Dumb Blonde Ambition: Legally Blonde, Blonde, Postfeminism and the Reimagination of the Strong Female Character ‘
’
By: Lucy Ford @lucyj_ford
University of Leeds BA Cultural Studies April 2014
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Introduction
What does it mean to be considered ‘strong’? The word itself can be interpreted as
anything from physical force and intelligence, to competency, courage and morality. With these diverse definitions in mind, are we able to secure one concrete explanation of what it is to consider someone ‘strong’; and, if we are, can that ever be transpired into adequate cinematic representation? Over the past century, cinema has reigned supreme as one of our most prevalent and prominent cultural artefacts. Contributing to many of our most engrained social stereotypes and tropes, the influence of cinematic representation has an enormous effect on how we construct images both on screen and in our society. The ‘strong female character’ is one of the tropes to have arisen from the
influence of cinema, and now contributes to one of the most recognisable and popular genre characterisations. The ‘strong female character’ came into existence
from a backlash by the feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s, due to the t he fact that, up until then, female representation had been reduced to sidelined girlfriends or ‘damsels in distress’. As a result, the ‘strong female character’ emerged as a classification of female illustration, and it is used to portray one basic idea; ‘strength’. However, as we have and will come to see, ‘strength’ is not a term easily defined or illustrated and so many of the representations of ‘strength’ that we see on screen are stereotypes, marginalisation’s and tropes not dissimilar from the ones we see with the ‘damsel in distress’. More often than not, strength is interpreted as a use of
physical force, emotional negligence or sharp intelligence; features, we could argue, that are commonly attributed to ideas of ‘masculinity’. The purpose of this
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dissertation is to discuss the shortcomings that this trope presents, and assess whether a case can be made for ‘strong female characters’ that are overtly feminine. In order to determine whether femininity has a place in ‘strength’, I will be analysing the 2001 ‘chick flick’ Legally Blonde. The film, which opened to large
commercial success, follows the life of Elle Woods, a Southern Californian sorority girl who, in the wake of being ‘dumped’ by her boyfriend, decides to f ollow him to
Harvard Law School. I will be assessing not only its merits in creating a strong and feminine character, but also its Postfeminist overtones. One of the key elements of postfeminist theory is the return to femininity for female characters, and Legally Blonde not only makes femininity a character trait for our protagonist, but a weapon
with which to arm herself. The understanding of Legally Blonde as a Postfeminist model is an important idea to consider, as ‘strong female characters’ usually seem to sacrifice feminine qualities in exchange for masculine ones. What essentially makes Legally Blonde then itself worth studying is the fact that Elle is, for all intents and
purposes, a ‘strong female character’ who seems to be overtly overtly female. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to ask how a postfeminist character, with its emphasis on femininity and undisguised sexual difference, could ever cross the threshold of becoming a ‘strong female character’. To achieve this aim, I will not only be seeking to determine whether Legally Blonde can be considered a ‘strong female character’, but will be using the information I find to ask whether the film can act as a model for Postfeminism having a place in the future construction of female strength. An investigation into the attributes of cinematic Postfeminism is essential to this argument, as it is the features present in both Postfeminist theory and this film that the argument for strength will be conducted. For this reason, it is important to research what work has been carried out into analysing the role of the ‘chick flick’ in
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t he Movies, edited by post feminist discourse. Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the
Susan Ferries and Mallory Young, presents us with multiple arguments surrounding the idea of ‘chick flicks’ and ‘chick culture’; and, most importantly, frames its findings
around the idea of postfeminism. In framing this argument, this text is integral into analysing why ‘chick flicks’ are hardly present in the discussion of female strength,
but also why the genre of film is rarely taken seriously as a purveyor of intelligent characterisation. Whilst many works have been conducted in the field of Postfeminism, it was equally as important to understand why women are still continuing to be misrepresented on screen; and for this reason Kathleen Rowe Karlyns’ book Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen
was essential in understanding the role that feminism plays in our construction and continuation of female representation. By comprehending the issues prevalent in feminist discourse concerning representation, research into public perception of the ‘strong female character’ was necessary in establishing whether broader forms of
representation were desired, and whether Legally Blonde could, or should, be championed as a model in which to build diverse illustrations of strength. Essentially, however, this dissertation is a dissection of the attributes that make Legally Blonde both a Postfeminist piece of cinema, and also a widely misunderstood one. Far more than being ‘just another chick flick’, the film offers an
alternative understanding of romantic comedies and the themes and characters that they promote; and by analysing the films scenic elements, character construction, costume and narrative, this dissertation seeks to view women’s’ film as a gateway
into understanding the complexity and positivity that feminine f eminine qualities can represent.
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Brief Synopsis
Elle Woods leads a life of luxury and privilege in Southern California. As president of her sorority, the blonde bombshell thinks her life is about to get even better when w hen her handsome boyfriend, Warner, takes her on a romantic date. What she assumes will be a proposal actually transpires as a break up, and on the grounds that Elle just isn’t serious enough for his new life at Harvard Law School, Warner ‘dumps’ her. In a state at having lost the ‘love of her life’, Elle decides to apply for Harvard Law School Scho ol as well. Elle, somewhat surprisingly, achieves admission to the prestigious college, only to find that Warner has gotten engaged over the summer to Vivian, her complete opposite. In a bid to steal him back, Elle aims to prove her intelligence and worth by working hard and being kind to others. Harvard is a much more hostile place, she finds, than California; and Elle is quick to feel lonely and isolated as the only girly-girl on campus. She finds solace in a local beauty parlour, where her manicurist soon becomes her best friend and helps her achieve her goals. Elle, after facing much adversity, starts to prove her worth and is accepted into a prestigious internship alongside Warner and Vivian. Defending a former sorority sister, Brooke, in a murder trial, Elle is viewed as out of depth in the cut-throat world of law. With the support, however, of Brooke and Emmett, an associate at the law firm, Elle is able to win the case using her feminine knowledge and intuition. By the end, Elle has become an honour student, been offered a job in a prestigious firm, turned down Warner on the grounds that he is a ‘complete bonehead’, and is instead engaged to Emmett; a person who had faith in her abilities from the start. What essentially starts as a pursuit of love ends with Elle finding strength, courage and belief in herself.
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The Emergence and Construction of the ‘Strong Female Character’
Unlike many genre characterisations, the concept of the ‘ strong female character’ is challenging to cement into one linear list of attributes. With ‘strength’ being
synonymous with a wide breadth of adjectives, the idea of there being one finite understanding of what it is to be ‘strong’ ‘ strong’ can be seen as widely illogical. Therefore, it is useful to look at examples of roles that people traditionally view as ‘strong female characters’, and assess what it is that apparently makes this so. As Carina Chocano
(2011), expresses: “Strong female character” is one of those shorthand memes that has leached into the cultural groundwater and spawned all kinds of cinematic clichés: alpha professionals whose laserlike laserlike focus on career advancement has turned them into grim, celibate c elibate automatons; robotic, lone-wolf, ascetic action heroines whose monomaniacal devotion to their crime-fighting makes them lean and cranky and very impatient; pokerfaced assassins; and gloomy ninjas with commitment issues.1
Essentially, ‘strong female characters’ inhabit the idea of ‘strength’ in female characterisation as meaning incomprehensible amounts of power, callousness, physical strength or emotional unavailability. Whilst obviously an exaggeration of a 1
Carina Chocano, ‘Tough, Cold, Terse, Taciturn and Prone to Not Saying Goodbye When They Hang Up the (1 July 2011) [accessed 31 March 2014]
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set of characteristics unbefitting of any realistic portrayal of women, the ‘strong female character’ came into fruition in the early days of the Second Wave of feminism
from a desire to see more accurate, and less offensive, representations of women than merely just the ‘Damsel in Distress’.
From an appeal to see more rounded characterisations which they described as ‘strong’ (as it was the natural opposition to the idea of ‘Damsel in Distress’), women were then faced with the ‘dully literal’2 illustration of ‘strength’. What essentially was a
plea in which to equal the scale between representations of men and women, turned into a trope by which women, in the event that they were not allowed to be women (AKA weak), must be be men (AKA strong). strong). Here we find one one of our first, of three, examples found in the characterisation of ‘strong female characters’; ‘The Machine’. Taken from a blog entitled ‘The Strangerverse’, amateur film and television critic
anonym-ed ‘Ugo Strange’ detailed in the post The (Female) Character Controversy: Stereotypes three boxes of characterisation that women are put into in an effort to entitle them ‘strong’. These three examples, although simplifying to an extent,
present us with a valuable understanding of the basic ways in which women, from an effort to be seen as equal, have further been stereotyped into positions of oppression/objectification:
i. The Machine
(2001) ‘The Machine’, exemplified by Lara Croft from the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) series and Black Widow from the Iron Man (2010) and Avengers (2012) franchises, 2
Melissa Silverstein and Inkoo Kang, Goodbye to Strong Female Characters (30 Characters (30 December 2013) [accessed 30 March 2014]
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roughly speaking, is a female master fighter . As Strange recounts, ‘The Machine is an ‘amotional’ woman who simply functions like an all-out killing machine; she has no
real emotions aside from frustration f rustration at not having enough clips or whatever ’3. Here the idea of ‘strength in a character is actualised in one of its most basic
forms; physical power. Probably the most stark deviations from the damsel, this trope sees to take all that makes women ‘feminine’, such as compassion, empathy, love
etc. and make her ‘masculine’ in one of the most primal ways. As physical strength is seen to be almost analogous with the idea of masculinity, writers seemed to have ‘patted themselves on the back, saying, “You wanted Strong Female Characters?
Well, now they’re strong.”’4 The inclusion of this brute strength, however, seems to be at the expense of what are classically viewed as feminine attributes. Since male protagonists have had the monopoly on ‘strong’ characters since the dawn of cinema,
their characterisation has shifted from the almost one-dimensional nature of our female heroes, and transitioned into ones containing both strength and emotion. An example of this hero evolution is James Bond which, in its fifty years, has seen the title character progress from the cold, calculated reaction of finding Jill Masterson dead and covered in gold paint in Goldfinger (1964), (1964), to one willing to retire from f rom the field in pursuit of love in Casino Royal (2006). (2006). Female ‘machines’ are not afforded this character transition as, whilst a male
hero can cry and still be a hero, a female hero cannot cry at the risk of being seen as ‘weak’. Stereotypically, men are viewed as ‘agentic’, and found to be forceful,
3
Ugo Strange, The (Female) Character Controversy: Stereotypes (18 December 2012) [accessed 30 March 2014] 4 Shana Mlawski, Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad for Women (18 Women (18 August 2008) [accessed 30 March 2014]
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aggressive and assertive; whilst women are ‘communal’, meaning that they hold empathy, emotion and a strong support from others5. ‘Strong female characters’, however, are wholly agentic as, in a sense, they must seem almost more masculine than men at the risk of ever being considered feminine. This is due to the fact that: “Strength,” in the parlance, is the 21st -century -century equivalent of “virtue.” And what we think of as “virtuous,” or culturally sanctioned, socially acceptable behavior now, in women as in men, is the ability to play down qualities that have been traditionally considered feminine and play up the qualities that have traditionally been considered masculine6
In the character Black Widow, we see this executed by the ways in which emotional attachment is never viewed as a viable motive for action; instead, it is by a sense of duty, honour and ‘virtue’. Black Widow, W idow, a master assassin in the 2012 franchise Avengers Assemble, asks Loki, the film villain, about her captured assassin partner
Hawkeye. He responds with the question ‘is this love?’, to which she replies ‘Love is for children. I owe him a debt’. This forthright denouncement of any affectionate or nurturing behaviour is symptomatic of ‘the machine’, and further proves that ‘“Strong
female characters,” in other words, are often just female characters with the gendered behavior taken out.’7
5
Robert Kabacoff, The Glass Ceiling Revisited: Gender and Perceptions of Competency (2012) (2012) [accessed 19 March 2014] 6 Carina Chocano, ‘Tough, Cold, Terse, Taciturn and Prone to Not Sayi ng ng Goodbye When They Hang Up the (1 July 2011) [accessed 31 March 2014] 7 Chocano (2011)
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ii. ‘The ManMan-Hater’
This notion of a non-gendered female paves the way for our second ‘strong female character’ construction; ‘the man-hater’. This figure is actualised by the female anti-
hero Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) and (2010). According to Strange, this trope ‘involves ‘involves a strong hatred of men to the the point where
she'll constantly put men down, vilify them and declare herself superior to them’8 or, if the narrative does not adhere to that sort of aspersion, ‘the writer will portray the men as being ultimately useless in order to increase the appeal of the female character’9. This latter description is emblematised in a character like Carol Marcus
from Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), who consistently leaves our hero, Captain James Kirk, speechless as a result of her superior scientific and weaponry knowledge. Salander, who is also abnormally intelligent, by comparison far more embodies the former characterisation. Despite engaging in a sexual relationship with the male protagonist Mikael Blomkvist, she goes on missions throughout the series to punish and humiliate the men who have abused her in the past. This character, despite hating men, is never seen to be engaging in any meaningful relationships with women (even Lisbeth, who is involved in a sexual relationship with a woman, is not emotionally attached to her lover). More often than not, these characters will be the only female in the cast, engaging in the idea known as ‘The Smurfette Principle’, which describes a film or television show with a ‘token’
woman employed to represent all women. With this lack of emotional affiliation, 8
Ugo Strange, The (Female) Character Controversy: Stereotypes (18 December 2012) [accessed 30 March 2014] 9 Strange (2012)
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these characters are not afforded the description of either ‘agentic’ or ‘communal’ and since, more often than not, their strength derives from mental acuity rather than brute physicality, they run the risk of mentally subordinating the male characters within the film. In the event of films f ilms where mental superiority or humiliation is executed, some form of physical subordination will be inflicted on the female character. Laura Mulvey (1975) implies that, as film is created with a male m ale audience in mind, then men will view film in one of two ways: The first, scopophilic, arises from pleasure in using another person as an object of sexual stimulation through sight. The second, developed through narcissism and the constitution of the ego, comes from identification with the image seen.10
If we are to agree with Mulvey’s’ delineation, then it would seem that in order to enjoy a film, a male audience must either identify with the male protagonist, or have a ‘spectacle’ in which to look at. In the case, then, of the man-hater who routinely
humiliates her male counterpart, the identification by a male audience with said male counterpart would be inappropriate. Therefore, the ‘scopophilic’11 instinct must take place, and our ‘strong’ women must have the ability to be viewed as objects; this can
be seen in how, despite their intellect, Lisbeth Salander and Carol Marcus have been objectified in their representations (see fig. 1 and fig. 2):
10
Screen, 16 (1975), p. 10 Laura Mulvey, ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, Screen, Mulvey (1975)
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11
(Fig.1, Theatrical poster for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011))
(Fig. 2 Film still of Carol Marcus in underwear underwear from Star Trek Into Darkness (2013))
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It seems that in order for a woman to be viewed as ‘strong’ for this ‘male audience’
then she must be either physically intimidating and intellectually unintimidating or vice ver sa; sa; never both. In the case of ‘the machine’, the character is physically strong; however she is never given enough emotional resonance r esonance to be viewed as intellectually stimulating. ‘The man-hater’, however, has an immense intellectual
capacity and so must become physically unintimidating; this is done by objectifying her, more often than not, against her will.
iii. The Business B*tch
Our final trope is what Strange monikers the ‘Business B*tch’. This characterisation is someone who ‘doesn't have time for a man, doesn't need a man, she has her job to focus on. Oh yeah, and deep down she really wants a man’. This characterisation deviates most from our most basic representations of strength, as it lies in her economic independence. As a result, therefore, this thi s kind of characterisation is the ‘strong female character’ most commonly found in ‘chick flicks’; as an integral element of the ‘chick flick’ is creating a character that has features, like money or
power, that you want to emulate. This trope, found in the characters Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Grace Heart in Miss Congeniality (2000), (2000), is a female character so focused on excelling in her career that she deliberately shuns any form of romantic attachment at the risk of sabotaging her work. ‘Married’ to their careers, their strength is defined by how they surpass their male colleagues in terms of promotion, in what is traditionally viewed of as a ‘man’s world’ (this is particularly
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prominent in Miss Congeniality , whereby Grace Heart is a high-ranking agent in the FBI, a government agency that did not allow women into its ranks until 1972)12. This characters weakness, however, however, lies in the fact that she suppresses her emotions. Despite protestations about not needing a man, by the end of the film this character will have either had to sacrifice her career in exchange for love, or will have to forgo romantic attachment at the expense of her career (which will ultimately seem tarnished as a result). Miranda Priestly is a good proponent of the latter as, despite being married throughout the film, we never see her as anyone other than a character married to her career. Miranda excels at her job as fashion editor of fictitious, Vogue-like magazine Runway and, and, in an emotionally climactic scene, she chooses to give a promotion to her female rival (in order to prevent her from stealing her job) instead of her very deserving male colleague Nigel. This neglect of male desire in the workplace is avenged in a scene whereby Miranda reveals to our protagonist Andrea that her husband is filing for divorce. For the first, and only, time, we see Miranda without make-up or an intimidating power suit; signalling to an audience that, regardless of how ‘strong’ she is in terms of her career, it will never be
strong enough to transcend the need for male attention. Essentially, these women are given the right to surpass men in terms of economic strength; however they do so at the expense of their independence.
12
Diana Reese, A Reese, A woman could head FBI — just 40 years after women allowed to become special agents (1 agents (1 April 2013) [accessed 19 March 2014]
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2. Shortcomings of the Trope
Within these tropes, a common theme emerges which states that t hat even with strength, there must always be a way to subordinate women; this is never more evident than the fact that ‘strong ‘ strong female character’ exists as a characterisation, whilst the ‘strong male character’ does not. Stemmed from a desire for equality amongst the sexes in gender representation, the construction ‘strong female character’ has further tipped the scales in terms of disparity because ‘calling for “strong male characters” [sounds]
ridiculous and kind of reactionary, [because] who really wants to watch them? They sound boring’13. In an effort to create more rounded characters, female
representation has further slipped into shallow characterisation and formation on the grounds that all women asked for was ‘strength’: Maybe what people mean when they say “strong female characters” is female characters who are “strong,” i.e., interesting or complex or well written — “strong” in the sense that they figure predominantly in the story, rather than recede decoratively into the background. But I get the feeling that what most people mean or hear when they say or hear “strong female character” are female characters who are tough, cold, terse, taciturn and prone to scowling and not saying goodbye when they hang up the phone.14
13
Carina Chocano, ‘Tough, Cold, Terse, Taciturn and Prone to Not Saying Saying Goodbye When They Hang Up t he (1 July 2011) [accessed 31 March 2014] 14 Chocano (2011)
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What this miscalculation leads us to believe is that ‘unless a female character is “strong,” she is not interesting or worth identifying with’15; however, this simply is not
the case. Brute strength, in any of its forms, is not an interesting characteristic on its own as, in the belief that illustrations should be representational, no one character will have only one defining quality in which to profess because, as Chocano states, that would be boring. Male characters are never tarred with the title of ‘strong male character’ as ‘he’s assumed to be strong by default’ 16. With effort not made in ensuring that these
characters are seen as strong, we are able to unearth a deeper level of characterisation; allowing for male characters to profess pr ofess love, emotion and intellect without the risk of being vilified. As McDougall (2013) writes: Sherlock Holmes gets to be brilliant, solitary, abrasive, Bohemian, whimsical, brave, sad, manipulative, neurotic, vain, untidy, fastidious, artistic, courteous, rude, a polymath genius. Female characters characters get to be Strong 17 .
The fact that Sherlock Holmes has remained an prevalent literary and media character is because his characteristics remain interesting and innovative, whilst the reason that ‘strong female characters’ have remained a f igurative trope is due to the fact that the ‘patronising promise of the ‘Strong Female Character’ is that she’s anomalous’18. Holmes is artistic, vain and neurotic; features commonly attributed to
ideas of femininity. No one, however, accuses Sherlock Holmes of being feminine
15
Chocano (2011) Sophia McDougall, I hate Strong Female Characters (15 Characters (15 August 2013 ) [accessed 22 February 2014 ] 17 McDougall (2013) 18 McDougall (2013) 16
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because his personality is far more complex than the duality between masculine and feminine. ‘Strong female characters’, however, evoke an ‘unspoken idea that in order
for a female character to be worth identifying with, she should really try to rein in the gross girly stuff’19 because, essentially, women cannot be both agentic and
communal. With this in mind, how can we establish whether Postfeminism has a place within the construct of the ‘strong female character’?
3. Postfeminism, Second Wave Feminism and its Cinematic Enactment in
Leg ally lly B londe londe Enid : “Hey. How you doin'? I'm Enid Wexler. I got a Ph.D. from Berkeley in women's studies, emphasis in the history of combat, and last year I single-handedly organized the march for ‘Lesbians Against Drunk -Driving”
Elle: “Hi. I'm Elle Woods…I have a bachelor's degree in fashion merchandising from CULA, and I was a Zeta Lambda Nu sweetheart president of my sorority, Delta Nu, and last year I was homecoming queen. Oh, Two weeks ago I saw Cameron Diaz at Fred Segal and I talked her out of buying this truly heinous angora sweater. Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed” 20
19
Carina Chocano, ‘Tough, Cold, Terse, Taciturn and Prone to Not Saying Goodbye When They Hang Up the (1 July 2011) [accessed 31 March 2014] 20 Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
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The above excerpt from ‘Legally Blonde’ exemplifies how, if we are to consider the
film and Elle Woods as a feminist illustration, its construction deviates away from ‘traditional’ portrayals of feminism on screen, and moves towards creating a new kind
of
feminist
representation
(I
say
repr esentation esentation
rather
that
‘attitude’,
as
representation, does not necessarily mirror actuality). We see Elle’s classmate Enid introducing herself to the group, presenting herself as a ‘traditional’ representation of feminism by describing integral roles in women’s education and activism. The scene is a key example of how the film, from an early point, tries to redefine how we view feminism, and its different factions, on screen. I have defined ‘Legally Blondes’ feminist appeal as Postfeminist; however, how you define the term ‘Postfeminist’ will determine whether or not you agree with this statement. Postfeminism has never been afforded one concrete definition, as there is much disparity between how people view it, and whether it can even be considered feminism. Roughly speaking, looking at the term ‘post’, we can determine that it should either be defined as the
next step of feminism, leading on from Second Wave feminism, or as the end of it21. The reason Postfeminism has been interpreted so fluidly is due in large part to what extent feminism itself tries to reach, as it attempts to negate gender inequality by analysing the social, economic and political inconsistencies between the sexes. With it being so multifaceted, however, a concrete definition of what it fundamentally is is illogical to demand, and so over the course of time, feminism has fragmented into different sects (also known as ‘waves’). So far split into three, the ‘First Wave’ of feminism occurred between the nineteenth and early twentieth century and principally
21
Penelope Robinson, So, what is postfeminism anyway? (23 (23 January 2010) [accessed 4 March 2014]
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focused on suffrage and women’s rights. The ‘Second Wave’, originating in the 1960s, surrounded support of the anti-war movement and focused on civil rights. 22 With the limelight focused on reproductive rights and sexuality, the issues most commonly associated with the idea of ‘feminism’, the Second Wave campaign for gender equality presented us with what we now view as ‘traditional’ feminist ideals.
These are more often than not the ethics presented in a cinematic representation of the movement.
Stereotypically viewed as ‘man haters’, Second Wave feminists
used activism and protest to revolt against such organisations as the Miss America pageant and Ladies Home Journal magazine magazine for degrading and oppressing women. Essentially they sought to fight the patriarchy which, they felt, attempted to subdue them into positions of little power. This established Second Wave feminism as a set of political opposition, with their views grounded in ‘neo -Marxist’ ideology and ‘pseudo-analytical’ theory23. Identifying women as more a ‘social class’ than gender
group, Second Wave feminists contrasted greatly to the new ‘Third Wave’ feminists that emerged during the mid-1990s as a direct critique; opposing ideas such as a ‘universal womanhood’24 and an ‘us-versus-them’ sense of rivalry.25 As women
became more equal to men legally, national publications more frequently began to publish articles about the death and end of feminism. With media becoming a defining vehicle in which to promote a movement, Third Wave feminists shifted their endeavours from issues of rights to issues of representation; with primary focus on issues pertaining to queer theory, sex-positivity (the de-degradation of women and sex), minority inclusion and female portrayal in the media.
22
Martha Rampton, 'The Three Waves of Feminism', PACIFIC , 41.2, (2008), , in [accessed 4 March 2014] 23 Rampton (2008) 24 Rampton (2008) 25 Rampton (2008)
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Despite Second Wave feminism providing meaningful and lasting change, her legacy now on film is usually marginalised into a comedy role, whereby the humour lies in the ‘ridiculous’ ideals that inevitably she embodies. Enid Wexler is a prime
example of this descent, with quotes such as “take ‘semester’, a perfect example of the discriminatory preference of semen to ovaries”26, portraying stereotypical notions of anti-patriarchy. This belittling of Second Wave feminism in contemporary media is a direct result of media publications denounci ng feminism as ‘dead’ and how, as a result, organised political feminist groups went out of fashion. Consequentially, Postfeminism was born as a branch of Third Wave feminism as a desire to take feminism out of politics and into the home; a ‘shift away from feminist interest in centralised power blocks’27. Postfeminism seeks to do what is best for the individual,
rather than cater to an entire group; contrasting greatly from the Second Wave idea of the ‘universal female’. Postfeminism offers an approach where we get to ask ourselves ‘what do I want from society?’ and ‘what do I want for myself’ which, with
no claim for global political action, does not seek to purport those desires onto the wider female gender. More so than just disallowing the notion of a singular gendered group, Postfeminism declares the idea of the patriarchy outdated, and instead sees to create an attitude whereby individuals are responsible for their actions. As aforementioned, the use of the word ‘post’ opens up channels of debate as to whether or not the term means ‘after feminism’ in the sense that feminism is over, or
whether, like Postcolonialism and Postmoderninsm, it gestures a state of transition from one set of beliefs to another. Being merely an argument of of semiotics, in as as 26
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014] 27 Angela McRobbie , 'Postfeminism and popular cul ture', Feminist Media Studies, Studies, 4.3, (2004), 255-264 (p. 256), in [accessed 12 March 2014]
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such that it is how our interpretation of the word ‘post’ that delineates our viewpoint,
then for the purpose of analysing this film, Postfeminism is to be translated a state of evolution, rather than as a state of dissolution.
4. ‘Chick Flicks’ Flicks’ and Selling the Postfeminist Brand
Legally Blonde, like many other bankable female films, adheres to what York (2010) describes as ‘the look, the hook, and the book’ model of marketing. ‘The look, the hook, and the book’ method takes a mildly successful book and not only creates a
film out of it, but creates a lifestyle and brand to sell to audiences; most popular uses of this model are the films such as Sex and the City (2008), (2008), which illustrated a group of ‘independent women’ who valued designer clothing, fancy cocktails and the
unconstrained nature of love and life in New York City, as well as Bridget Jones Diary (2001), which followed the life of Bridget Jones, a single thirty-something juggling career and love in early millennial London. Legally Blonde, similarly, was based on a 2001 manuscript of a novel by the same name. The book, like the film, seeks to create a lifestyle within the narrative, selling ideas of southern Californian affluence and unadulterated feminity. However, contrasting to Sex and the City and Bridget Jones Diary , Legally Blonde the film veered heavily away from the narrative of the
manuscript by altering the entire storyline and key motivations written within the main character of Elle Woods. Of the decisive changes made to the narrative, the reconstruction of Elle Woods is fundamental. Whilst her femininity, aesthetics and origins are unchanged, the film vehemently transforms her role as a shallow, superficial and judgemental character into one altogether more motivated, driven and intelligent. Novel Elle seems to have
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breezed into a position at Harvard, contains no real desire to be taken seriously as an intellectual, continues to be involved with Warner despite his engagement and, at the very end, explains her only dream in life is to attain the rights to the Barbie brand and create her own line of inspired jewellery. It is in the reconstruction of her character, with film Elle exhibiting dreams of being taken seriously, stark levels of intelligence and an intense moral and ethical code, that we move away from stereotypical representations of the ‘spoilt blonde princess’. It is in fact the embracement of feminine tropes, which novel Elle did not sacrifice in the move to film, alongside her character reconstruction that create a far more complex protagonist in terms of the integration of Second Wave and Postfeminist theory. As Ferries, editor of Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies, notes: The
ideas
associated
with
postfeminism
and
the
presumed conflict between feminism and postfeminism are central to any consideration of chick flicks, which can be viewed as the prime postfeminist media texts28
Despite cinema reigning supreme over audiences since the early 1920s, films specifically targeted to women, or ‘weepies’, did not emerge until the 1940’s 29. This
new era of cinema sought to create women protagonists that moved outside the realms of ‘wife, mother and victim’, and instead broadcasted the positive notions of consumerism and the idea of ‘a better life’30. It was not until 1997 that Titanic
28
Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young, 'Introduction: Chick Flicks and Chick Culture', in Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies, Movies, ed. by Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young(New York: Routledge, 2008), p. 3 29 Ashley Elaine York, 'From Chick Flicks to Millennial Blockbusters: Spinning Female-Driven Narratives into Franchises', The Journal of Popular Culture, Culture , 43.1, (2010), 3-25 (p. 3), in [accessed 12 March 2014] 30 York (2010)
22
changed the ‘complexion of the women’s film forever’ 31 by becoming the highest
grossing film of all time and catapulting what we now know as the ‘chick flick’ into mainstream attention. Since then, wide recognition has been placed on the idea of ‘chick flicks’ being a viable and profitable film genre, with ‘women’s blockbuster’ films
commonly grossing above the $100 million mark; Legally Blonde being one of them32. ‘Chick flicks’ by name and nature encapsulate the Postfeminist ideals of
womanhood by enacting stories completely centred around the lives of women. During the height of Second Wave liberation, terms such as ‘girl’, ‘doll’ and specifically ‘chick’ were forgone as implying a level of derogatory sexism that
infantilised women. Renouncing these terms, along with repudiating all traditional tropes of femininity such as ‘girly’ colours and obvious sexual difference, acted as a stance against inequality and moved towards the desire for female independence. In contrast, as feminist activism moved from the politics of the 70’s to the personal of the 90’s, Third Wavers’ reclaimed these words for themselves by re-appropriating
them as positive signifiers of a new era of feminism. As a result, sexual difference was celebrated rather than sequestered, and the ‘chick flick’, by physically perpetuating this glorification in its name, was able to present women with storylines and characters that not only included issues of love and womanliness, but sold them as positive; as Ferries (2010) further explains:
31
York (2010) p.6 York (2010) p.6
32
23
Chick flicks illustrate, reflect and present all of the cultural characteristics associated with the chick post feminist aesthetic: a return to femininity, the primacy of romantic attachments, girlpower, a focus on female pleasure and pleasures, and the value of consumer culture and girlie goods,
including
designer
clothes,
expensive
and
impractical footwear and trendy accessories.33
5. Legally Blonde and its Postfeminist Attributes
When we tear apart the attributes of both ‘chick flick’ anatomy and Postfeminist film
theory, the power of the feminine is the most significant trope; and if we are to consider femininity as the defining feature, then we could argue that Legally Blonde is the pinnacle of both Postfeminist film and the ‘chick flick’:
i. Compassionate Strength: The Power of ‘Feminine’ Attributes
Feminine attributes can be viewed as the likes of compassion, empathy, nurturance and sensitivity. As these tropes are generally seen as synonymous with fragility, they are usually hardly, if at all, present in traditional traditi onal representations of strong characters; both female and male. This film utilises this stereotype by creating a character, Elle Woods, who is wholly compassionate and sensitive, and compares her to characters, again both male and female, who embody what we view of as 33
Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young, 'Introduction: Chick Flicks and Chick Culture', in Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies, Movies, ed. by Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young(New York: Routledge, 2008), p. 4
24
traditionally ‘masculine’ traits; such as intelligence and apathy. Whilst Elles’ life in
Southern California is set up to be seen as a utopian feminine space, Harvard is pictured as an undeniably masculine one; with emphasis placed on the ideas of aggressiveness and competitiveness competitiveness (such is exhibited in a scene depicting Elles’ first class with Professor Callahan where, after saying that every student will be competing for four coveted internship spaces, he remarks “let the bloodbath begin”34). This ‘male space’ is represented in the dialogue, costume and scenery of
the film, with Harvard being depicted as a quintessentially ‘man’s world’ where there seems to be no room for femininity. From the start of the film, Elle is i s viewed as an entirely good character, as is exemplified by how quick her ‘sisters’ are to support her throughout her breakup, application to Harvard and subsequent enrolment. In Harvard, however, the only people seen to be supportive of Elle are the women at the beauty parlour, specifically Paulette, who, like her sisters, sees her as a kind person. Compassion, however, appears to have no place in Harvard, and a scene that sculpts this idea effectively is the one depicting Elles’ first class class with with Professor Stromwell. In reading out the quote “The law is reason free from passion” and asking who wrote it,
Stromwell is engaging in the male-oriented ‘Socratic Method’ of teaching, which encourages discourse between teacher and student to better aid learning. However the method, which is supposed to act as a non-judgmental educational tool, is turned on its head when Stromwell asks Warners’ new fiancé Vivian whether Elle should be removed from the class for not completing her work; to which Vivian responds that she should. This alienation of Elle within the confines of the class emulates the quote spoken by Stromwell, as the classroom space, reserved as a place of nurtured nurtur ed 34
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
25
learning, is exemplified as a room free from passion and, indeed, compassion. Why this scene is imperative to our understanding of Elle is due to the fact that Professor Stromwell is seemingly Elles’ only female professor; and in our understanding of what we garner as ‘feminine’ qualities, and surely what Elle expects from a fellow
female, it is more than surprising to find that Stromwell seems to have become masculinised by Harvard also. Despite it seeming that in order to be viewed as professional and serious at Harvard one must sacrifice the feminine attributes that ‘weaken’ you, Elle retains an immense level of compassion in all that she does. In fact, in scenes whereby her compassion seems laughable, for example when she protects Brookes’ alibi of having liposuction at the time of the murder in a strange sense of ‘sisterly’ compassion; Elle shows that empathy is not necessarily a ‘weak’ point in someone’s personality, but is in fact rather a way in which to solve problems without pain or judgement. In this case, Elle cares more for her clients’ reputation than she does for her own; a trait, one would argue, should be befitting of any lawyer. Other cases where Elle chooses to show compassion over animosity lead to her peers and professors individually beginning to respect Elle more and more; such as David and Emmett who both aid her solo representation of the case, and Stromwell who, in the beauty parlour before Elles’ triumphant turn as lead council, pushes Elle not to give
up law school after being sexually harassed by another professor. Compassion is the at heart of postfeminist theory, as any ideology intent on gaining equality will will rely on judgement free world in order to achieve its aims. Elle embodies this idea process as she practices a non-judgemental moral code, which we see in how she interacts with characters from all genders, classes and sexualities. Despite being from an affluent and privileged upbringing, Elle never
26
wavers in her affection for Paulette, a middle aged divorcee who lives in a trailer park; she instead bonds with her over the things they have in common like a shared love of dogs. Similarly, when confronted by Enid about how inevitably she would have called her a “dyke” behind her back, Elle replies by saying that she “[doesn’t] “[ doesn’t] use that word”. Leading an all-inclusive feminine lifestyle allows Elle to delve into
motivations and impulses that her peers were unable to distinguish. For example, her team of lawyers and classmates are convinced that Brooke, on trial for murder, only married her husband for wealth; and that her step-daughter, Chutney, has no motivation for killing her father because she already has a “trust fund”35. Elle reasons
that not all motives are ‘logical’ and, as it transpires, we come to discover that Brooke did actually love her husband and that Chutney did indeed kill her father, f ather, not for of money, but because her feelings were hurt after he married a woman of the same age. This understanding of emotional intuition wins Elle the case because she chooses to investigate the importance of ‘feminine’ tr aits that are so frequently fr equently
disregarded as unimportant. This case, then, is decidedly un-free from passion, which brings the narrative of the film full circle; from Elles’ first experience with the law in Stromwells’
classroom, to her first experience winning a judicial case. The film closes this circle in the final sequence where, two years later, we are attending Elles’ graduation from
Harvard. Professor Stromwell smilingly presents the podium to Elle, the class valedictorian, where she speaks of her first encounter with Stromwell: “On our very first day at Harvard a very wise professor quoted Aristotle; "The law is reason free from passion”.
35
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
27
Well, no offense to Aristotle but in my three years at Harvard I have come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law and of life. It is with passion, courage of conviction and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world; remembering that first impressions are not always correct, you must always have faith in i n people and most importantly you must always have faith in i n yourself.” 36
By deepening the relationship between Elle and Stromwell to an extent whereby Stromwell both convinces Elle to return to law school and then sings her praises at graduation, the film ‘suggests a model for f or intergenerational feminism by showcasing
fem inist perspective, Stromwell embodies the bond that has developed’ 37. From a feminist the ideas of the Second Wave, being quite hardened, initially at least, to the idea of Elle as a serious feminist f eminist voice. As a female professor, ‘she has succeeded in the male bastion of Harvard Law School by accepting it on its own terms’38, which allows
for the assumption that Elle will one day do the same. This engages in the postfeminist ideology that allows for freedom f reedom in how one chooses to present oneself. By showing Elle and Stromwell as friendly and with a clear mutual regard for each other, it allows for the understanding that no two females have to forge the same path in order to succeed or be respected.
36
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014] 37 Kathleen Rowe Karlyn, Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen (Texas: Screen (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2011), p. 148 38 Karlyn (2011)
28
Elle, in summation, is rewarded with success whilst the peers who remained opposed to her are left with little in way of reputation or success (Warner is left jobless and without a girlfriend after graduation, graduation, and Callahan, though still a successful lawyer and professor, has had to endure the embarrassment watching Elle win the case that he, presumably, would have lost). This success, whilst imperative to any ‘chick flick’, as the ‘happily ever after’ of the protagonist is a
defining narrative feature, is a direct result of the compassion and generosity that Elle consigns to others; proving that ‘what the law needs is a major dose of girl power ’39 by positively embodying em bodying ‘values traditionally associated with the feminine: intuition over reason, everyday knowledge over book knowledge, cooperation over competition and idealism over cynicism’40
ii. Colour and Competency
Colour is one of, if not the, most prominent focal feature of Legally Blonde. Everything about Elle is defined by colour, including her hair which, when placed alongside her classmates at Harvard, is as a glowing nucleus. Colour is used in this film for a multitude of reasons and for a diverse range of effects. Firstly, and most transparently, the ‘chick flick’ must retain some level of fun and light heartedness. Colour is used, however, also as a narrative tool, and I would argue that the most fundamental objective of colour within the film is to represent the fight between feminine and masculine power. Elle is the ultimate manifestation of female, and therefore acts as the token in which to signify all feminine struggles. As Dana Cloud
39
Kathleen Rowe Karlyn, Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen (Texas: Screen (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2011), p. 147 40 Karlyn (2010)
29
(1996) states, a token is ‘person who is constructed from the character and life of a member of a subordinated group, and then celebrated, authorized to speak as proof that the society at large does not discriminate against members of that group’41; and in this sense, Elle Woods speaks for the subordinated group of ‘feminine professionals’.
Elle is set up to be the ultimate female. Her life in California is an overexaggerated representation of female life, with communal pink fitness and shower rooms in the sorority house, to the unquestionable kindness and support that her fellow sisters give her. We are given this intense burst of femininity so that when Elle arrives at Harvard, dressed still in caricatural feminine attire, we are left with this underlying perception of the protective female utopia. This idea is quashed as we realise that, just as Elles’ appearance is exaggeratedly feminine, so are her peers and professors exaggerated in the sense that only black and navy ‘masculine’ colours are employed. This is important as it not only sets Elle apart, which we see very clearly in the films’ frequent use of wide angle shots, but because the colours represented, pink and navy (essentially blue), mirror our traditional notions of the feminine and the masculine42 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4).
41
Dana L. Cloud, 'Hegemony or Concordance? The Rhetoric of Tokenism in "Oprah" Winfrey's Rags-to-Riches Biography', Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Communication, 13, (1996), 115-137 (p. 122-123) 42 This gender binary is depicted in the colour scheme of the opening credits to the film. Unlike other ‘romantic comedies’ which tend to rely on the colours pink, red and white to signal their premise, Legally Legally Blonde uses a neat colour scheme of pink and blue. This colour coordination is used to signal that this film is far from just a ‘romantic comedy’, and in u tilising tilising the two most prominent gendered colours, it signifies the struggle between the feminine and the masculine that we see throughout.
30
(Fig. 3: Elle sits alongside fellow classmates on first day, Legally Blonde (2001))
(Fig. 4: Elle moves into Harvard halls of residence, Legally Blonde (2001))
Essentially, Elles’ use of feminine colour is not so much an aesthetic decision than it
is a character trait, as her overt feminity allows her hard work and intelligence to evolve unnoticed by her peers whilst they are distracted by how she is appears. In this sense, Elle is both visible and invisible at the furthermost end of each spectrum. Pink is the ultimate female colour, and it is a colour that has been so engendered into our society that we immediately create correlations in our mind as to what it
31
signifies; femininity, girliness, delicacy, passivity etc. Black by comparison instils images of power, strength and intelligence, as it is utilised most frequently in office wear. It is not surprising, therefore, that the students surrounding Elle are clothed in muted colours, as traditionally they are the colours that implore people to take you seriously. The purpose, then, of having Elle see pink as her “signature colour”43 is to set her up as all of these ‘inferior’ feminine attributes, only then to dismantle them
over the course of the film. This masculine/feminine divide is further displayed by the shapes in which the colour/colourless clothes are presented. Whilst Elle tends to stick to feminine, flattering shapes, the majority of the other characters, women included, seem to wear either masculine ones, i.e. Strong shoulder pads and collared shirts, or, in the case of Enid, clothes not distinctive to any one gender (again refer to fig.3). What this film presents us with is the notion that in order to be viewed as ‘serious’, you
either must appear masculine or, in the least, non-binary. Colour, therefore, is much less an aesthetic production choice than it is a magnifying glass in which we can analyse the films feminist overtones. Postfeminism, as we have derived, believes that gender binary and sexual difference should be extolled rather than obscured; and essentially its theory lies in the belief that women should not have to conceal their womanhood in order to be taken seriously. Unlike the Second Wave that considered ‘the way to equality was to reject Barbie and all forms of pink-packaged femininity’44, Postfeminism argues that ‘the admission of girliness doesn’t mean the loss of female independence and
43
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014] 44 Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young, 'Introduction: Chick Flicks and Chick Culture', in Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies, Movies, ed. by Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young(New York: Routledge, 2008), p. 4
32
power’45. In this understanding, Elle Woods is the ultimate rival against Second
Wave opinion, as she is literally referred to as “Malibu Barbie”46 in one of her first scenes at Harvard. This exchange between Elle and an anonymous classmate is meant to be viewed as a hurtful remark; however we feel that Elle deserves respect as she achieved admission into one of the most prestigious universities in the world alongside the classmates who mock her. Elle, however, never seems to demand respect; only equality. This is one of the fundamental reasons why colour is so imperative to this films postfeminist ideology, as it does not adhere to the idea that women must ‘shield
away from a colour that [seems] to emphasize difference from men even while visual stimulus against the demanding equality to men’47. Being such a feminine visual masculinised students and professors at Harvard, Elles’ costuming really stands as a
fight against oppression. This is achieved in one of the final scenes of the film whereby Elle is asked by the defendant on her case to be her sole representation and take control from Professor Callahan. In the scenes running up to the climactic courtroom finale, Elle has subdued her distinctive femininity by exchanging her sequins for darker, more classic looking clothes and her Chihuahua for a briefcase. Even so, Elle is still rebutted, and becomes obvious that without the clothes that she feels comfortable in, she does not have the confidence to fight back. After being sexually harassed by her professor, Elle seeks to validate her worth by representing Brooke Windham, the defendant, on her own. She makes an entrance (see fig. 5) by walking into the courtroom in an entirely pink ensemble. She wins her case, despite much adversity, and she does this by adorning herself with the most gender 45
Ferries and Young (2008) p.62 Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014] 47 Ferries and Young (2008) p.58 46
33
binaristic examples of colour and clothing; proving, most prominently, that clothing and appearance of femininity are not limiting in the least. Ultimately, Elle embodies the belief of not ‘reducing femininity to superficial markers such as high heels and frilly dresses’48, and reflects the understanding that ‘notions of choice, of ‘being oneself’, and ‘pleasing oneself’ are central to the postfeminist sensibility’49.
(Fig. 5: Elle represents Brooke Windham in murder trial, Legally Blonde (2001))
iii. Sisterhood, Strength and the Significance of the ‘Female Space’
In Legally Blonde, Elle is ‘uncomplicatedly feminine’50, and the representation of this unmistakeable femininity is divisive in how we interpret Elle as a postfeminist figure.. How this film differs, perhaps, to other romantic comedies is in how the contrast between Elle and her classmates is executed so visibly and, given our understanding of the Postfeminist aesthetic theory, how the focus on appearance is again a reclaiming of feminine ideals previously discarded by the Second Wave. Second 48
Ferries and Young (2008) p. 4 Rosalind Gill, 'Postfeminist Media Culture: Elements of a Sensibility', European Journal of Cultural Studies, Studies, 10.2, (2007), 147-166 (p. 157), in [accessed 18 March 2014] 50 Kathleen Rowe Karlyn, Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen (Texas: Screen (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2011), p. 145 49
34
Wave feminists abandoned any and all forms of overt femininity, as in a politically driven feminist climate such was the movement, abandoning all obvious features of sexual difference was not seen as repression, but instead as a way of proving that there was no difference between men and women. Postfeminists, sometimes labelled as ‘girly feminists’, by comparison, ‘view femininity and sexuality as empowering’51. Believing along the same lines as Second Wave feminism that there
is no difference between what a man can do and what a woman can, Postfeminists instead highlight sexual difference as a way of proving that that aesthetic disparity is not indicative of intellectual inequality. In essence, Elle embodies ‘girl power’, a term made famous during the postfeminist rise of the 90s. Originally a construct of the ‘Riot Grrrls’ movement,
promoting feminism alongside a post-punk aesthetic, ‘girl power’ was then adopted into the mainstream by pop bands; most infamously by the girl group the Spice Girls. Reinterpreting its origins, ‘girl power’ came to mean ‘a form of pro -girl rhetoric that
offers support for girls and girl culture by reclaiming the feminine and making it as culturally valued’52. Elles’ sorority setting, therefore, is a way of signifying Elles’
sisterhood as a defining force in the composition of her feminist persona. In this sense, Elle actually has more in common with the Second Wave movement exemplified by Enid, as a crucial element of the second wave crusade was a strong connection with sisterhood. Elle’s enrolment into Harvard was aided by the help of
her sorority sisters who put their lives on hold to support her, but despite this, Enid presumes that they are all merely shallow girls who “called me a dyke behind my
51
Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young, 'Introduction: Chick Flicks and Chick Culture', in Chick Flicks: Contemporary Women at the Movies, Movies, ed. by Suzanne Ferries, Mallory Young(New York: Routledge, 2008), p. 4 52 Rebecca C. Hains, 'Power Feminism, Mediated: Girl Power and the Commercial Polit ics of Change', Women's Studies in Communication, Communication, 32.1, (2009), 89- 113 (p. 98)
35
back?”53 While Elle is in Harvard without her sisters, she finds that same solace in the primarily ‘female space’54 of the beauty parlour. Her manicurist, and later close
friend, Paulette, does not act surprised or is in disbelief that Elle is a serious Harvard student, as no correlation is made between how she looks and how intelligent she may be. Ironically, the ‘traditional’ Second Wave feminist overtones of the film, as
symbolized by Enid, are some of the most prominent voices of oppression against Elle for how she dresses, acts and feels; and it is in these safe female spaces of the sorority house and the beauty parlour that Elle receives the most support. This point is made all together more prominent by the fact that Professor Stromwell states, after Elle is sexually harassed by Professor Callahan, that if she gives up then “you’re not the girl I thought you were” 55. To this, Elle responds by not leaving law school, and instead taking charge over the murder case she is aiding with; forcing her professor, and sexual harasser, to relinquish all control. This exchange between Elle and Stromwell, like the majority of key scenes depicting Elles’ strength of character (i.e. her decision to stay in Harvard rather than leaving
after learning that Warner is engaged, revising books on legal practice to prove to everyone that she is capable and helping Paulette gain confidence in attracting the attention of the man that she desires), takes place within the walls of the beauty parlour. This, like the sorority house, represents to an audience that Elles’ fortitude, power and independence is cultivated and able to flourish when she is surrounded by women who support her (see fig. 6 and fig. 7).
53
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014] 54 Kathleen Rowe Karlyn, Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers: Redefining Feminism on Screen (Texas: Screen (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2011), p. 146 55 Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
36
(Fig.6: Elle studies hard for law school in the beauty parlour, Legally Blonde (2001))
(Fig.7: Elle studies for LSAT LSAT exams with fellow sorority sister, sister, Legally Blonde (2001)) (2001))
It is not coincidental that Elle becomes more confident and sure of herself in her later years at Harvard just as she becomes more respected and regarded by her peers. Whilst the idea of ‘sisterhood’ is more in line with Second Wave ideology than that of
Postfeminism, it is important to indicate that this film does place a very high importance in the value of sisterhood. What it does do, however, is delineate that, whilst these women eventually come together and form a bond with each other, they are all vastly different. This may seem false in regards to Elle and her sorority
37
sisters, however there is never any debate as to whether Elle should go to Harvard as, above all things, sisters support each other. However, unlike the Second Wave, oppression between sisters is not seen as an act wielded by the fi gurative idea of the ‘patriarchy’, but instead it is a result of individuals conducting themselves in their own
way. We see this occur with the character of Professor Callahan who oppresses not only Elle, but Vivian also. This oppression, in the forms of sexual harassment for the former and neglect for the latter, is enforced at the hands of only one man in the film. So whilst the film makes a point to engage with the idea that Harvard is a very ‘masculinised’ place ruled over by the ‘patriarchy’; what it essentially says is that,
regardless of how you dress, appear or act, individuals can always find a way to oppress. Essentially: ‘Male domination is boiled down to the individual, becomes a question of one human exerting his will over another’s in an unfair way. It is no longer about systems
of
oppression,
cultures
of
abuse,
or industries of suffering. We are boiled down once again to our individual experiences.’ 56
With this individuality of oppression in mind, the idea, then, of a sisterly fight against the ‘patriarchy’ becomes null and void. The idea that Elle cannot engage with any
woman aside from her sorority sisters who all share the same interests, is proved to be a false reality as soon as Elle starts to become successful at Harvard. Elle is able to cultivate her intelligence at Harvard, and whilst her sorority sisters are imperative to her success and emotional care, she is afforded the opportunity at Harvard to
56
Taryn Fivek, Postfeminism (8 Postfeminism (8 March 2013) [accessed 18 March 2014]
38
unlock a part of herself that otherwise would have lain dormant. In bonding with this diverse set of women, Elle is able to become a well rounded individual who has strength of self and conviction (attributes given to her by Harvard), whilst still retaining her incontrovertible femininity (traits cultivated in her sorority). Here lies the essential understanding of postfeminism that exists to note that individual feminism is just as, if not more, achievable than the idea of a ‘universal’ woman that all women
must mould themselves into.
iv. Love, Sex and Power: Sexuality and the Primacy of Romantic Attachments
Including a romantic overtone is a feature present in almost any ‘chick flick’, with the
motivations of the lead character usually revolving around some kind of scheme to win the man she desires. Legally Blonde does not differ from adhering to this structure, as a large proportion of Elles’ initial motivations revolve around wanting to
win back Warner. Upon moving to Harvard and discovering Warners’ recent betrothment, Elle undertakes a plan in which to ‘steal’ him b ack from Vivian. Much like how in order to
have her application considered for Harvard Elle used her admissions video to showcase her sexuality (see fig. 8); she similarly starts wearing revealing clothing and bikinis to gain Warners’ attention. This utilisation of sexuality is indicative of the postfeminist transition, as mainstream Women’s sexuality on film prior to the 1980s
revolved primarily around depictions of either dangerous femme-fatales or worshipped virgins. Here sexuality, or lack thereof, was a defining character trait. Limited to avant-garde and ‘indie’ productions, positive representations of sexuality proved that there was a wide breadth of ‘femininity’ far and between just the self -
39
sacrificing mother and desolate spinster. Creating a genre of film in which female sexuality could be appropriately represented was one of the key driving forces of the Second Wave. It acted as a stance against oppression and objectification by rejecting the idea that female sexuality was only acceptable if it was for male voyeurism. This film, although tame in its PG-13 presentation of sexuality, extends a version of feminism that links together the sex-positive ideals of the Second Wave with the idea of positive self-objectification. Elle uses her assets to gain the attention of the admissions board at Harvard, and this ploy to garner consideration is an execution of what Joan Riviére (1929) described as a feminine ‘masquerade’ 57. In ‘Womanliness as masquerade’, Riviére
argues that women can conform to femininity whilst still being masterful in how they use it. In the case of Elle, she uses her sexuality and good looks to gain the attention of Harvard, however she also has excellent exam results that put her in the same league as others who are applying (the exams results, we discover, surpass those of Warner). In what we can only assume is a calculated approach to undermining people’s expectations of her, Elle is able to appear as nothing more t han an ‘objectified sex object’, whilst at the same time harbouring enough intelligence to successfully embody the space between ‘bimbo’ and ‘masculine’.
57
Joan Riviére, 'Womanliness as Masquerade', in Psychoanalysis and Female Sexuality , ed. by Henrik M. Ruitenbeek(New Haven: United Printing Services, 1966), p. 209
40
(Fig.8: a bikini clad Elles’ application video to Harvard, Legally Blonde (2001))
In accordance with Ferries (2010), the ‘primacy of romantic attachments’
position themselves well within postfeminist film theory, as relationships are not seen to diminish or weaken weaken female independence. independence. Expressions of love keep keep in line the understanding that expressing femininity and sexual difference is not synonymous with oppression. Second Wave feminism, despite being pro-sexuality, is usually considered ‘anti-family’ as, due to their opposition to gender disparity, seeming to perpetuate traditionally ‘feminine’ attributes such as maternal nurturance could be
viewed as deliberately engaging in the suggestion that men and women are not equal. For postfeminism, channelling their views over the medium of film, television or radio was a key element in presenting the world with this new feminist campaign. As a result we see ‘chick flick’ films primarily aimed at young women that include
positive perceptions of femininity and romantic attachments. Whilst this can be argued as representing women as dependant on a male counterpart, it could also be
41
argued as a method in which to prove to women that ‘feminine’ emotions of love and
compassion are perfectly acceptable. In essence, this film capitalises on the idea that explicit femininity femi ninity is not limited to just appearing feminine, but far more it encompasses all that makes people truly female. This includes, but is not limited to, suggestions of compassion, maternal nurturance and sexuality. We have established that Elle is free and forward thinking in regards to using her sexuality; however, she deviates away from being purely Second Wave in regard wanting to take part in the ‘sexual slavery’ of marriage, as she places a high importance on the desire for successful relationships. Postfeminism employs an entirely pro-liberation standpoint, and accounts for the fact that different women will require different things from life. Much like how it deviated from political activism under the belief that there is not one common goal, Postfeminism sees that individuals will require alternative levels of support, success, love etc. to feel fulfilled (a clever example of the employment of this is in the television series Sex and the City , which by the end, has one of character unmarried by choice, and one deciding against the prospect of children. It is a key text in which to understand Postfeminist representation in terms of diverse female need). Legally Blonde, however, also exercises this theory with the inclusion of multiple characters
situated in different relational situations. Paulette is a divorcee who later becomes engaged to a UPS delivery man, Brooke is an attractive twenty-something who fell in love with a man in his sixties, Vivian is engaged to Warner on the basis of status and Margot, Elles’ former sorority sister, enjoys the prospect of marriage as a departure from work. These engagements are not presented in a judgemental way, as they are used to show the diversity of female desire. This disparate representation of women and relationships adheres to the objective that a woman, if she desires, can have a
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partner as well as a career or a partner and no career and even, in the case of Vivian r elationship. who ‘dumps’ Warner, a career and no relationship. Elle, despite having this diverse range of characters surrounding her, embodies this formulation by encompassing all of these desires at some point. Initially moving across to country to be with Warner, Elle realises that she wants to succeed in Harvard also. Elle does use her sexuality to attract Warner; however she also studies, works hard and speaks up in class in order to prove that she is ‘valuable’. In unlocking this hidden intelligence within her, we hear less and less her
plan to steal Warner as it becomes evident that she now is far more focused on discovering her potential. By the end of the case, Elle has rejected Warner in the defence that “if [she’s] gonna be a partner at a law firm by the time [she’s] 30, [she]
needs a boyfriend who's not such a complete bonehea d”58. The camera fades, and we are satisfied that Elle views herself as intrinsically valuable without Warner. The final sequence of the film flashes to all of the key characters, and states what each one of them is doing since the case: Vivian has left Warner (instilling her right to be without a partner), Warner has been left without a girlfriend and Elle, as valedictorian, has been offered a job at a prestigious firm. It is revealed that Elle has been dating Emmett for the past two years and that, unbeknownst to her, he is proposing that night. By explicitly revealing Elles’ success at Harvard and her
inevitable future success as a lawyer, the film makes a point to not place marriage as the end of Elles’ story but as the start of a new one. Frequently in f ilms ilms of this genre,
the narrative will end with the couple coming together in i n some fashion, and no inkling is given to what will transpire after their ‘happy ever after’. In this sense , Legally Blonde differs from traditional ‘chick flicks’ as, perhaps due to its Second Wave 58
Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
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undertones, the romantic arc, although prevalent, makes a distinctive effort to make sure that Elle never needs ‘saving’ by Emmett. Instead, she is placed in a
relationship built on mutual respect and faith.
v. ‘Blonde’ and its Cultural Insinuations of Weakness
Whilst not a specific Postfeminist trope, it is impossible to deconstruct the character of Elle Woods without calling attention to her most prominent feature; her blonde hair. More so than any other hair colour, ‘blonde’ brings with it a plethor a of
stereotypes that encourage an audience to assume ideas of sexuality, superficiality and inferior intelligence. Whilst there are numerous examples of female characters with blonde hair who ‘defy’ their colour, it is important to understand that blonde hair
is not necessarily just a personal feature; but a character typology. It is a premanufactured statement that is usually far more memorable than the character who holds it, and is ‘part of cultural discourse’ which suggests that ‘[hair] can be ‘worn’; even if ‘grown.’59 Far more so than the idea that redheads have hot tempers, or that
brunettes are plain, blonde is a classification of character; a marginalisation of the complexity of an individual encased within the confines of ‘blondness’. Blonde has become one of the most successful stereotypes in modern popular culture, as ‘the effectiveness of stereotypes resides in the way they invoke a consensus’60.
Popular culture, to which our stereotypes and cultural icons lie, can be attributed to the formation of the stereotype. In 1925, Anita Loos penned her novel
59
Laini Michelle Burton, ‘The Blonde Paradox: Power and agency through femini ne masquerade and carnival’ (Unpublished doctoral thesis, Griffith University, 2005), p. 7 60 Richard Dyer, 'The Role of Stereotypes', in Media Studies: A Reader , ed. by Paul Marris, Sue Thornham, 2nd edn. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996), p. 247
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‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’, which was later adapted onto screen in 1953;
catapulting arguably the most famous blonde, Marilyn Monroe, into stardom. Within the story lies Lorelai Lee, an enigmatic and sexualised woman, who presents us with the stock blonde character, the ‘gold digger’ 61. A long with the ‘innocent blondes who were victimized by society and men’62 and the ‘spunky, comedic blondes who were out to prove the adage “blondes have more fun”’ 63, she presented the growing consumers of cinema and popular culture an attitude towards ‘blonde’ that paved the way for what we now consider as ‘how blondes are’ (or at lea st how they should be
represented). Post war America brought with it a reintegration of ideals for women, as it was imperative to ensure that, despite having had the opportunity to work alongside the war effort, women’s’ real place in society was in dome stic labour. In order for women
to relinquish their personhood, Hollywood officials, sought to create characters and stars that ‘subconsciously [subverted] this growing female independence’ 64. Alongside existing tropes now resided the ‘bombshell’, the ‘ethereal’ ‘ethe real’ and the ‘peppy’
blondes65. The bombshell, simply the beautiful and ‘dumb’ female characters epitomised by Marilyn Monroe, were ‘consciously or not, a creation of men and for men’66. She
presented an audience with a stereotype of blondes that, in their sensuality and stupidity, both warned women against straying away from domesticity and marriage. The ethereal blondes, by comparison, were dangerous; the traditional ‘Hitchcockian’ 61
Dyer (1996) Dyer (1996) 63 Dyer (1996) 64 Joanna Pitman, On Blondes, Blondes, (New York: Bloomsbury, 2003) P.226 65 Christine Margaret Young, ‘Beyond Blonde: Creating A Non -stereotypical Audrey in Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies’ (Unpublished thesis, University of Central Florida, 2009) pp. 19 -20 66 Joanna Pitman, On Blondes, Blondes, (New York: Bloomsbury, 2003) P.232 62
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blondes, personified by by Tippi Hedren and Janet Janet Leigh, were cast as they ‘[made] the best victims’67. Alfred Hitchcock relied on an icy femme fatale to stir trouble and, ultimately, meet her end in a dramatic and ‘just’ finale. Her demise is presupposed,
as any woman showing to be brazen in her sexuality and affairs must be subdued. Thus the ‘third species of blonde emerged’ in the 1950s; the ‘ chirpy, peppy girls-
next-door’ embodied by the likes of Sandra Dee and Doris Day. They presented a new avenue of escape, and embodied all that was appropriate for the ‘ideal’ woman of the 1950s68; they were conservative, maritally appropriate and, most importantly, passive. Slowly, but consciously, ‘blonde’ was monopolising Hollywood, and by
1957, Look magazine in America reported that ‘55 million American women were adding colour to their hair’69. Arguably one of the most successful marketing tools, ‘blonde’ allowed women to take control of their looks, whilst at the same time being
subconsciously commanded by the stereotypes that presented the the antithesis of desirable independence. In fact Shirley Polykoff, advertising director of Clairol (the first home blonde dye made available) in 1960 penned the slogan ‘If I’ve only one life, let me live it as a blonde’70; proving that blonde was not just a tone, but a
mantra. In the opening montage of Legally Blonde, Blonde, the camera pans across Elles’ room before pausing on box of Clairol home blonde hair dye (see fig.9). As well as the aforementioned phrase, Polykoff was most famous for the Clairol ‘Does she or Doesn’t she?’ campaign. It firstly implies that, as the Clairol hair colour is so natural
looking, it is hard to distinguish whether the user is a natural blonde or not. However, there is a second undertone to this phrase, as it implies that you can never know 67
Pitman (2003) Pitman(2003) p.232 69 Pitman( 2003) p.235 70 Pitman( 2003) p.235 68
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who someone is just by looking at them and, according to Polykoff’s daughter, it was said to mean “is she a contented homemaker or a feminist, a Jew or a gentile - or isn’t she?”71.
(Fig.9: Camera pans over Elles’ desk showing a box of Clairol hair dye, Legally Blonde (2001))
The choice of Clairol as Elles’ tint choice is not an accident. Much like the
slogan suggests, the film aims to ask us ‘is she strong or is she dumb, is she smart or is she shallow- or isn’t she?’72 This product placement is a calculated decision on the part of the filmmakers to transport us back to the time whereby blonde was one of the most prominent ideals of beauty; and also one of the most influencial methods of control. It is integral that we link this film back to this time, as it allows us to understand fully how Elle not only subverts expectations, but tears apart a piece of 71
Joanna Pitman, On Blondes, Blondes, (New York: Bloomsbury, 2003) P.236 The entire product placement is not a matter of chance, as they all serve a greater purpose to the narrative. For example, Apple computers are given a large amount of screen time by Elle, as she is seen buying a bright orange MacBook laptop which, amongst a collection of grey and black laptops by her peers, sets her apart from the norm. The slogan for Apple products in th e early 2000s simply stood as ‘think different’, which is a simple and effective slogan in terms of the product, however in relation to the narrative of this film, it actually provides us with how we are to approach this lead character; we need to think di fferently and not conform with public perception. Similarly, Similarly, Porsche Porsche cars are shown shown extensively in this this film, to which which their slogan reads ‘There Is No Substitute’, which in relation to this film reveals that, despite ‘dumb blonde’ being one of the most reproduced and stock character constructions, there is no substitution for Elle Woods; she is not a reproduction and cannot be reproduced. 72
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the fabric of masculinised control. Consciously propagated by the filmmakers, we are not afforded the creation of any new blonde tropes in which to enforce, but instead our traditional stereotypes are moulded from the degrading into something positive; for example: co-worker) there’s nothing I love S ales ales woman: (to co-worker) more than a dumb blonde with daddy's plastic. (To Elle) Did you see this one? We just got it in yesterday.
Elle: Is this low-viscosity rayon? S ales ales woman: Yes. Of course! Elle: With a half-loop top-stitching on the hem? S ales ales woman: Absolutely. It's one of a kind. Elle: It's impossible to use a half-loop top-stitching on low-viscosity rayon. It would snag the fabric. So if you're trying to sell it for full price you picked the wrong girl.73
We see in this scene excerpt that Elle is far from being oblivious to the expectations that are befitting of her; but instead changing herself to not be perceived that way, she lets people express their opinion before ultimately turning it back on them. This scene presents us with a much tailored hero/villain dynamic, with Elle literally providing the ‘light’ of the hero, and the saleswoman presenting the dark. The
saleswoman, who wears all black, is muted in her appearance and so becomes the
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voice of degradation, despite being female. However, instead of using the masculinised guns and knives that so commonly adorn ‘strong female characters’, Elle uses her blonde hair as the weapon. She uses the most literal form of female submission in order to dominate. This is just one of the ways that this film attempts to subvert perception, by exhibiting that there are not only two ways to be blonde (either to live up to the stereotype or diverge away from it) but rather you can just be blonde. The fact is that, in circumstances, Elle is quintessentially a ‘dumb’ blonde, but what sets this
character decision apart from being just another stencil, is the fact that this film takes care to throw its weight behind making sure that Elle, whilst acting ‘dumb’ on occasions, is also be smart, caring, savvy and thoughtful in others. This is achieved by making sure that, as well as typifying aspects of the traditional ‘dumb’ blonde, Elle also exemplifies parts of the ‘bombshell’, the ‘peppy’, the ‘comedic’, the ‘gold digger’ and the ‘ethereal’. For example, when Elle is tricked into attending a ‘costume party’ that is not, in fact, a costume party; she elects to wear the traditional ‘bunny’ outfit made prominent by female workers at the now infamous ‘Playboy Club’ from the 60s. (See fig.10):
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(Fig.10: Elle wears infamous ‘Bunny Club’ costume, Legally Blonde (2001))
The playboy bunny was the pinnacle of patriarchal mirage, and the ‘Playboy Club
uniform, by hook or by crook, created the illusion that every woman working there conformed to that fantasy’74. The choice of the costume department to put Elle in the ‘bunny club’ outfit was not circumstantial, as the playboy bunny marks the sign of the
ultimate bombshell. Similarly, when Elle brings a basket of food to a study group in the hopes of joining, she personifies the ‘peppy’ blonde of the late fifties and when
she is asked a question in a class, to which her response is ‘I'd pick the dangerous one 'cause I'm not afraid of a challenge’75, she embodies the ethereal. When, in the beginning, she states ‘Hello! He just had lunch with his grandmother. You know he got the rock’ she hypostatizes the ‘gold digger’ and, finally, Elle Woods provides
impeccable comic timing throughout the film, which identifies itself as a comedy, and so inevitable she is characterised as a ‘comedic’ blonde. ‘Blonde’ is a loaded statement, that, more often than not, surmounts to lack; a
lack of intelligence, a lack of modesty, a lack of morals or a lack of seriousness. 74
Nina Metz, Bunnies take a hop down memory lane: Women recall their time working at the original club (14 club (14 September 2011) [accessed 4 March 2014] 75 Legally Blonde Script - Dialogue Transcript (02 (02 December 2011) rama.com/movie_scripts/l/legally-blonde-script-transcript-reese.html > [accessed 3 March 2014]
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‘Blonde’ is almost always degradation, and so it is important to note the decision that
the makers of this film took to not only create a feminine blonde heroine, but to make her proud of her fairness. The film takes these stereotypes and makes a conscious effort not to ignore them, but to dissect them and create a character whereby these feminine stereotypes are not a barrier. Such is the Postfemininst attention to the importance of reclaiming ones femininity. The inclusion of a female character that stands up for her femininity is an important decision. Despite how they are represented, females were not illustrated on film to represent lack; blondes, however, were. Blondes were created on film to pacify women, wom en, to exude feminity and keep them away from the independence that so often comes hand in hand with strength. They were the ultimate female, so therefore the ultimate lack. The inclusion of the analysis of blonde hair, as aforementioned, is not a signifying trope of Postfeminism, however its roots in societal appropriation are integral to our understanding of the ‘strong female character’, whose roots, similarly, lie in the
formation
of
stereotypes,
signifiers
and
tropes
representational of the wider, gendered group at hand.
that
are
not
necessarily
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6. A Place for Postfeminism?
As Chocano (2011) regarded, regarded, it seems that in order for women to be seen seen as strong then they must relinquish all features of femininity and ‘girliness’. We know now, however, from our understanding of Postfeminism, that ‘ girliness’ and the return to
femininity is a key feature in the construction of its ideology. For postfeminism, pushing forth the power and prominence of femininity is essential in creating equality for women; whether this idea is viable is still undecided, however we can see from our traditional models of ‘strong ‘ strong female characters’ that relinquishing them certainly
has not. Why must a female f emale character shun love to be strong? Why must she relinquish emotion in order to succeed? Why must men be humiliated, eschewed or killed on order to profess power, when men, for the most part, do not have to measure their strength against the weakness of another? It seems, for women, that ‘strength’ is synonymous with the fight; the fight against emotions, the fight against
objectifications and the fight against men-kind. Essentially, ‘strong female characters’ are the actualisation of the constant struggle between women and ‘patriarchy’ that
the Second Wave championed in its heyday. Postfeminism, as we have come to learn, contrasts this, as its theory aims takes itself away from the idea of the patriarchy; opening up the channel for debate as to whether ‘strong female characters’ also should.
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lly B londe londe as a Model for Postfeminist ‘Strong 7. Leg ally ‘ Strong Female Characters’
With this in depth analysis of the films Postfeminist attributes in mind, how are we f licks’ breaking the able to argue the case for Legally Blonde as a model for ‘chick flicks’ barrier from ‘damsel in distress’ into ‘strong female character’? Romantic comedy
sitcom writer Mindy regards that: ‘Romantic comedies [are] a subgenre of sci -fi, -fi, in which the world operates according to different rules than [the] regular human world. For me, there is no difference between Ripley from “Alien” and any Katherine Heigl character. They are equally implausible.’ 76
If we are willing to believe, therefore, that a female character who is physically powerful, sharply intelligent and strikingly beautiful has relatable qualities of strength, then we should be able to regard Elle Woods, and all other female characters that she represents, as a serious representation of it too. The difference between Elle Woods and Grace Heart, Black Widow and Lisbeth Salander is the t he fact that she is overtly feminine; whilst they, in i n whatever manifestation they are constructed in, are not. However, Elle Woods is an amalgamation of many different stereotypes, features and tropes that make her an exaggeration of what it is to be female; much like how our ‘strong female f emale characters’ are a combination of ideas and
characteristics that, somewhere along the way, people decided illustrated strength. What is the difference, then, between one caricature and the other? The T he difference 76
Mindy Kaling, Flick Chicks: A Guide to Women in the Movies (3 Movies (3 October 2011) [accessed 23 March 2014]
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with Elle Woods is that we relate to her. Part of the draw of ‘chick flicks’ are a relationship between protagonist and audience, be it a comedic one or one in which a viewer sees themselves in the character. Most Mo st people, we can presume, do not relate personally to characters that are master assassins or superheroes; however, people, women specifically, do relate to protagonists pr otagonists in ‘chick flicks’. This raises the
question as to whether that relatability can be used positively to represent alternative characteristics of strength, whilst still remaining empathetic. Chocano (2011) believes that a key factor in relatability is weakness, and further elaborates that women do not relate to characters ‘despite the fact that she is weak, [they] relate to her because she is weak’77. This is where, I would argue,
Postfeminism has a place in the construction of the ‘strong female character’, as weakness allows for the idea of support. We have seen that support and sisterhood were fundamental to the Second Wave, however from our analysis of Legally Blonde we have also seen the benefit of being supported by diverse groups of women (as is found in the ideology of Postfeminism). Elle Woods flourishes further when supported by her sorority sisters, Paulette and her Harvard peers than when she was just surrounded by her California sisters, sisters, a factor, again aforementioned, that shows shows the benefits of not sticking to the idea of a ‘universal womanhood’. Support, as
viewers will recognise, is commonly seen as a beacon of strength; and this film recognises and portrays positively the power and success that can be achieved with the support of people around you. This support system is not present in common portrayals of ‘strong female characters’, as they are usually the only woman featured
in the film; or, in the event that there are other women, usually only one of them
77
Carina Chocano, ‘Tough, Cold, Terse, Taciturn and Prone to Not Saying Goodbye When They Hang Up t he he (1 July 2011) [accessed 31 March 2014]
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survives until the end (encompassing the trope of the ‘final girl’, a phrase coined by Carol J. Clover to identify the features of the ‘last girl standing’ in action or horror
films78). With this lack of support, the real issue issue in the ‘strong female character’ lies in the fact that they must be entirely strong or entirely week; as, without any female assistance guiding, nurturing or aiding their shortcomings, our characters are destined to either be the women tied to the train tracks, or the ones single-handedly fighting an army. This promises a one-dimensional character that, without hope of growing by belief from others, will remain stagnant in its it s construction. This strength that is entirely present or entirely not (never neither, never both) is usually, as we have eluded, made visually aware by the use of dark colours, masculine shapes and/or powerful props. Most of the ‘strong female character s’ that
I have mentioned are not masculine looking in their physical features, however their costumes and positions have been over-masculinised as, it could be contended, they need to aesthetically show that they are somehow not entirely female. Whilst this did occur as a response to the weak, fragile ‘damsels in distress, it was also composed
as a counter-construction to the gender roles given to women at the dawn of cinema. Stereotyped as either the ‘virgin’ or the ‘whore’, this bifurcation of women expressed that, unless you were wholly weak and naïve, you would be punished. The ‘whore’ was not just brazen in her sexuality (just as the ‘virgin’ was not just sexually pure),
but she was knowledgeable in affairs that were not appropriate to her gender. As a result, these characters, who usually visibly were shown as dark featured and darkly costumed, were to pay a price. The ‘strong female character’, therefore, allows women to wear dark colours and be knowledgeable in traditionally ‘masculine’ fields.
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Carol J. Clover, Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992)
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However, because they have become masculinised, they can never be assumed as acting out of their gender roles and, therefore, can never be punished. Legally Blonde, Blonde, as we’ve seen from our analysis of colour, uses a similar trope of using the dark colours worn by Vivian to emulate the ‘whore’ (also known as ‘vamp), and the lightness of Elle, both clothing and hair, to signify the ‘virgin’. However, the film shifts away from these binary descriptions (much like ‘strong’ and ‘weak’) by showing that Vivian is not entirely the ‘whore’ and Elle is not overtly ‘virgin’. Elle is shown to be naïve to an extent when she first arrives at Harvard,
however she works hard to alleviate that naivety and grow in intelligence so that, by the end, she is no longer naïve at all. Vivian, similarly, is seen to boast, be it slyly, to Elle that she has won warner; however, again by the end, Vivian’s’ character is shown to flourish and succeed with Elle as her best friend, rather than being seen to stay in an unhappy relationship with Warner (a ( a punishment). When Warner states at the start of the film that, if he wants to be taken seriously as a politician then he needs to marry a ‘Jackie’ rather than a ‘Marilyn’,
then we are obviously to assert that Vivian, with her dark hair and sophisticated dress and upbringing, is the Jackie Kennedy, whilst Elle, with her platinum hair and light-hearted nature, is the Marilyn Monroe. However, I would argue that this comparison is also used to show that, regardless of how people have come to believe, there is no such thing as a ‘Jackie’ or a ‘Marilyn’. Of course these women
exist in history; however their legacies have veered farther from the truth since the years of their passing. Jackie Kennedy, commonly remembered as a sophisticated heiress who had no real passion for her husband’s political work, was, in actual fact,
a woman who came, as a result of her mother’s second marriage, from f rom a upbringing of little affluence and, from records, actually had a great deal of input into her
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husband, John F. Kennedys’, political career 79. Marilyn Monroe, similarly, is commonly viewed as a ‘dumb blonde’ who only exercised her sexuality in order to
get fame and fortune; however, we now know that she not only left the shackles of 20th Century Fox, who insisted on giving her the shallow roles she is famous for, but she left it to create her own production company (the first woman to ever do so). She was well versed in literature, lit erature, science and politics; however no one sought to believe it due to her physical appearance. It is not hard to see the correlation between Marilyn Monroe and Elle Woods, but it is i s also important to note the similarities between Vivian and Jackie Kennedy. Warner states that he wants a ‘Jackie’; however what he rea r eally wants is someone who gives him status, whilst at the same time not interfering with his work. Vivi an is thought to be this person; however she ‘dumps’ Warner on the grounds that she does not agree with his politics (shown by her facial expression when Warner says that Elle should not care about her promise to Brooke), and she is shown becoming a companion to Elle. The idea of a rival ‘Jackie’ and ‘Marilyn’, therefore, does not
exist. What is ultimately found to be important in the comparison of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy, is that both these women, by today’s standard, were incredibly strong. The moved amongst the men in the ‘boys club’ of politics and Hollywood,
however they were able to both utilise their positions in order to create lasting change. What is obvious, therefore, is that the reason these women are not regarded as historically ‘strong’ figures is because they were feminine.
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Conclusion
In summation, establishing a definition for ‘strength’ is complicated as, as we have
seen, there is difficulty in representing a quality that inhabits a diverse range of meanings. Despite this, however, film tropes tr opes have decided that ‘strength’ should be
interpreted in a limited li mited number of ways that are not necessarily representative of female characters on screen. By promoting the merits of masculine qualities, the traditional construction of the ‘strong female f emale character’ intentionally discards an
entire sect of female representation that, whilst perhaps not physically or mentally transcendent, offers an interesting introspection into how female f emale characters can portray strength in a multitude of ways. ‘Chick flicks’ are very rarely offered the
opportunity to declare stature as a serious curator of complex characterisation; however, in analysing Legally Blonde I feel that an argument has been put forward to consider these characters as embodying more depth than they seem. Legally Blonde was an interesting film in which to analyse the different factions of ‘strength’, and that was ultimately due to its Postfeminist overtones. By
analysing traditional Postfeminist attributes such as compassion, feminine colours, romantic attachment and support; we are able to now dissect exactly which elements of Postfeminist theory are useful in reimagining this trope. Ultimately, the crux of Postfeminist theory is its belief in the freedom of feminity, and this is where o ur argument for Legally Blonde as a model of Postfeminist strength is brought full circle. Because Elle is a complete caricature of what it is to be feminine, f eminine, we can argue that this film attempts to make waves in the reimagination of the ‘strong female character’ by not only showing femininity, but by throwing it in people’s faces. Essentially what
this film achieves is an outlet in which to prove that, despite femininity or ‘weakness’, ‘ weakness’,
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this character is able to achieve everything that she wants. This success at proving her intelligence may not be on a par with fighting an alien army arm y or seeking vigilante justice; but it is strength. It is, as Elle puts it, a “passion, courage of conviction and str ength and bravery. strong sense of self” 80 that comes from a self-belief born of strength What the character achieves might seem minute in a grand global sense; however they are achievements based up things that audiences relate to. As we have argued, relatability is important to any ‘chick flick’, and that is achieved by shrinking the world
to individuals with individual problems. Elle woods, although exaggerated, is one person facing her own individual problems; a trope, we have seen, that is imperative to our understanding of Postfeminism. Fundamentally, the argument for using Legally Blonde as a Postfeminist model relies on the reimagining, on our part, that
strength does not have to be utilised on a mass scale. Upon analysis of this film we are able to see its merits, but also see its weaknesses. I am not intending to hold Legally Blonde as a entirely new branch of strength, as I feel there are positive elements engrained within our traditional understandings of the ‘strong female character’. The weakness of the trope does lie
in its formation, but in its construction. There are many ways that establishing physical and intellectual strength can be intrinsically positive; however I propose a model whereby our traditional characters can merge with our Postfeminist ones. As aforementioned, traditional illustrations of the ‘strong female character’ represent the struggle between women and the patriarchy; and where w here Postfemininst contrasts can act as a way in which to converge these tropes into one all together more rounded. Essentially, by taking our female characters out of the ‘patriarchy’, we let them know
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that they can fight an army single-handedly or diffuse a bomb whilst at the same time being emotional, feminine and blonde.
