Ashley Eisenbeisz, Jenaya Wentz, Bryan Sheffield, Tanner Wilson

Instructor Kaser
English 120
12/10/15
A Rhetorical Visual Analysis of Legally Blondes stance on Womens Rights

Overview (Intro)
In July of 2001, Legally Blonde was released and accumulated $95.0 million in the box
office (Rotten Tomatoes). Directed by Robert Luketic, the film stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle
Woods (IMDB). Grabbing the attention of mostly young female audiences, Elle tries to win back
her ex-boyfriend by going to Harvard Law School. The film focused on blonde stereotypes in
addition to the gender inequalities that are present in careers and Ivy League schools. She was
constantly challenged by many negative attitudes from others, but by the end of the movie she
overcame all it. Although her initial purpose of going to Harvard was to win her ex-boyfriend
back, she accomplished the hard task of discovering what she was truly capable of instead. Elle
Woods used hard work and dedication to become a successful female lawyer.
This rhetorical analysis of the movie Legally Blonde focuses on the way the filmmakers
attempted to influence their audiences view on gender inequality and gender stereotypes in
order to get their point across. The main focus within the gender inequality issue is the aspect
of education and how women are underrepresented in the workplace and higher education
schools such as Harvard. In addition, the secondary focus is the issue of stereotypes found in
todays society and how so many stereotypes become the social norm.

Influences
Legally Blonde was strongly influenced on the issue of inequality between men and
women. Many feel that women cannot perform at the same level as men and it was evident in
this movie. When Elle decided she wanted to go to Harvard Law School, she got many negative
responses and very few positive ones. A recent study showed that there a total of 6 percent
more males accepted into Harvard than females (U.S. News & World Report). That may seem
like a close comparison, but when there is fewer than 7,000 students enrolled it accounts for a
larger difference between male and female enrollment. There are almost 450 more males than
females that get accepted into Harvard. This statistic provides credibility to the difficulty of Elle
getting into Harvard as seen in the movie. Another aspect that influences this movie is the idea
that sororities can act as a family for its members. No matter what Elle did, she could always
rely on her sorority sisters to help her work through her many ups and downs. At the same time,
others judged her based on the stereotypical idea of sorority girls. Many thought she was only
into partying and other social events, when in reality she had so much more to offer such as
becoming a successful lawyer. By the end of the movie, the audience is shown that people
should not be based off of societys stereotypes for them.
Gender inequality continued to show up multiple times throughout the movie, just as it
does in todays society. In 2001, a survey showed 60% of women were employed in the
workforce, compared to 80 percent of men (Goldin, "Gender Gap"). Not only are women lacking
in numbers at Ivy League Schools, this quote shows that they are also missing out in the
workplace. As Elles ex-boyfriend committed to go to Harvard, she decided that she was going
to work hard in school in hopes of being able to be there alongside him. A lot of people did not
think Elle would be able to obtain the credentials to succeed at Harvard, let alone be accepted.
Their doubt of her abilities was stirred up by the fact that she was blonde and a female, giving
the appearance and recipe for the stereotypical dumb blonde. As the movie progressed, Elle
took others doubts and turned them into motivation. She ultimately ended up becoming very
successful, and most importantly, happy. Proving all of her doubters wrong, she became

valedictorian of her class. Overall, there is a gap in the gender equality aspect of society that
caused the makers of this movie to emphasize the issue.
Issues
A big issue in the movie comes from families and public standards in society. In the
beginning of the movie, Warner and Elle were together having dinner when he started talking
about Law School. He had the goal of becoming a senator by the time he turned 30. He ended
up breaking up with Elle right then and
there because it would look bad on his
social image for him to be digging
around with someone who lacked a high
and respected social status. The picture
on the right shows this scene playing out
and demonstrates the absolute shock
Elle, as well as the rest of the restaurant,
had when she heard the news. He wanted
someone who was smart and who would not affect his public image in a negative way. In
politics, spouses are best kept out of the spotlight which Elle would have had a hard time
doing with her bubbly personality (Financial Times). Because of Elles stereotype put in place
by society, she lost her boyfriend because of his fear of the publics opinion. He wanted to do
what would be best for his image in the long-run.
Since Warners image was already
accepted by society, being the son of a wellknown businessman, he just needed to worry
about finding a girl with the same respect. It
didnt take long, and soon he found Vivian.
The picture on the left is the scene where Elle
first learned of Warners new fianc. At this
point, the audience does not know much about her except what occurs in the classroom scene

before this one. She had no problem correcting Elle in class to make her feel inferior to not only
herself, but everyone else in the room. It displayed her entitled attitude and idea that she follows
societys stereotypes. Often times when someone has their own fear of becoming the stand-out
in society, they will follow the stereotypes put in place and pick on inferiors as to save their own
skin similar to what Vivian does to Elle (Bennett). Vivian felt that she belonged at Harvard and
not Elle based off of her stereotype category. The same scene shows that Vivian dressed to fill
the role of entitlement that she felt. Fit with pearls, a pencil skirt, blazer, and a giant diamond
ring, the scenes imagery gives the impression that Vivian is already dressed to be a lawyer.
When she flashed her ring at Elle, it exclaimed that she won the boy and Elle was inferior once
again. Even after all the attitude dished out from Vivian, Elle took it as extra motivation and
made herself believe she belonged at Harvard. More importantly, Elle was still focused on and
believed that she could win Warner back.
Another issue in the movie was gender roles. The film was based off of a male
dominated profession, and a woman trying to make it into law school. Although the film
stereotyped a blonde woman being
unintelligent, Legally Blonde showed her
succeeding as a lawyer after a lot of hard
work and confidence. Elle persevered
through harsh criticism until she finally
achieved her goal of proving all of her
doubters wrong. These issues both
contribute to the attempt to spread
awareness for wrongful stereotypes, and
the judgmental public standards of society. The filmmakers exaggerated a stereotype in society,
along with the problem of gender inequality, in order to prove that anyone can overcome
challenges that society puts in their way as well as the idea that society needs to have an open
mind.

Objectives
The purpose of Legally Blonde was to inform people the important role stereotypes have
in society through a social commentary. The film used comedy to illustrate a young woman,
seen in society as being unintelligent, overcoming stereotypes to reach her goal of becoming a
lawyer. The main character, Elle Woods, prepared for many days for her test to get into Harvard
Law School. Finally, she received news that she was accepted into Law School. She went
outside of the social norm of being a dumb blonde and not only got accepted into a prestigious
school, she excelled while there. She used the negativity from all of the people who looked
down on her as an extra boost of confidence to work even harder.
Elle Woods conquered the doubt many people had in her. She was only supported by a
few people when it came to being accepted into Harvard, so she did the opposite of what most
people might do. She used
doubt as motivation. When
bystanders encouraged her
to quit and go back to the
life she already knew so
well, Elle worked hard and
proved herself. Looking at
the picture to the right, one
can see that Elle stuck to
her own style the entire
movie. Although the style
Elle had in the film was slightly over the top, the social commentary aspect of the film used it to
portray a comedic role based off a social issue. Viewers of Legally Blonde are aimed to follow
Elles influence and not conform to society in order to be accepted by others. If Elle would have
let other peoples opinions bother her, she would have never completed her goal of getting into
Harvard and continued on to graduate top of her class.

Genre
Legally Blonde added a touch of comedy to a social commentary to bring a lighthearted
view to the serious issue of gender inequality and conforming to society. Using Elles
stereotypical blonde attitude, the movie was able to reach out to teenage girls and show them
that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. It took many shut-downs and negative

attitudes towards Elles dream of Law School until she realized that she only had the support of
a few people. One of the main people who believed in Elle was her new hairdresser, Paulette.
Legally Blonde shows Elle and Paulette talking about
their life problems while Elle is getting her nails done.
The film showed that Elle noticed how Paulette liked
the mailman and gave her girl tips to get her man.
Further on in the film, Elle helped Paulette gain enough
confidence to get custody of Paulettes beloved dog. In
return, Paulette convinced Elle of how successful she
could be and to believe in herself. Although one is
more serious than the other, both were important to the
films objective and showed the meaning of having confidence in yourself and the strength
needed to accomplish your dreams while overcoming obstacles. People watching the film
outside the intended audience would not understand the real meaning behind the movie.
However for the young women it is intended to reach, they can see through the comedy and
relate to the obstacles Elle faces in a male dominated world.

The struggles Elle was put through shows just how determined she was. The filmmaker
decided to blend Comedy with Drama in some parts of the movie. In a scene when Elle had her
first day of class, she clearly did not belong at Harvard by the way she dressed and the supplies
she brought with to class. Everyone else sat
down and pulled out their laptops, while Elle
pulled out her heart shaped notepad and
pen. Once again, Elle was caught standing
out from the crowd and was unprepared. Her
professor almost immediately started picking
on her and eventually Elle left class because
the professor and a fellow classmate, Vivian,
made her look bad. Besides making fun of
Elle on her first day of class, viewers soon
realize Vivian is Elle exs new girlfriend. This comedic drama helps the audience connect with
the jealousy a girl has towards old relationships. The scenarios show that not only was Elle
struggling with a battle within herself, but she was also being influenced by outside factors, such
as teachers and other students at Harvard.

Audience
The movie was directed toward young women as the primary audience. For example,
Elle loved keeping in touch with all the new trends in fashion, getting her nails done, her hair
styled, and expressing her love for the color pink. Although society viewed Elle as being
someone easy to walk over, Elle knew right from wrong. When she tried to find a dress for her
date with Warner, the sales lady comments that she, loves stupid girls with daddys plastic and
tried to get Elle to buy a clearance dress for full price. To the sales ladys surprise, Elle called
her out on her scam. Elle quizzed her on the material and sewing technique, but when the sales
lady got it wrong Elle commented that she knew it was from last season and wouldnt be tricked.
Slowly moments like this made
the audience have empathy for
Elle because they realized that
she was constantly battling
stereotypical judgements. The
idea of a blonde, sorority woman
getting into an Ivy League school
is unheard of because of the
stereotypes that are set in place
by society
Legally Blonde is meant to inspire young women into believing they can achieve
anything they put their minds to. The film wants girls to see that the stereotypical dumb blonde,
as recognized in todays society, does not have to be held back by critics or judgements. Elle
chooses to not take anything too seriously, like having a pink resume that was scented. Overall,
it was important that she stayed true to who she really was even though she was trying to
become someone no one else believed she could. The message to block out the haters and
pursue your own dreams rang true throughout the movie. It was meant to inspire young women
everywhere to break down stereotypical barriers and work hard to achieve all of their goals, no
matter how unattainable they may seem.

Logos (Themes)
There are many themes that were present in Legally Blonde. The film was focused
around feminism. Elle Woods realized the true potential she had in herself. She used her

strengths to her advantage, some that others looked down on her for. Elle Woods proceeded
through Harvard Law School (Bennett). She empowered women around her to stand up for
themselves and believe in who they are. The iconic, bend and snap from the film has a hidden
meaning of being
confident in your own
body as the picture on
the right demonstrates
(1). The bend and snap
adds humor to the
empowerment of women.
Elle gets the whole
beauty salon to have confidence in their bodies. Legally Blonde used social commentary to
illustrate the importance of not conforming to societys norm. When Elle Woods first got
accepted to law school she changed her wardrobe to match the other students around her (1).
Eventually, she went back to her own style, still a tad toned-down from her bright pink, and
flashy sorority clothing, and was accepted by those around her for her intelligence and
motivation to succeed.

Getting into Harvard is anything but easy. With almost having to complete hundreds of
volunteering hours, receiving awards such as Valedictorian, having multiple sources of
recommendations, and being more outstanding than the next student, it surprised everyone
when Elle decided to apply to Harvard. According to Harvard Admissions Office, only about 5%
of the applicants actually get into the school. Thats a total of over 37,000 applicants applied
with only around 2,000 acceptance letters (Admissions Statistics). The movie built up to a point
where Elle has tried so hard that she finally gives up. Elle Woods confidence in her intelligence
shattered at a court case when her professor tried to bribe her sexually. She figured out the only
reason she got into Harvard was because she was attractive. Shaken up, Elle left with no hope
left in the work she had put in to become a law school student. After extra motivation and
encouragement from peers around her, Elle came back to win the court case. Legally Blonde
shows the importance feminism and persevering a dream through a social commentary.
Pathos
The overall feeling of Legally Blonde is a lighthearted and fun comedy, not including the
main issues of the film when Elle was faced with gender inequality and stereotypes. One of

Elles biggest opponents was Vivian, Warners new fianc, as mentioned previously. For most of
the film, Vivian was seen as a snotty, entitled girl who would do anything to make Elle look bad.
That was until the scene Vivian met Elles dog, Bruiser. Suddenly, the audience could see a
whole new side of Vivian that actually made her seem like a caring person. When she gently
embraced the dog and he began licking her face, Elle exclaimed that Bruiser liked her. Slowly
from this moment on, the audience was able to see a change take over Vivian while she
became Elles friend. They were able to bond over the fact that their professor only requested
the females in the group to fetch him coffee or donuts. As it turns out, Vivian was too busy
battling a stereotype of her own to realize Elle was trying to fight and overcome similar issues.
When starting over at a new place, such as Harvard, it can be nerve-racking and feel
uncomfortable. To make herself feel at
home, Elle went to her first day of class
dressed in her usual pink ensemble,
unaware that she would be made fun of.
When she arrived to class with her heartshaped notebook, she stood out compared
to everyone else who wore neutral tones
and had laptop computers. The teacher easily spotted Elle and decided that she was the one to
pick on. The professor questioned her on the assigned reading, but she hadnt read it yet. As
fair punishment the teacher asked a random student, who happened to be Vivian, if Elles lack
of preparation was acceptable. Vivian replied with a no and Elle was asked to leave the room.
This was the first time Vivian met Elle, not even knowing that they had Warner in common.
After this scene, the audience had empathy for Elle because she could not seem to fit in
anywhere. This was not going to stop her. Elle continued to fight the negativity she faced and
proved that it was not necessary to conform to societys norm in order to be successful. It was a
message to the audience to not worry about fitting in, rather to always be true to yourself.
Elle Woods used her own personal experience at Harvard to add the emotion in the film.
During her graduation speech, she referred to herself and her class as we and our, showing

that she felt they were a single unit, not a class made up of different individuals. She wanted
success for the entire class of graduates. Elle also reached out to the audience when she
brought up and referred to having faith in yourself and your goals. This message wasnt just for
the students who were graduating that day, rather everyone in the room who had ever dreamed
of achieving a goal. By doing this she made the speech applicable to a broader range of
audience. Throughout the film, the emotional connection the audience felt with Elle continued to
grow.

Ethos
Legally Blonde used ethos throughout the movie in various ways to make the movies
ideas credible. One way is directed towards the viewers of the film along with the students Elle
Woods is spoke to at Harvard. Elle used references such as Aristotle in her graduation speech
which showed that Elle was a student who
paid attention in class and to history (Cheatle).
This added credibility to the film by bringing in
an outside source that most people knew or
have heard of. Another example is the murder
case that Elle and her classmates had to work
on. Elle was able to prove that the client was
innocent by her wide knowledge of hair care. Although some members of the audience wouldnt
understand how Elle knew you cant wash your hair immediately after a perm, the select few in
the audience would understand. Using common knowledge and audience specific facts gave
the movie credibility because most of the movies audience could understand one or both styles
of outside information that was brought in.
Conclusion
Legally Blonde is a social commentary focused on the issues of social stereotypes and
gender inequality present in todays society. In order to get the message through to the
audience effectively, the movie uses comedy to bring a light hearted view on serious issues.

Elle faces these challenges the moment she decides to apply for Harvard. Facing the stereotype
of being a dumb blonde, she lacked moral support from many of the people she encountered,
including close friends. Little did they know, she would be able to overcome the stereotype and
graduate at the top of her class. Elle faced gender inequality while working on the court case
with her classmates. Her professor would request the women to fetch him coffee and he offered
Elle a higher position in the case in an effort to flirt with her. This demonstrates the idea that
many people feel women are objects and are only good for being an accessory to men. Elle
proved this was wrong when she took over the case from her professor and was able to prove
their client was innocent.
By taking on these challenges, Elle grew within herself and found out what she was truly
capable of. Although she was constantly looked down upon, Elle never gave up on herself and
her dream. The movie showed that no matter what stereotype or inequalities one may face, the
important thing is to never give up on a goal. With hard work and confidence any goal can be
obtained.

Works Cited
Legally Blonde. Dir. Robert Luketic. Perf. Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair.
MGM, 2001. DVD
Legally Blonde Movie Info. RottenTomatoes.com. 2001. Web. 27 October 2015
Legally Blonde. IMDb.com. 2001. Web. 27 October 2015
Harvard University. colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. U.S. News & World Report,
2015. Web. 27 October 2015.
"Political Film Society - Legally Blonde." Political Film Society - Legally Blonde. Web. 28 Oct.
2015.
Goldin, Claudia. "Gender Gap." , by Claudia Goldin: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.
Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
"Political Spouses Are Safest Kept out of the Spotlight - FT.com." Financial Times. The
Financial Times LTD 2015, 5 Aug. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
Bennett, Alanna. Legally Blondes Elle Woods Was A Feminist Icon, So Lets Throw Some
Snaps Her Way. bustle.com. Nov. 2013. Web. 20 October 2015.
Cheatle, Joseph. Rhetoric in Legally Blonde. wordpress.com. Vanhovtas Blog, Oct. 2009.
Web. 26 October 2015.
"Admissions Statistics." Admissions Statistics. The President and Fellows of Harvard College,
n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.