learning opportunity. Elle Woods made the child I once was know that bad things can happen in life but they shouldn’t be the reason you give up. One conversation she had in the movie is with Warner while at a party. Warner tells Elle that he does not think she belongs at Harvard due to her not being smart enough and Elle fires back by saying, "We both got into Harvard, Warner." After this scene she went to the store, bought a computer and got serious about her studies. She started doing well in class and getting positive attention from her professors. Elle showed how no matter what you look like, you should not be judged because underneath the surface can be a completely different individual than expected.
No matter what circumstance Elle was in, she stayed true to who she was and always came out on top. Elle taught me I need to always be myself even if it’s the unpopular option. You don’t need to please the world, you just need to please yourself and having killer style doesn’t hurt either. She stood up for herself when a professor hit on her and came back and used what she knew about hair to win a murder case. To me, "Legally Blonde" was the ultimate lesson to girls to stay true to who you are because things will always work themselves out in the end, even if the outcome is different than anticipated.
