Legally Blond and the Heroine's Journey

        Legally Blonde is a 2001 film focused on Elle Woods, a sorority girl who is broken up with by her boyfriend, Warner, as he plans to go to Harvard Law. Determined to win him back, she gets into the same school as him to prove she is “serious” enough. Throughout the film, she slowly realizes her own self worth and solidifies her sense of her identity, achieving the perfect world she hoped for. Elle’s story follows the general template of the heroine’s journey. 

At the beginning of the movie, Elle Woods is in illusion of a perfect world. She is living her best life as president of Delta Nu sorority, and waiting on a proposal from her then boyfriend, Warner Huntington III. The soundtrack to the opening sequence is quite literally “Perfect Day”, as the camera pans between shots of Elle getting ready for a date with Warner and the orderly delivery of her birthday card, which everyone is eager to sign. As she shops for “the dress” for Warner’s “proposal”, she outsmarts a saleswoman who attempts to scam her. Everything seems to go perfectly for Elle.

However, she then goes on a date with Warner.

Expecting him to propose to her, she excitedly waits for him to finish his long winding speech at the dinner table. But he has a different type of proposition for her: Warner suggests they break up. He cites as he will attend Harvard Law School, Elle is too “unserious” for him and “not a Jackie”. Elle is beyond heartbroken as her entire world shatters. Thus marks the second stage of the Heroine's journey, the betrayal.

The third stage begins in Elle’s man cave, the nail salon.  As she attends to her appointment, she picks up a magazine that coincidentally, has a picture of Warner’s brother marrying a Yale Law student. Realizing that Warner wants a girl who is “serious”, Elle decides to apply for Harvard Law school. She prepares for months and aces her LSAT, while her video works to convince admission officers. Ironically, though it allows Elle to go to a “serious” institution, the video fundamentally aligns with the patriarchy’s definition of unserious. Her entrance into Harvard marks the conclusion of her awakening/preparation for journey. 

The descent (into hell)/Passing of judgment begins when Elle arrives at Harvard. She upsettingly finds that her SoCal personality is a stark contrast to the relatively dull students. Often, people on campus ridicule her for being a “dumb blonde”. Furthermore, after she gets kicked out of her first class, she learns Warner is engaged to Vivian Kensington. Her whole reason for going to Harvard has now been crushed. 

The second stage of descent/passing of judgment follows Elle as she navigates her life in Harvard. She befriends the local esthetician, Paulette, who is similar to Elle in many ways. The salon, just like in California, becomes her safe space from the Harvard trials. Vivian ridicules her further: she invites Elle to dress in a costume for a party, which completely humiliates her as nobody else is dressed up. However, the party is both a blessing and curse - as Warner and Elle talk, she realizes he will never take her seriously. Thus, she stops chasing after him. 

The eye of the storm begins after Elle starts prioritizing herself over Warner. She becomes a wonderful student, doing well in all of her classes and is chosen for a prestigious internship along with other students. Furthermore, the defendant she represents is Brooke Windham, one of Elle’s sorority sisters. Though she is able to get an alibi out of her, she refuses to tell Callahan, the lawyer, as she was sworn to secrecy. Vivian admires Elle’s just moral character and tells her Warner got in due to his father’s connections, which delights Elle. Furthermore, she becomes increasingly close with Emmett, who is the first person to recognize her blondeness as empowering, not “unserious”.

However, her happiness is short-lived. After one of the meetings with Brooke, Callahan invites Elle to his office to discuss her career. He reveals that he had ulterior motives for selecting her for the internship. She leaves the office, distraught. Everything she had believed about being taken seriously, not being dismissed because she is blonde, goes down the drain along with her aspirations as Harvard. She vows to leave and go back to Southern California, where she thinks belongs. Thus concludes the All is Lost step.

The support stage kicks in immediately. After she tells Emmett everything that happens, he tries to comfort her and convince her to stay. She refuses, and goes to Paulette to thank her and say her goodbyes. As she confesses everything to her, Stromwell, one of Elle’s teachers, overhears their conversation. Stromwell tells Elle she is throwing away her brains and good future because of Callahan, empowering Elle to stay. Furthermore, as Emmett interviews Brooke, he reveals what happened to both her and Vivian. Distraught at thinking Elle had known of Callahan’ motives, Vivian hopes to make things right with her. Brooke decides to have Elle replace Callahan and represent her under Emmett’s guidance.

Now begins the rebirth/moment of truth for Elle. Dressed head to toe in pink, she embraces her “unseriousness” as empowering as she represents Brooke. By doing so, she combines her SoCal side with her Harvard world. At first, when she takes the stand, no one takes her seriously. However, Elle surprises them all by using her knowledge of fashion merchandising. The powerful amalgamation of her femininity and Harvard allows her to ultimately prove the plaintiff guilty of murder. She is hailed as a hero by the press and Warner tries to win her back. She pushes him off. 

Fast forward a couple years. She is a popular and respected member of her class, and is valedictorian to her graduation. She is on track to join one of Boston’s most prestigious law firms. She has repaired relations with Vivian and has a strong base of supporters. Emmett is planning to propose to her. Warner, on the other hand, has turned into a nobody. Thus marks the conclusion of the “Return to Perfect World,” and the movie ends with “Perfect day” playing in the background.