Let's face it: chick flicks have a reputation for being a bit...well...shallow and predictable. Although insanely quotably ("Mean Girls") to binge-watchable (anything Nicholas Sparks). However, one chick flick rises above the rest. It has been such a success and made into such a classic that it's even been made into a Broadway musical. You know which one I'm talking about: "Legally Blonde."
"Legally Blonde" is a story of a young woman who defies stereotypes, expectations, and seemingly insurmountable barriers in order to become not only a successful lawyer, but an honors student at Harvard Law school and, more importantly, a true friend.
If you haven't seen this movie in a while, here's a refresher on all of the valuable life lessons that one can learn from Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde."
1. People will perceive you in a certain way, and there is nothing that you can do about it except prove their expectations wrong.
Because Elle is young, blonde, beautiful, and has a tendency to wear pink, she is immediately perceived as ditzy and shallow, and even though Elle earned her way into Harvard Law school, no one believes that she got there on her own. Elle let her haters be her motivators (is that the term the youth use? I don't even know anymore) and ended up kicking major butt by the end of the movie, tossing those previously-held expectations to the curb.
2. The bonds of sisterhood trump everything else.
Elle is staunchly loyal, even when it would have helped her not to be. She understands that her female relationships take top priority over everything else in her life and works hard to both maintain her current ones and forge new ones.
3. Always believe in yourself, because no one else will.
Literally no one thought that Elle could handle law school. Warner told her that she wasn't smart enough even though she got a 179 on the LSAT (A 179!!! That's one point away from a perfect score!!!) and everyone at Harvard still thought that she was a joke, but Elle knew that she could do it if she tried and persevered, eventually reaching her goal of getting into Harvard.
4. Be yourself.
Elle tried to conform to the Harvard Law/lawyer persona, but found that she hated pretending to be something that she wasn't. We have all been told to be true to ourselves for our entire lives, but it's so hard to be when our society pulls us so many different ways. Elle is one of those few people who is sure in herself and who she is, and she isn't afraid to flaunt it, even though it goes against the norms of Harvard and the law scene.
5. Aim high, and don't settle.
6. Be nice to everyone, even when you don't want to.
Vivian was outrageously rude to Elle, humiliating her on her first day of class, flaunting Warner in front of her, lying to her about the "costume" party, and pretty much acting waaay cattier than anyone attending Harvard Law should. However, there were multiple times when Elle decided to be the bigger person, and eventually Vivian realized what a bonehead Warner was and she and Elle became BFFs.
7. Improvisation and thinking on your feet can get you places.
Elle shows her ingenuity and intellect twice on her feet in the movie, and both times succeeds in helping a friend in the process. Sometimes all you need is some confidence, luck, and big confusing words.
8. TREAT. YO. SELF.
Elle is the queen of this. She knows what makes her feel better when she's upset, whether it's to eat an entire box of chocolates by herself or to treat herself to a manicure. Mental, emotional, and physical health are all very important and Elle knows when she gets out of whack and needs to take a breather. Treating yo self is important. Do it whenever you can.
So grab a bowl of popcorn, turn on Netflix, and take notes: there are many valuable life lessons that you can learn from this chick flick.
