Reasons Why You Should Re-Watch Legally Blonde RIGHT NOW
Reasons Why You Should Re-Watch Legally Blonde RIGHT NOW
2017 has been a big year of change for me, and there have been an equal amount of successes and setbacks. And as I face the end of 2017, and the dawning of 2018, I get to look forward to some pretty cool, exciting opportunities.
I recently was presented with the option of embarking upon a long awaiting career goal, or waiting a little bit to embark upon this goal, for when I feel more ready. I thought maybe I could use five or six more months to prepare myself for this opportunity, so that once I begin there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m ready. And while that isn’t such a bad way of thinking…I came to the conclusion that for me, there will never be a right time to make the leap toward my big, scary dreams. I will always find some reason why I’m not yet good enough to deserve certain opportunities. I will always find some distraction, like a 9-5 job I don’t even love, to commit to in place of my dreams. I will always find SOMETHING, some excuse to not have to dive into the deep end. Because while I know that I will figure out how to swim, there’s always that slight fear of drowning that catches me, and keeps me from moving forward.
During this bought of indecision, I happened to re-watch Legally Blonde and comically realized that the right time to make my dreams happen is now. The right time is when I decide to leap – and that can be whenever I want. So it may as well be as soon as possible! Having had this epiphany moment watching one of my all time favorite characters, Elle Woods, it felt fitting to share with you the 5 reasons why you too should re-watch Legally Blonde for some renewed inspiration on how to fearlessly tackle your dreams!
1. Elle Woods Makes a Decision and Commits Really Hard to It
While I’ve never been a fan of how Little Mermaid gives up her voice for a dude, or how Elle initially only applies to Harvard to ‘get the guy,’ I have to give MAD props to the commitment level of these ladies. Specifically of course, Elle Woods. She sees a picture of her ex-boyfriend’s Brother and his Vanderbilt fiancé in a magazine for like 0.5 seconds at a hair salon, decides she is going to go to Harvard Law School, and SHE DOES IT. She doesn’t waffle over whether or not to do this thing. There’s no conversation where Elle says “I don’t know guys, maybe this is a bad idea.” There’s no conversation where Elle says “I mean I’m not smart enough to get in maybe I shouldn’t even try.” Elle Woods is a woman who set her sights on something that most people would think is an audacious goal, and makes it 100% attainable. For Elle Woods, there was no Plan B, and failure wasn’t an option.
2. Elle Woods Doesn’t Listen to Nay Sayers
Pretty much everyone in Elle’s life for most of the movie doubts her abilities and value. In the first ten minutes Elle is dumped for ‘not being serious enough.’ When she makes the decision to apply to Harvard Law, her friends think she’s lost her mind. Her parents try to convince her that law school is for ugly, boring people. The Harvard Alumni Interviewer asks Elle what her back-up schools are because she assumes its such a longshot. Once Elle DOES get into Harvard, it only gets worse! Everyone at Harvard thinks she’s a dumb blonde with zero substance. She is kicked out of her first class and humiliated by her ex-boyfriends new fiancé. Her ex-boyfriend tells her she’s not smart enough to land an internship. Pretty much everyone in this movie anticipates Elle to fail. Despite being surrounded by a sea of doubters, nay sayers and haters, Elle Woods keeps going. She has a few moments of doubt to be sure, but she never fully gives up. If anything, she leans harder into her goals. She learns to rely on herself. She finds a renewed sense of value in herself by working hard and maintaining her integrity. If Elle listened to the first person who told her she couldn’t do it, she would still be in LA, probably making her dumb rich husband a gimlet.
3. Elle Woods Brings Others Together While She Pursues Her Goals
Another remarkable thing Elle does along the way to achieving her dream is empower others. By persevering, by always being kind even when others aren’t, Elle manages to inspire a group of unlikely friends to work together for a common purpose. Elle helps a dorky-on-the-spectrum friend get a date. Elle befriends her ex-boyfriend’s fiancé, even after she was completely awful to Elle. Elle includes everyone she meets, regardless of their sexual orientation, age, race or prior level of abuse they dolled out to her. Elle becomes best friends with a middle-aged high school drop out manicurist, without judging Paulette once. Elle sees the best in people, even when they don’t see it themselves. And this belief helps the other characters to soften and see their own value.
4. Elle Isn’t Afraid to Do the Work
One of the hardest parts of working toward your dream is the actual WORK. At one point in the movie Elle saunters by a group of haters, 5 books in hand, and they remark “Is she carrying…books??” Elle Woods whips herself into shape. She studies while hanging with her new bestie Paulete. She studies while exercising. She studies while everyone else is out partying. Elle makes sacrifices and starts to surpass her peers due to the sheer amount of work, time, and effort she puts in that no one else seems to be doing. She wants it more than everyone else, and so she puts everything into it – this sets her apart from the rest of the crowd, eventually leading to her winning her first case as a first year, and an eventual valedictorian of her graduating class
5. Elle Learns She Has Value Without a Man
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting a healthy, happy relationship with the man (or woman) of your dreams. But being in a relationship with someone does not give you value. You give you value. While Elle struggles with this concept at the beginning of the movie, by the end of the movie she is a complete independent badass lady. Even her friendship with her new boyfriend doesn’t overshadow Elle’s success. The new guy doesn’t come in and save Elle, but rather cheers her on and stands in the side lines reminding her she can do it. He doesn’t step in and do it for her. He doesn’t proclaim her value and then she suddenly sees it in herself. Elle learns to exist without ‘the guy of her dreams’ by becoming the Elle Woods of her dreams. She puts time and energy into becoming the woman she wants to be, and by this intentional effort finds value all on her own. She also then finds friends who accept her as she is and don’t demand she be anything else.
There are probably 50 more reason why I’d suggest re-watching this movie, but those were the highlights for me as a girl who was feeling a little afraid of my big scary goals. So while you go re-watch one of my favorite movies of all times, I’m gonna go work really hard and achieve my dreams. Okay thanks bye!!!