Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Feminist Film Theory: Legally Blonde

Best Essays
2091 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Feminist Film Theory: Legally Blonde
Christine Lee

Reel Research: Screen and Scholarship

3/11/2012

Legally Blonde: Feminist Film Theory

Feminism is a movement that has had a great impact in the world of film, and how we interpret it. During the second wave of feminism that occurred throughout the United States, feminist scholars began developing and applying more theories, that arose during this movement, to the way they analyzed film. The various tactics and topics that are contained under the umbrella of feminist film theory are, but not limited to, sexism, female stereotypes, and gender discrimination. Though these are issues that were more prominent during the post world war II era, they are themes that are internalized in modern day movies. Robert Luketic 's Legally Blonde, is an archetypal example of a film that depicts the countless stereotypes created by society, a few being gender roles, blondes vs. brunettes, and the many stereotypes of women.

Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White 's work, The Film Experience, states that the difference between the sexes is culturally internalized and valued. It might not be apparent, but parents establish these values while we are children. Girls are handed Barbie Dolls, play house, and are raised to believe that they should be the beautiful stay-at-home trophy wives. Boys on the other hand are taught to be aggressive and become the breadwinners of a family. This stereotype of gender roles is first introduced in Legally Blonde when the main character Elle Woods tells her parents she wants to attend Harvard Law School in a pursuit to win back her boyfriend Warner Huntington III. When the first glimpse of her father is shown, he is holding a martini and appears to be an older gentleman as well as incredibly rich. When we 're introduced to her mother it is apparent that she is the embodiment of the ideal trophy wife. She has beautiful blonde hair, full lips and chest, and it is obvious that she doesn 't work, therefore fulfilling the gender role stereotype since it proves that her husband is to be credited for their wealthy lifestyle. Elle 's mother first response was "You were first runner up at the Miss Hawaii Tropics Contest, why are you going to throw that all away?" This gives r indication of where her values lie. She believes Elle should be more concerned about her looks than pursuing her education, basically saying that her beautiful appearance is a waste if she went to Harvard.

The stereotype of the trophy wife portrayed by this film is brought upon by the ideology of the "All-American woman" and what she should look like, which is another stereotype apparent in this movie. Because girls are given Barbie Dolls, we have this idea in our head that the typical All-American woman should resemble closely to that of a Barbie Doll; Caucasian, blonde hair, blue eyes, and most importantly, skinny with a large chest and proportionate body size. This is actually the first stereotype that is introduced in the movie Legally Blonde. When the movie begins, we are greeted with the image of voluminous blonde hair being brushed with a freshly French-manicured hand. The mise-en-scene of the introduction is especially important because the combination of the glitter, pink backgrounds, and the glimpse of her tan legs and necklace really create the illusion of a real life Barbie. During the introduction, a card is being passed around and signed by all the girls in the sorority, which is when more of the characters in the movie are shown. It seems that the majority of the girls in the sorority are blonde; once again reinforcing the idea of what the typical All-American Woman should look like. Not only is this idea constantly pushed upon the audience, but the movie also emphasizes the idea that any woman that is not blonde is somewhat of an "othered" character. Take for example Enid, the first brunette introduced in the movie that is not associated with Elle. She had incredibly curly hair, glasses, and was a lesbian; all traits that have been typically deemed by society and the media as undesirable. Another example of when brunettes were shown in an unfavorable light was at 12:18 in the movie, when Elle was having a conversation at the nail salon, flipping through a magazine, and saw a picture of Warner 's brother and his girlfriend. As she 's pointing at the picture of his girlfriend the conversation goes, "This is what I need to become to be serious." In which the elder lady responds, "What, practically deformed?" When the picture is shown, we see a brunette with an enormous overbite, buckteeth, and lazy eyes.

The Mise-en-scene is a factor that was utilized greatly in this film, and had a huge impact on why Legally Blonde is so stereotypical. To quote The Film Experience, "Mise-en-scene is a French theatrical term meaning literally put on stage; used in film studies to refer to all the elements of a movie scene that are organized, often by the director, to be filmed and that are later visible on screen. They include the scenic elements of a movie, such as actors, lighting, sets, costumes, make-up, and other features of the image that exist independently of the camera and the processes of filming and editing" (550). There are two elements within Mise-en-scene that are in full effective throughout this entire film. First is the costume/make-up of the women.

The combination of the costume and make-up of the main characters is extremely important in this movie because it acts as an instant indicator of the character 's personality. During the first half of the film, Elle Woods was always wearing dresses, tank-tops, sequins, and the majority of her ensemble was Pink, which most would classify as the ultimate "girly" color. All of her outfits were "Barbie-like." This perfectly fit her character because she is very bubbly and outgoing. Elle 's hair is also something to pay attention to because it further symbolizes her personality. It was different in every scene she was in, and was always volumized and bouncy through the first half of the film. Now when she first arrived at Harvard, she immediately stuck out. Elle was wearing a bright pink and purple dress suit with bright pink glasses, while the majority of the color scheme of the students at Harvard was very neutral; mostly consisting of black, different shades of brown, grey, dark greens and blues, implying that students at Harvard are safe, plain, and boring. Originally Elle attended Harvard with the intention of winning back her boyfriend; however upon realization that she still wasn 't taken seriously by anyone, she wanted to prove them wrong, and subtle changes in her wardrobe and her appearance were made. Her outfits became less flamboyant. She began wearing darker shades, and clothes that were more conservative. Her hair that was once always bouncy and in different styles, became decreasingly extravagant; she began wearing hats and going to class with her hair in a simple ponytail.

Lighting and color is another element of Mise-En-Scene that achieved a variety of effects throughout this film. For example, it highlighted Elle as an important character in the film by always keeping her in the spotlight. The lighting and color of particular scenes also gave an idea of the type of mood the film is in. In the first half of the movie before Elle decided to attend Harvard, a majority of the scenes were shot with High-Key lighting, which gave the scenes the vibe of a happy, bright and sunny atmosphere. When she arrived to Harvard, the lighting is completely different, and a more gloomy feeling is attached to the scene. The lighting also had an effect on the conformation that Elle began going through while she was at Harvard. She was first introduced in the film with as a platinum blonde, with the high-key lighting really making an impact on the lightness of the hair. When Elle realizes that her hair color is a big reason why people do not take her seriously, her hair color gradually becomes less and less blonde. This is all a product of the lighting and was done on purpose to reiterate the stereotype that blondes only like to have fun, and can 't be taken seriously. This stereotype is blatantly stated in the scene where Warner and Elle went to dinner, and Warner was breaking up with her. When Elle mentioned that she thought the purpose of going to dinner was so that he could propose, Warner says, "If I 'm going to be senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn." He is referring to Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, two prominent woman figures who rest on complete ends of the spectrum; Jackie being perfectly prim, proper, and brunette, while Marilyn is a sultry blonde who induced sex appeal. Near the end of the movie when Elle returned back to the court room to represent Brooke Windham in the murder trial, she walked into the room with an entry that is similar to that of the opening of the movie. The camera captures the shot first at the legs, moving slowly up her body, giving us a reintroduction to the character that is Elle. It is obvious that she has reverted back to her original self because she is wearing an all pink ensemble, with a low cut shirt, and wavy, blonde, replenished hair. Once again her outfit acted as a direct indicator of who she was at that moment in time.

The stereotypes about women in general, not specifically blonde, are countless in this movie. One of the stereotypes is that women use their sexuality and appearance to progress in life, whether it be in the work place, or just getting something that they want. At the time of 17:17 in the movie when Elle tells her best friends Margo and Serena that she was planning to attend Harvard, Margo gives Elle her "lucky scrunchy" which she says is the reason she passed her Spanish class. However a few seconds later, it is discovered that she only passed her Spanish class because she gave her professor a lap dance. Another instance in which appearance is taken advantage of is during Elle 's Harvard Admissions video, where she is in a hot tub wearing a bikini, and the lighting accentuates her chest and body. When the Harvard Admissions Board is introduced, it is a room full of men whose jaws are dropped after watching the video. They know that she does not qualify to be a Harvard student, however were vouching for her, talking up her accomplishments and making her seem like she 'd be important, when it is obvious they only want to grant her admission because of her appearance. Though Elle was unaware of this, another scene in the film where Elle 's appearance opened opportunities for advancement was when she was chosen as one of the first year interns to assist Professor Callahan in the murder trial. At first we are given the impression that she was chosen because of her intelligence; she showed promise and was working so hard to actually learn the material. However, we later realize that she was only picked because Professor Callahan found her attractive and wanted to make a move on her when he felt it was the right time.

Ultimately, Legally Blonde was an entertaining movie that teaches the audience the perils of stereotyping. Teaches us that people should be more empathetic and understanding towards others, and to give people an opportunity to show you who they are, instead of you coming up with your own conclusions based on their superficial appearance; It teaches us that women do not have to be stay-at-home trophy wives and they are capable of making an impact in careers that are dominantly male driven.

Works Cited

Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. _Film Experience: An Introduction._ 2nd ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print

Luketic, Robert, dir. _Legally Blonde_. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc, 2001. Film. <http://www.putlocker.com/file/1HMJ1YT5HRY84S0S

Lotz, Amanda. _The Value of feminist television criticism 's synthetic approach_. 2007. 185-202. Web. 13 Mar. 2012.

"Media Studies ." _camellias.blogspot.com_. N.p., 13 Apr 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://camilleas.blogspot.com/2011/04/film-analysis-legally-blonde.html>.

Freeland, Cynthia. "Feminist Film Theory." _Encyclopedia of Asythetics_. Oxford University Press, 1996. Web. 14 Mar 2012. <http://www.uh.edu/~cfreelan/courses/femfilm.html>.

Mulvey, Laura. " Afterthoughts on 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema ' inspired by _Duel in the Sun_ " [1981]. In _Feminism and Film Theory_. 69-79. Originally published in _Framework_ 15/16/17 (1981): 12-15.

Johnston, Claire. " Women 's Cinema as Counter-Cinema" [1973]. In _Movies and Methods_. Ed. Bill Nichols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976. 208-217. Originally published in _Notes on Women 's Cinema_, Claire Johnston, ed. (London: Society for Education in Film and Television, 1975).

Cited: Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. _Film Experience: An Introduction._ 2nd ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print Luketic, Robert, dir. _Legally Blonde_. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc, 2001. Film. <http://www.putlocker.com/file/1HMJ1YT5HRY84S0S Lotz, Amanda. _The Value of feminist television criticism 's synthetic approach_. 2007. 185-202. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "Media Studies ." _camellias.blogspot.com_. N.p., 13 Apr 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://camilleas.blogspot.com/2011/04/film-analysis-legally-blonde.html>. Freeland, Cynthia. "Feminist Film Theory." _Encyclopedia of Asythetics_. Oxford University Press, 1996. Web. 14 Mar 2012. <http://www.uh.edu/~cfreelan/courses/femfilm.html>. Mulvey, Laura. " Afterthoughts on 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema ' inspired by _Duel in the Sun_ " [1981]. In _Feminism and Film Theory_. 69-79. Originally published in _Framework_ 15/16/17 (1981): 12-15. Johnston, Claire. " Women 's Cinema as Counter-Cinema" [1973]. In _Movies and Methods_. Ed. Bill Nichols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976. 208-217. Originally published in _Notes on Women 's Cinema_, Claire Johnston, ed. (London: Society for Education in Film and Television, 1975).

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Shrek, Basic Communication

    • 1964 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Turner, G. (1993), ‘Film Narrative ' in Film as Social Practice 2nd Edition, (pp 67-94). Houghton Mifflin, New York. Total Pages 188. ISBN 0-415-19272-8.…

    • 1964 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A popcorn flick like Independence Day (1996) is never examined deeply, it’s a silly sci-fi blockbuster, what else could the film have going on? But there is actually many different ways to examine the film, including a feminist reading. Examining a film like this from a feminist perspective is fascinating stuff, but before we dive headlong in, what is feminist film theory all about anyway? Feminist film theory is a way to examine how a film portrays women, are they tough/independent or are they a simple background character? Are women portrayed in a positive or negative light and how do they play into the overall movie itself? Perhaps the goal is to have stronger, much more active female characters that lead films, like Ripley from Aliens or Furiosa from Mad Max Theory Road. Which is why we will examine how a film like Independence Day tries to have strong female…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Introduction” Storey talks about women in film and the way the media that portrays them romanticizes them. This can be seen in the study referenced in the book done by Jackie…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However in the years to come many in the film industry would begin to challenge these guidelines starting with films such as 1960’s Mary Poppins. Anne Mcleer in her essay makes clear that although not radical ,”Mary Poppins” would begin to have us question our traditional roles. Films like such challenged the idea of the stay at home mother, and the father being the bread winner, even questioning the role of the father in their children’s lives, encouraging men to be more involved. Yet even as we began to progress, giving women larger roles in film with films such as Julie Andrews in “Victoria, Victor Victoria”, and Tracy Turnlab in “Hairspray” many in the film industry still encouraged traditional ideals. This was espeacially prevalent in the 1980’s, in Elaine Berland , and Marilyn Wetcher’s research they give us the example of the film “Fatal Attraction” this film shows us an stay at home mother with a husband who is cheating on her with a career driven women, and all of the problems that come with this…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this paper, the role of women in contemporary and classic cinema will be compared. However, to begin, I will resort to statistics as a percentage of the women who get the role in the movie.…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Traditional definitions of Women’s Film connote explorations into the emotional journeys of women as they encounter internal and/or external challenges. In this way, analysis of Women’s Film is sometimes aided by comparing the female characters to the men within the stories. The male characters in My Brilliant Career and Jindabyne are presented as failures and defeated heroes in many ways, when they are matched up against Sybylla and Claire who are “instinctively more sensitive/emotional”1 and far more determined and passionate about ‘righting the…

    • 2585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    References: Phillips, W. H. (2009). Film: An introduction (4th ed.). New York, NY: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through this essay, I will attempt to examine various codes and character portrayals that contribute to the representation of women within the domain of film fiction. My intention is to review exactly how women are represented and investigate whether fictional characters play a part in perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Laura Mulvey will be intermittently mentioned as a pioneering figure of feminist film theory, her discourse will be applied and challenged within the following pages.…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Nelmes, Jill, ed. An Introduction to Film Studies. 2nd Ed. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Legally Blonde Analysis

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Directed by Robert Luketic, Legally Blonde is a film about a stereotypical valley girl, born into a rich family, used to getting everything she wants, and then breaking molds to prove she can rise above society's expectations of privileged kids. Elle Woods, the main character and heroine of the story, is a wealthy and beautiful young girl from Malibu. She is the president of her sorority and she adores all things pink and fashionable. Her boyfriend Warner is a type-cast pretty boy who happens to be the president of his fraternity, and they are seemingly the perfect match. Elle believes it's time for Warner to pop the question and she gets prepared for the big date. However, rather than proposing, Warner breaks up with her because he is going to law school and he needs a serious girlfriend. Heartbroken, Elle decides she is Harvard material and she sets out to be accepted to the Ivy League's law program in an effort to win Warner back and prove that she is good enough for his blue blood expectations (IMDb). In the process, Elle learns more about herself and her capabilities than she ever thought possible, all while staying true to her natural blonde roots.…

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Eisenstein, Sergei. “The Dramaturgy of Film Form.” Film Theory and Criticism. Braudy, Leo and Cohen, Marshall. New York: Oxford, 2009. 24-40.…

    • 2775 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    John Ford switched around stereotypical gender roles to lead the Western film genre into a much more feminist second half of the 20th century. Bibliography: Church, Jeffrey. "Recognition and Restlessness in John Ford's The Searchers." Perspectives on Political Science…

    • 6790 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mildred Pierce

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages

    References: Basinger, Jeanine (1993). A woman’s view: how Hollywood spoke to women, 1930-1960. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Legally Blonde Analysis

    • 1837 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Feminism has become the great issue in this modern era. The emerging of second wave feminism in the late 60s had bring a huge impact toward the position of women in the society. Women are free from the male values, while women have the equal rights in politic. Women also can quit from their domestic sphere. The movement of feminism still continues in the early 90s. The women’s movement experience a phase which the ideology of feminism had changed to be Third Wave Feminism. It is because the existence of poststructuralists, postmodern and postcolonial theories in that era. Third Wave Feminism focus on popular culture which has been construed as a form of post feminist backlash (Gillis and Munford ; p. 2 , 2003). As the consequence, many forms of third wave feminism are represented in the media as a form of popular culture, especially in movie. Movie is the best way to share the ideology or stereotype to the society. One of the movies which represent feminism is “Legally Blonde” starred by Reese Witherspoon. This paper will analyze the movie and its correlation with the theory of Third Wave Feminism which is emphasize on Harvesting Woman Strength based on the Journal of International Women’s Studies by Stacy Gillis and Rebecca Munford. Besides, it will use some Foucault’s theory about feminism.…

    • 1837 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lehman, Peter and William Luhr. Thinking About Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying. Second Edition. MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays