Happy birthday Reese Witherspoon: How Elle Woods from Legally Blonde shattered that glass ceiling

Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde series had been a visual imagination of, what if Barbie decided to step into Harvard and get a degree in law and turned out to be good at it? Would she stand out? In a crowd full of black/blue blazers, white collared lawyers, Elle Woods in her pink attires and pearl would definitely stand out not just for her choices of clothes, but also for her methods as a practising lawyer. 

There had been a trend in Hollywood back in the early 20s. With summer came the inevitable 'chick flicks', which later found a particular slot on television as well. They were specifically made for an audience of young adults, Vogue-loving, fashion-conscious urban citizens. But Legally Blonde had been more than a Barbie's journey into the world of fashion impaired lawyers. It screamed of American patriotism. Despite initial impressions, the Legally Blonde series had been an attempt to bring in feminist values with an addition of pink. 

Elle Woods: The icon of feminism in Barbie form

Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon is quintessentially a Hollywood heroine who gets a manicure or goes on a shopping spree to get rid of her stress. Interestingly, Elle's sexuality and vanity came second to her personal and professional drive. Everything that Elle became, later in her life, was her way of encouraging the blonde Americans not to feel intimidated in the presence of Ivy League crowds. Elle also encouraged women to fight their own battle, which includes mainly improvising their own skills too, and not depend on a man to emotionally, financially, take care of them. 

When you observe Legally Blonde from a broader point of view, you understand how Elle Woods tries to motivate young feminist in her light-hearted comedy. At a time when, Bollywood had filled lighthearted comedies with sexism, and patriarchy, Legally Blonde was trying to play the game differently. You eventually get introduced to various progressive ideals. Despite its vanity and over usage of the colour pink, Legally Blonde remains the story of any female person trying to prove herself in a world that has convinced her that her only goal in life is to marry a rich, good-looking guy.

In America too, for the certain section of the females who enjoyed life as it switched from dad's house to sorority house to finding the rich husband. In the sitcom world, it was Rachel Greene from FRIENDS who chose to run away from a marriage that wasn't meant for her and start her life from the scratch. In the movie world, it was Elle Woods who managed to crack the Harvard entrance exam.