“Movies are accepted as important and complex social documents… serving a variety of functions, not all of which are in the interests of a hegemonic status quo” (Radney & Stringer, 2001, pg. 6).
Recently I re-watched the film Legally Blonde and I realize that oddly enough it was probably one of my first glimpses at a feminist film.
Wohlwend (2006) says that, “emphasized femininity is a subordinated discourse to hegemonic masculinity that stresses gender differences and legitimates the construction of girls as objects of display and boys of subjects of power (pg.65). However in this film, they did an excellent job at portraying the main character as being a strong female, while still being very feminine.
Initially, Elle is motivated to attend Harvard Law in order to win back her ex-boyfriend, which isn’t exactly a feminist narrative, but the narrative changes throughout the film.
At the beginning of the film, Elle’s admissions video to Harvard, portrays a ditsy blonde who thinks she’ll be able to get in because she’s pretty. It features sparkly bikini clad women, floating in a swimming pool and Elle talking about her leadership within her sorority. But by the end of the film Elle is able to crack a case no one else was able to and graduates. You’re able to see that her character has very much blossomed into a strong female lead.
Stack and Kelly (2006) stated that, “[the] media are a pivotal vehicle through which the social is continually recreated, maintained and sometimes challenged” (pg. 10).
By having multiple representations of strong females in the film from Elle to her professor, even Elle’s stylist leaves her abusive boyfriend and finds one who treats her properly, the film is challenging the “norm” of traditionally gender roles.
Viewers encounter a positive film that challenges the dumb blonde stereotypes, trashes misogynists and undermines sexist ideologies.
“It appears most of us do not want to admit that media influences the way we come to know ourselves and others” (Stack and Kelly, 2006, pg 9).
On the other hand, this film, like too many mainstream films, is very whitewashed – for most of the film only white actors appear, with few very roles for people of color. With the few roles for people of colour they are problematic, as they portray many stereotypes. A report from the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found that exclusion, is the norm in Hollywood, not the exception.
All in all, Legally Blonde was a positive portrayal of women and femininity and disproves the dumb blonde stereotype and grapples with real issued women deal with; such as sexual harassment. But the film also has some flaws as it portrays other stereotypes.
Resources
Bahr, Lindsey. (2017, July 17th). People want to see more diversity in movies, but it's not happening fast enough. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/study-women-and-minorities-still-underrepresented-in-film-2017-7
Radney, Hilary & Stringer, Rebecca. (2001) Feminism at the Movies: Understanding Gender in Contemporary Popular Cinema. Routledge
Stack, M., & Kelley, D.M. (2006). Popular media, education, and resistance. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 5-26.
Wohlwend, Karen E. (2009). Damsels in Discourse: Girls Consuming and Producing Identity Texts through Disney Princess Play. Reading Research Quarterly, 44, 1, p. 57-83