Legally Blonde Film Analysis

Women’s roles in movies have changed dramatically throughout the years. As a result of the changing societal norms, women have experienced more transition in their roles than any other class. During the period of classical Hollywood cinema, both society and the film industry preached that women should be dependent on men and remain in home in order to guarantee stability in the community and the family. Women did not have predominated roles in movies such as being the heroin. The 1940’s film Gilda wasn’t an exception. In Gilda, the female character mainly had two different stereotypes. The female character was first stereotyped as a sex object and the second stereotyped as a scorned woman who has to be punished.

The woman’s role in society had many changes during the era of WWII to the baby boom era. It went from the strong independent woman that can work in a factory to a house wife that takes care of the family to the final slightly dominant, but still dependent female. All of these different feminine mystiques were changed because of society and through indirect propaganda in TV shows and

In Hollywood film women 's roles have varied quiet considerably between genres, geographical placement, and period settings. These factors contribute to the different representations of women 's roles in the film they are present in. The roles are diverse going from the traditional maternal role to that of manipulative murderer. Women 's roles in movies can be almost equal to the male roles, and the co-stars are not given the majority of the acclaims just because they are male. Society has set certain standards that women are supposed to follow. The most common image of women is that they are very passive and try to avoid conflict in any situation. More and more in society women are breaking down the social barriers that confine them to their specific roles. The films Rear Window and Resident Evil show women in roles that are untraditional for our society. These two movies help to show how women are rebelling against social norms and that they are taking more active and aggressive roles. In film noir’s we can see women represented as the femme fatale, a woman whose mysterious and seductive charms leads men into compromising or dangerous situations. In action movies we see the heroine who is strong both physically and mentally, and has the ability to use weapons. Women seem to be more trapped than men because they are supposed to live up to society’s standards dealing with beauty and size, which are more physical characteristics. These specific guidelines have been set by

In contemporary film women's roles in films have varied quiet considerably between genres, geographical placement, and between

I think that the movie keeps the gender role stereotyping unchanged. It reflects certain conservative trends of the decade during which it was made, the influence of feminist ideology as well as some commonly recognized American values, for example, individualism and self-reliance. Even if this movie is produced by male filmmakers in the conservative Reagan era the profound influence of feminist ideology can be traced in most of the following issues.

Elle believes her perfect life is about to get even better when her boyfriend hints that there will be changes in their future and she assumes he's about to propose. However, she is shaken when her boyfriend breaks up with her to find a girl who will be a better fit for his political aspirations. Instead of wallowing in sorrow, Elle decides she can win him back if she can only show him her serious side by chasing after him to Harvard law. Her confidence is weakened however, as she encounters difficult professors and snobby students. Nevertheless, she persisted in her studies and because of this she is given an exclusive internship. This leads her to take on challenges she never imagined she could and demonstrates the knowledge she had all along.

After lots of trying, she realizes it is not going to be a breeze to get him back in her grip with the fact she is in Harvard and looks alone, so she decides to hit the books to outsmart the awful fiancé. In the progress, she meets and great guy who helps her succeed and becomes one of the top students in her class. Elle also meets her a new beautician who she befriends and helps get the man of her dreams with the “bend and snap”. During the process, Elle starts to like herself for who she is, and her true self comes out. She is a bubbly, happy, girly woman who will not take no as an answer. With all her hard work, she even ends up receiving an internship, along with her ex-boyfriend and his fiancé, to work with a client. For one of the few times in her life, Elle was receiving things that she worked for, not that were given to her.

This genre is typically modern, perky and upbeat, but the common narrative in all of them is that it features a woman who is strong and she overcomes adversity to reach her goals. There is also a message of empowerment that also struggles with a romantic predicament and using comedy to poke fun at the male characters. Industries are still producing soppy romantic comedies for the female audience but the divide between the standard chick flick and romantic comedy is slowly disappearing. Similarly to the beginning of this essay it is evident that institutions are moving in the direction of women’s place in culture in relation to this film genre; women are usually shown as the super power since they are made to appeal to the female audience. However

In the acclaimed 2001 film, Legally Blonde, the main character, Elle Woods, is a fantastic feminine icon for females. The film represents the struggle of women to prove their ability. Remarkably, Elle never succumbs to those who so strongly see her as being stupid. While others put down her abilities and intelligence, Elle hardly ever doubts herself. She moves through the world with pure confidence. As Callahan, a law professor at Harvard who later selects Elle Woods for his internship quips, “it’s as if she just woke up one day and said, ‘I’m going to law school.” She decides on a goal and knows she can attain it, even if others only respond with incredulity or mockery. Legally Blonde has many positive depictions of women and femininity for a 2001 film.

Today’s filmmakers have three areas to focus on: the event or theme of the film, the audience who will be watching the film, and lastly, the individual characters and the roles they play and how they are portrayed and interpreted. Many of these films bottom line objectives are to focus on the “erotic needs of the male ego.” The focus on fetishistic scopophilia tend to slant the view such that we see the world as being dominated by men and that woman are

The film industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies. A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarily that of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. In terms of jobs, women were given mostly family roles and rarely were shown outside of their homes, while men had successful careers and did many activities outside of home. “Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work” (“Women’s roles in the

Women were now being portrayed as powerful, unpredictable, and possessing a mysterious sexual power, which they used to elude male control. The 1960’s also brought with it his tensions that resulted the escalating war in Vietnam, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, black ghettos going up in flames, the women’s liberation movement, the youth anti-war rebellion and free love theme, and the Civil Rights movement. It was safe to say that the American public had violence on its mind and the movie industry capitalized on the public’s apprehensions.

Feminism has become the great issue in this modern era. The emerging of second wave feminism in the late 60s had bring a huge impact toward the position of women in the society. Women are free from the male values, while women have the equal rights in politic. Women also can quit from their domestic sphere. The movement of feminism still continues in the early 90s. The women’s movement experience a phase which the ideology of feminism had changed to be Third Wave Feminism. It is because the existence of poststructuralists, postmodern and postcolonial theories in that era. Third Wave Feminism focus on popular culture which has been construed as a form of post feminist backlash (Gillis and Munford ; p. 2 ,

First of all, audience is attracted by the excellent plot when watching this musical. Elle Woods, who is the chairperson of the Sister Institute, is very popular among her friends. She thought her boyfriend Warner planed to propose to her; however, Warner decides to break up with her due to her “blonde.” At that point, Elle makes up her mind to study in Law School of Harvard in order to revive their relationship. Elle passes the assessment of Harvard successful with the help of her friends and because of her hard working. However surprised Elle Harvard study life is very dull, and Warner has made up with his ex-girlfriend. At the beginning of Elle’s study at Harvard, she is often sneered at by her classmates, especially Warner’s girlfriend Vivian, and the professor has kicked her out of the classroom. Since Elle chooses her occupation as a lawyer, she becomes energetic, hardworking

Connie is a pretty girl, and “her mother had been pretty once too”, but she is not so much anymore and almost anything Connie does aggravates her (Oates 369). This rigid relationship pushes Connie further away the older she gets. Everything about Connie has “two sides to it,” her shirt “would look one way at home and one way when she was away from home”, she was not fully herself anywhere she went (370). This act shows the way Connie lacks a sense of self. She feels as though she has to behave differently when she is with her family compared to when she is with her friends. The fact that Connie does not have a positive relationship with her mother has a direct effect on how she acts as a young woman. The lack of support and positive attention from a female role model leaves her seeking it out from other