It is a proven fact that most people love the 2001 American masterpiece, "Legally Blonde." And if you don't, you can get out of my office right now.
What's not to love?! It's a heartwarming tale of Elle: a young, ambitious woman with gorgeous hair who attends Harvard Law School in order to pursue the man of her dreams, Warner, who leaves her for someone more "serious." Along the way, Elle makes two major realizations: her true potential (extreme dexterity in the courtroom) and the fact that she doesn't need lame, pathetic Warner anyway because he's worth probably half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while she is a figurative box of diamonds.
Speaking of that "someone more serious," let's talk about Vivian Kensington, the supposed "villain" for approximately the first half of the film. Vivian is the woman with whom Warner begins a relationship upon his arrival at Harvard, and so it is natural for Elle to feel some form of animosity toward her for a while.
However, as Elle begins to realize her competency in legal studies, she simultaneously realizes that hating on another girl isn't going to solve anything. It won't bring Warner back, and it certainly won't help her become a successful lawyer. So, Elle reaches out to Vivian and, at the end, both women decide that Warner is seriously trash, and thus they begin a friendship chock full of girl power.
However!
Before the movie's conclusion, just a couple scenes before the climax, Vivian commits an inexcusable act that earns her the title of "The Worst."
In this scene, we see Elle and Vivian pass each other in the hallway on their separate ways home, and Vivian tells Elle that Callahan, their professor, wants to see Elle in his office right away. In his office, Callahan hits on Elle, and Vivian eavesdrops just in time to see him place his hand on Elle's knee (without permission, might I add).
Vivian becomes enraged, stops Elle in the elevator, claiming that Elle "almost had her fooled," and then she suggests that Elle "sleep[s] with the jury, too, in order to win the case."
This is where Vivian messes up big time for two reasons.
1. Elle, her friend, is being straight up sexually harassed right in front of her eyes, and she does nothing.
Elle is clearly visibly uncomfortable with Callahan's advances. Elle was not coming on to Callahan. It was clearly the other way around. Vivian has full view of the situation. Vivian is a highly intelligent person. Thus, Vivian should have been able to extrapolate the presented data to conclude that Elle wanted out of the situation. Did Vivian help? Nope. Instead, she goes on to slut-shame a woman who was nice enough to give Vivian a second chance after she's been so blatantly rude to her. Vivian, what are you doing?! An entire theme of this movie is that females have to stick together in order to crush these old, white men! Come on.
Which brings us to our second point.
2. Vivian is a hardcore slut-shamer.
Vivian literally has no reason to be upset with Elle for the scene she just witnessed. Let's say, hypothetically, Elle was sleeping with Callahan, which she wouldn't do because she's not interested in him, but let's not stray. Whose business is that, other than Elle's or Callahan's? No one's, and certainly not Vivian's! Vivian only comes after Elle due to the fact that she assumes Elle is being sexually active. Oh, no. How dare she have consensual sex? Slut shaming at its finest, Ms. Kensington.
And for those who would argue, "But what if Vivian is angry because she thinks that Elle is using sex to advance her career? That's a perfectly plausible reason to be a little perturbed!" I say to you:
Vivian was present when Elle proved the team's client is not in a relationship with a man other than her late husband by proving that said man is gay. This scene takes place right before the scene in Callahan's office. Vivian witnessed Elle's brilliant observation, which was praised by the whole team, and therefore Vivian has seen that Elle gets by on her intelligence and skill alone.
So, there you have it. Even though she changes her mind at the end (after a man fills her in on what really went down in Callahan's office *eye roll*) Vivian Kensington is still the worst.
