"This is about the matter
that should be of the highest importance
to every American. My hair." Legally Blonde opens on an image
of shiny, perfect blonde hair. And the owner of this hair
(who we meet several minutes later) isn't just a blonde --
she's THE blonde identity ITSELF. as it's typically perceived
by our culture. "I was a Zeta Lambda Nu sweetheart,
president of my sorority, Delta Nu, and last year,
I was homecoming queen." Elle Woods begins
as a cartoon version of all the "blonde" stereotypes
you can think of. She has more fun,
she's attractive to men, she's sweetly naive, and she's seen by
everyone around her as the antithesis of
intellectual, serious pursuits. "Law school is for people who are boring
and ugly and serious. And you are none
of those things." The movie goes on to
systematically disprove clichéd assumptions that golden-haired women
are ditzy, lazy and shallow. "And for that matter,
all masturbatory emissions where his sperm was clearly
not seeking an egg could be termed
reckless abandonment." "I believe you've just
won your case." But it does more than just
subvert the negativity -- it creates a new positive idea
of what Elle the Blonde represents. "It's pink." "Oh and it's scented. I think it gives it
a little something extra. Don't ya think?" Using her character to present
a fundamentally optimistic, warm and inspirational outlook. "It is with passion,
courage of conviction, and strong sense of self
that we take our next steps into the world." Here's our Take on how Legally Blonde
expresses the Philosophy of a Blonde and teaches us how to
"Think Blonde" like Elle. "I feel comfortable using legal jargon
in everyday life." [Whistles] "I object." If you're new here, be sure to
Subscribe and hit the bell to get notified about
all of our new videos. Elle's blonde hair
and associated identity are what define her
in the eyes of almost everyone
she encounters. And what people see
when they look at her is a grab-bag of
blonde stereotypes. "Because I'm blonde
I don't have to think I talk like a baby
and I never pay for drinks." "He can't be left alone
in the same city with that blonde man-trap." Namely, that blondes are
frivolous and superficial... "You know maybe you should check with
the cruise director on the Lido deck." that they choose fun over hard work... "Hey, maybe there's, like, a sorority
you could, like, join instead, like?" and skate by on their looks,
getting things handed to them. "Well maybe you should
sleep with the jury, too. Then we can win the case." And, most famously,
that they're dumb. "There's nothing I love more than
a dumb blonde with daddy's plastic." The movie quickly dismisses
this most central and pernicious stereotype of
the "dumb blonde." Legally Blonde tells us that
Elle's mind is razor-sharp. "It's impossible to use a half-loop
topstitch on low viscosity rayon. It would snag the fabric. And you didn't just get it in. I saw it in the June Vogue a year ago. So if you're trying to sell it
to me for full price, You picked the wrong girl." It's just that the areas
where she focuses her brain, aren't the ones
that our society considers valuable. "Oh, I have a 4.0." "Yes, but your major is
fashion merchandising. Harvard won't be impressed
that you aced history of Polka Dots." Meanwhile, the other common blonde
assumptions do apply to some degree when the movie begins. It's true that her interests
are relatively frivolous; she's mostly concerned
with having fun; and her biggest aspiration --
to become Warner's wife -- "In a few hours...I'll be the future
Mrs. Warner Huntington III." isn't the most worthy goal
for a person with potential. "I even hired a Coppola to direct
my admissions video all to get my boyfriend Warner back...
so it was all for nothing." So when the story begins,
Elle gets a wake-up call that her "Blondeness"
is a liability. "So you're breaking up with me
because I'm too blonde?" Warner tells Elle that he doesn't
want to end things with her, "It's not like I have
a choice here, sweetheart." And he seems as attracted to her
as ever after the breakup. "Well don't you look like a walking felony." "Thank you you're so sweet." "Ugh." But in this man's view,
his society demands that he marry a certain kind of partner
as a prerequisite for success. "My brother's in
the top three at Yale Law and he just got engaged
to a Vanderbilt, for Christ sake." [Screeching] Thus the key blonde stereotype
that Elle ends up having to battle is that blondes aren't serious. "This is the type of girl
Warner wants to marry. This is what I need to
become to be serious." "What? Practically deformed?" "A law student." The whole movie is
her attempt to prove that she can become
a "serious person" as our culture defines it. "Wish me luck Bruiser. This is my first class
as a serious law student." someone who pulls off
difficult achievements which require a lot
of not-fun work, inspire envy, and, at least in theory,
contribute meaningfully to society. What's exceptional about Reese Witherspoon's
performance of Elle is that -- as much as she leans into
a comic, cartoonish exaggeration of blondeness
to deliver laughs, "You're gonna ruin your shoes." "Hm." she also immediately makes us
like her and side with her by getting across
Elle's genuine, good heart and kind caring nature. "Brooke, your secret's
safe with me." We feel Elle's love
for her many female friends, "Miss Bonafonté is entitled
to full canine property ownership and will be enforcing
said ownership...right now." for her dog Bruiser, "Hi. I'm Elle Woods
and this is Bruiser Woods. And we're both gemini vegetarians." and for the boyfriend
she's given her whole self to, only to learn how little love means
to this man-of-the-world. "I need someone serious." "But I'm seriously in love with you." So as much as Elle fits
negative stereotypes that make her easy-to-dismiss, the movie quickly tells us that this person is deeply
sweet and feeling, as well as secretly very smart. As the story progresses we see
that the OTHER people we meet are just as superficial as Elle, if not more so,
in their own ways. "You got the ring sweetie." While very few have Elle's very important
and powerful human strengths. After Elle disproves
the haters with her hard work,
intellect and "seriousness," Elle's core positive identity
is what develops over the course of the movie
to illustrate the power of the "Blonde Philosophy." What makes her compelling
is the series of different gifts
and fresh perspectives she brings to the table, which most of her
Harvard peers lack. "You had the best high kick
I've ever seen. Are you one of my lawyers?" "Uh yeah, sort of." "Well thank God
one of you has a brain." So what, then, are the tenets
of Elle's Blonde Bible? Look on the "Blonde" Side. Elle is deeply optimistic. "What are your backups?" "I don't need backups. I'm going to Harvard." People interpret her positivity
as naiveté and another reason
to underestimate her, but her unmatched enthusiasm
and can-do attitude count for a lot. "I once had to judge
a tighty whitie contest for Lambda Kappa Pi, trust me,
I can handle anything." They allow her to will herself
into achievements others wouldn't even try for
because they seem out of reach. "You got into Harvard Law?" "What, like it's hard?" Near the end of the movie, after Elle dramatically
wins her first case, she marches out
into the sunlight, and this image captures
the fundamental brightness and sunny-side-oriented power of Elle. "You ready to hit the ground running?" "Are these not my comfortable heels?" "Oh cute shoes!" "Thank you." Wear a Smile. Elle is always
nice and friendly. "Well if there's one thing I know
how to do, its rinse and repeat. Shall we?" It's a matter of principle
that she treats the people she meets with openness and good manners. "You know if you had come to rush party,
I would have at least been nice to you." "Is that before you voted against me
and then called me a dyke behind my back?" "I don't use that word." This gift allows her to
make friends anywhere she goes. "Bend, and snap! Good job everybody." And her "keep-smiling" mindset is
a model in resilience. "Thanks for inviting me, girls. This party is super fun." She won't be defeated
by mean-spirited-ness, "Oh. I like your outfit too,
except when I dress up as a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated." And her firm, immovable smile,
no matter the animosity she encounters, symbolizes the stubborn fortitude
and grit underlying her optimism. "You've come farther than any of us
while maintaining your bounce and sparkle. We never sparkle." Be Smart, instead of Seeming So. "Don't fight the fabric. Change it." Elle's intelligence is initially
obscured because she applies it to less respectable subjects. "I'm able to recall hundreds of
important details... at the drop of a hat." "Hey, Elle, do you know what happened
on Days of Our Lives yesterday?" "Why, yes, Margot, I do." But, even after she embraces
the study of law, her aptitude is
expressed unconventionally. "I have to wonder if the defendant
kept a thorough record of every sperm emission
made throughout his life." She thinks a question through
deeply and honestly, referring to her personal feelings
and experiences to guide her. "Would you rather have a client
who committed a crime malum in se or malum prohibitum?" "Neither." "And why is that?" "I would rather have
a client who's innocent." And while a statement like this
gets her laughed at, compared to Vivian's
textbook-ready response "Malum prohibitum,
because then the client would have committed
a regulatory infraction as opposed to
a dangerous crime." "Well done Ms. Kensington." Elle's answer proves
to be full of hidden wisdom. In the end, she's the only one
who can successfully defend Brooke Windham because she believes
in her client's innocence. "I'm the only one that believes her. Callahan totally thinks she's guilty." Guided by this important purpose, "I believe you, Brooke." "Take care of me, Elle." "I will." she keeps working until she finds
the evidence to prove her gut feeling. "Are you crazy? Just tell him the alibi." "No." "We're gonna lose this case if you don't." "Well then we're not very good lawyers." Others around Elle,
like many successful people in general, care more about
WINNING than the truth. But Elle's pursuit of veracity -- instead of projecting
the trappings of intelligence -- helps her get to the bottom of a case
and ultimately emerge victorious. "Isn't it the first cardinal rule
of perm maintenance that you're forbidden
to wet your hair for at least 24 hours
after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating
the Ammonium thioglycolate?" "Yes." Treasure Your Word
(And your Sisters). Elle gets the value
of keeping her word. "I can't tell you." "Why the hell not?" "Because I promised her
I'd keep it a secret. And I can't break
the bonds of sisterhood." This makes her the ANTITHESIS of
her supposed love Warner, who ultimately doesn't
hold anything sacred except the pursuit of success
by any means necessary. "If you tell him he'll probably
hire you as a summer associate. Who cares about Brooke? Think about yourself." "I gave her my word, Warner." Ironically, this lack
of a bond with his work makes Warner end up
a loser in the world's eyes. He loses Vivian's trust,
and fails to shine as a budding lawyer. We're told he graduates without
a girlfriend or a job offer. Elle's integrity wins trust,
and this connects to her incredible talent for friendships. This girl has a truly impressive
number of intimates who greatly invest
in her trials and her successes. "One seventy-nine!" Her popularity is a testament to
how much she values people and is there for them, reliably showing up and
staying true to her promises. "I brought you some necessities --
some Calvin Klein 720 count sheets, umm, the entire Clinique skin care line,
oh, and the Bible." Live Passionately
(and don't hide what you love). Elle's very first class focuses
on the words of Aristotle, "The law is reason
free from passion." Elle decides she disagrees. "No offense to Aristotle, but in my threes years at Harvard
I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient
to the study and practice of law, and of life." The clichéd reminder that
we should follow our passion is a fixture of graduation speeches, but Elle shows us
what this looks like in practice -- the source of her power, as a lawyer and as a person,
is how much she FEELS. "You don't understand." "Who could understand better than me?" She jumps into every pursuit,big or small,
with boundless commitment and enthusiasm. "And that's why you should vote for me, Elle Woods, future lawyer
for the Class of 2004." When they Wear Grey,
We Wear Pink. This also means that she doesn't hide
her love for things others would find embarrassing. "Whoever said orange was the new pink
was seriously disturbed." She proudly flaunts
her taste for pink and dresses up Bruiser
for every occasion, immune to the disdain this draws
from her Harvard classmates. "Hey Bras,
check out Malibu Barbie." Even as she becomes more aware
of hostility directed at her, her response still isn't to assimilate
with bland-colored clothing or disguise her true self
by softening her spontaneous reactions. "But I used to take her class
at the Los Angeles Sports Club, She's amazing." Elle couldn't imagine
not bringing her pink-obsessed, Cosmo-girl, mani-pedi-loving
personality to everything she does. "We'll find harmony
and love in the snap cup." And this commitment to being herself,
in all the little details that bring out her everyday passion,
makes her a forceful, coherent person who knows who she is,
whether you like her or not. In so many ways,
our culture sends the message that traditionally feminine tastes
and female-oriented bonding activities are lesser, in order
to devalue women. So Elle's rise to the top
without ever swearing off the supposedly "inferior" elements
of her signature style made the statement
that you can be a girly girl and rise to the top of your class. "Oh my god it's capitol barbie." "She's so shiny." Don't Judge, Lest You Be Judged. Elle warns in her graduation speech
against overemphasizing first impressions: "Remembering that first impressions
are not always correct." She's much slower than others
to leap to assumptions about the people she meets, and when she does get
the wrong end of the stick she's willing to quickly
update her opinion in light of new evidence. "Look, he likes you." "Aw, he's giving me kisses." Elle reminds her fellow graduates:
"You must always have faith in people." What's doubly impressive
about her ability to do this is that people so rarely give her
the benefit of the doubt. She's always having
to prove them wrong after they assume
the worst about her. "You know, Emmett, you just need to have
a little more faith in people. You might be surprised." The final tenet of Elle's philosophy is:
"You must always have faith in yourself." The way that Elle is
constantly laughed at and underestimated would take a toll
on anyone's self-esteem. "Our group is full." "Oh, is this like an RSVP thing?" "No. It's like a smart people thing." It's remarkable
that she doesn't come to believe that she is stupid. Yet the more
she's written off, the more she doubles down
on her knowledge that she can do anything
she sets her mind to "ME! yes!" So this movie is a reminder
not to let others get in your head about who YOU really are --
nobody really knows your potential, and they don't get to write
the narrative of you. "Being a blonde is actually
a pretty powerful thing. You hold more cards
than you think you do. And I personally
would like to see you take that power and channel it
towards the greater good." Elle's Blonde Power isn't
necessarily greater than Vivian's Brunette Power, or someone else's Red-,
Black- or Purple-haired power. The reason viewers like
and take inspiration from Elle isn't because they're blonde,
or necessarily at all like her. Instead, Elle's Blonde philosophy demonstrates
that there's nothing more compelling than being yourself to the fullest. "And remember you are beautiful." When you figure out how to do this, it's like turning on a bright light
in a drab and dreary world, like walking on sunshine. "The rules of hair care
are simple and finite. Any Cosmo Girl
would have known." Look out for our SECOND
Legally Blonde video up next. We're digging into the history of
the dumb blonde trope and the cultural origins
of blonde stereotypes. So be sure to watch. This video is sponsored by Skillshare,
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