A Marilyn Not a Jackie: Class and Gender Stereotypes

You could say I was obsessed with Legally Blonde, watching illegal videos of the musical on youtube and memorizing every word to the movie and all of the songs. Years have gone by since then, and now I’m here to explain how the Marxist class lens and feminism are integrated in this story. Luckily, I’m channeling the Elle Woods herself, and all I have to say to that is, “What, like it’s hard?”. Having gone back and watched the movie version, these hidden messages became quite clear to me.

For those who have not had the chance to see either the musical or the movie, the story begins after the main character Elle Woods is dumped by her shallow college boyfriend, Warner. The driving reason he dumps her being him needing a “more serious” girlfriend in order for him to become a successful lawyer. What Warner really means by this, is that he needs to marry a girl who comes from a more prominent family like his own. Elle grew up in Bel-Air, so she is by no means considered to be of low class. The reason Warner doesn’t think Elle is a suitable girlfriend is due to the way she portrays herself. She is extremely outgoing and confident, which are both qualities that draw attention to her in ways Warner does not want, which is reflected in the way she dresses. Unfortunately, Elle also has certain stereotypes attached to her: the dumb blonde and daddy’s little girl. Both of these stereotypes follow her when she leaves her cushy bubble of sorority girls. A quick example is shown in a scene where Elle is shopping. In the movie, the store clerk says to her co-worker “Nothing I love more than a dumb blonde with daddy’s plastic”, in the musical, “Blondes make commision so easy”. Clearly, Elle is pinned as being stupid, helpess, and gullible just because she is a blonde. Most people see her as nothing but a pretty face with a rich family, providing her with anything she needs or wants. Though to think of someone this way is judgmental, it isn’t entirely wrong. Elle has lived her whole life not really needing to rely on herself. She has boys drooling over her, and the respect of her entire sorority, and her parents support. This however, doesn’t mean she is incapable of supporting herself, just that she needs to believe she can.

In order to get Warner back, Elle decides she needs to show him she can be “serious”. Elle sees only one way to do this, apply to Harvard law school. The same school Warner will be attending. When she gets there, however, she finds out that Warner is now engaged. His new fiance Vivian Kensington is also a law student. So what does Vivian have that Elle doesn’t? Well, Elle and Vivian are both rich, but the film makes it more complicated by showing the nuances of wealth and how there are different types of class or status.

The biggest difference between Elle and Vivian lies in where their whealth comes from. Elle comes from a family that is extremely wealthy, but her name doesn’t carry the same currency Vivian’s does. Her parents are easy going, willing to give her anything she wants, including tuition to Harvard as if that’s no big deal. Vivian on the other hand, grew up in a family that had set high expectations for her. She was expected to succeed like her mother and father, and likely their parents before them. Not to mention Vivian grew up in an area very different from the environment which Elle grew up in. California is known to be more laid back and it has a “go with the flow” atmosphere. Vivian grew up in a more rigorous environment in Connecticut. Her parents then sent her to boarding school which is where she first met Warner. This is what makes her “serious” in Warners’ eyes in comparison to Elle. Elle has never been pushed towards finding a career where she could support herself, she relies on the help of others whenever she really needs it. Even while she is working towards getting into Harvard, the girls in her sorority have to push her to study and practice so that she can get the right scores she would need to be accepted.

When Elle officially begins law school, she is struggling. This doesn’t break her concentration on completing her real goal however, getting Warner back. In the movie, Elle is kicked out of her very first class at Harvard. She storms away and bumps into Emmet, an attorney and teacher assistant for one of her professors, Mr. Callahan. Emmet offers her some advice but is quickly cut off by Warner who has Elle’s full attention. Warner is utterly confused as to how she got into law school and how she thinks she can become a successful lawyer. People at Harvard in general judge Elle by her appearance. She doesn’t blend in with the rest of the students, and because of where she comes from and how she was raised, she is seen as a complete joke. Vivian on the other hand dresses the part of a wealthy woman who is focused on her career. It’s as if she had been raised to be exactly where she is. She blends in perfectly with the others students.

In the musical, Emmet really opens up to Elle and tells her how he came from nothing, growing up with men who set horrible examples for him. He tells her that people made fun of him just like they are making fun of her. Even though they come from polar opposite backgrounds, they actually have a lot in common due to often being underestimated. After putting their differences aside, it’s clear they are still both the odd ones out at a place like Harvard, and both of them have to work harder than others to prove themselves. Elle feels inspired by Emmet’s work ethic and determination. Their relationship opens up interesting questions about class and gender, as Emmet is privileged because he is a man but disadvantaged because he is poor. This of course, is the opposite position Elle finds herself in.

There is a clear division in all of the main characters, who all come from different classes. Although Elle is wealthy, she interacts with lower class like Emmet and Paulette. Warner and Vivian on the other hand, are exclusive. They can only be seen with people who are on the same level as them. They even go as far as not letting Elle in their study group. Besides Elle’s relationship with Emmet, her friendship with Paulette, an older woman who works at a nail salon, proves her ability to look past her status. Even so, an author who goes by Iron Man wrote in their article “Elle befriends and confides in Paulette; however, their relationship is unequal. This is because Elle is paying Paulette for a service, which illustrates how class acts as an oppression in Legally Blonde”. Looking at this scenario through a Marxist Class lens, Elle is considered to be the de facto member of the bourgeoisie. Paulette is a working class counterpart. Vivian and Warner would also technically be part of the bourgeoisie as they are wealthy upper class, planning to have a job that offers them more than what they need.

Callahan’s internship allows a few of his students to assist in defending his client, Brooke Windham, who allegedly killed her husband. Brooke claims she didn’t do it, but refuses to use her alibi because it could her hurt career. To make matters worse, her husband was sixty, and she is the same age as his daughter, which doesn’t look good to the jury. To top it off, the daughter claims she saw Brooke covered in his blood. All of this makes Brooke look like a gold digger to not only the jury, but her defense team as well. This couldn’t be true though because Brooke was incredibly successful from her own career, but everyone’s view of her is skewed because they can’t look past the fact that her husband was rich, and she’s just a pretty blonde girl. This is another example within the movie that shows how your gender and class status can affect the way others view you. Unfortunately for girls like Elle and Brooke however, being women only makes matters worse for them. Typically a man isn’t seen as a gold digger, at least not as commonly as a woman is.

Throughout Callahan’s internship, something that stood out to me was Callahan always asking the girls to get his coffee. This is something Vivian later on points out to Elle. Why does he always asks the girls to do this small, and brainless, task for him? Vivian thinks its because “men are hopeless” however based on what Callahan later reveals about himself, I’d say it more has to do with the fact that he would rather have the men in the room working with him than women. In an article written by Julia C. Lapan, the difference between men and women’s work is explored. She says “Valuative bias is when work done by women is valued less (by society, by employers) than work done by men”. Combine this with the fact that Elle is already seen as a joke because of her over privileged background, and she is at a clear disadvantage from her peers.

After Elle has a breakthrough with the case, Callahan calls her to his office. It seems obvious at first that he is going to congratulate her for her hard work which paid off and helped them get one step closer to winning the trial. But the rug is pulled out from under Elle’s feet when he hits on her. Now she feels as though all her hard work was meaningless and her looks are what got her to where she was. Though it is clear to the audience how far her hard work has taken her, it also seems like Callahan just put her on the team because of her beauty, not her brain. In an article titled The Legally Blonde Movie and how Femininity can Define Strength by Lidiya Angelova, this same idea is emphasized. She writes about “… the bias of physically attractive women, who are accepted only as talking decoration”. Thankfully, Elle shows him that a woman who puts her mind to something can do anything a man can do, if not better. Callahan’s plan to put Elle on the team just because of her attractiveness backfires on him after Brooke fires him and hires Elle, who goes on to win the trial.

Elle never gives in, even with the obstacles she faces as a woman, and earns her way to the top. She proves to everyone that the sterotype that blondes are dumb isn’t valid. She even says to Warner “… look at how far I have come without anyone holding my hand”. Elle has managed to get to the position she is in now due to her own hard work and determination, without any handouts from others. Towards the end of the musical, Warner comes back begging for her forgiveness. She thanks him, for without him she would have never gotten the opportunity to show everyone what she is capable of.

Even after analyzing Legally Blonde, I can still laugh at all the ridiculous jokes. Now that I am older, however, I can appreciate all of the obstacles Elle overcomes, and acknowledge that even though it’s a dramatized story, these same obstacles are present in many people’s lives today. Not just women, but also men, and also people of both high and low class. There is always someone people are comparing themselves too. Even more, Elle acknowledges that though people will continue to underestimate her, she will be able to face these challenges head on. She says to Warner “… even if I crash and burn ten times a day, I think I’m here to stay. I’m gonna find my way”.