Stereotypes In Legally Blonde

At this time most media displayed stereotypes and gender bias through most of the 1950s, and the idea is that women should live for her husband and family(Kelshall). American media characterized women to be well dressed housekeepers, they were supposed to be well figured, wore elegant dresses, heels, jewerly (preferably pearl necklaces) and were always smiling. This was a way to show women what men wanted at that time and even a little bit into today. The media illustrates to women what men want, what men think is ideal so the women can strive for that because it makes them think that’s how they are going to get a man. This view is very patriarchal, it’s all about the man and what he want and what he wants in a

Stereotyping is a natural human activity that counsellors and therapists also do. The value of a stereotype is that it can provide a useful shorthand for both counsellor and client, so they do not have to rewrite getting to know a person from scratch. It is a vital function of our memory systems.

Stereotypes are socially constructed, over-generalized views regarding a particular group of persons with certain characteristics that are widely accepted, and usually expected, in a society. The dominant group of a certain society, which in this case is probably Caucasians and men, usually creates these social constructions. Claude M. Steele, a researcher from Stanford University, performed multiple research studies on the idea and psychological effects of stereotypes on its victims. In his studies, he coins the term “stereotype threat” as the “social-psychological predicament that can arise from widely-known negative stereotypes about one's group,” which implies that “the existence of such a stereotype means that anything one does or any of one's features that conform to it make the stereotype more plausible as a self-characterization in the eyes of others, and perhaps even in one's own eyes” (Steele 797).

The movie ‘’The Color Purple’’ is a 1985 drama film that portrays the historical period. This film sheds light on the struggles that African American women faced during the 1930s. The Color Purple is about the life of Celie Harris, a poor black girl who married against her wish to an older black man. This movie was a great portrayal of history, which was directed by Steven Spielberg in a new light, this movie also shows realism and grit.

Further damaging the view of Elle as a feminist icon is the fact that she consistently reinforces harmful stereotypes about women. Elle is clearly meant to be presented as a sorority stereotype, but rather than overcoming and breaking free from it, she proves it to be true time and time again. Firstly, Elle reinforces the idea that women are overly emotional and quickly disheartened. In the very first scene of the movie, Elle is dumped by Warner and proceeds to have an emotional breakdown, crying and shrieking loudly in a public setting. This is further reinforced later in the

“Being yourself never goes out of style.” The average person would think that some world changing person said this but nope. Elle Woods said this. Elle Woods as in “Woods comma Elle”, the main character in the movie Legally Blonde. Legally Blonde is my all-time favorite movie. Actually, every day I strive to Elle Woods. She is basically my role model in life. This may seem silly, but really behind all the pink, Elle Woods is actually a character that may people should take notes from. The Elle Woods, in the movie “Legally Blonde”, is so appealing to me because it she shows that women do not have to follow stereotypes and can do and be whatever they want; every woman should have the blonde ambition and independence that Elle Woods has.

Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping are important topics at the cause of debating within social psychology. A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people, in which certain traits cling to all members, regardless of actual individual variation (Akert, Aronson, & Wilson, 2010). As humans, people assign objects and individuals into categories to organize the environment. Individuals do this for not only organization, but also survival. Is stereotyping inevitable? That is the question; according to Devine (2007), it is, but Lepore and Brown (2007) have to disagree. Devine believes that “stereotyping is automatic, which makes it inevitable.” On the other hand, Lepore and Brown are not convinced that stereotyping is

Stereotyping is a normal part of every one’s life. Humans, by nature, classify things. We name animals and classify them by common characteristics but stereotyping can have negative repercussions, and everyone does it. In a recent study it was proven that everyone has an unconscious need to stereotype (Paul). In Junteenth and The Invisible man, Ralph Ellison argues that stereotyping can cause mayhem by making the people become something they are not.

This phenomenon was called “stereotype threat”. “Stereotype threat” occurs when we sense that some aspect of ourselves seems to match the stereotype, making it appear valid. In this movie, when the two black guys walk on the street and talk about stereotype, one said that the waitress had the stereotype that black people don’t tip. However, when his partner asks if he tipped, he said “no”. Even though he knows what the stereotype is, he still does the same thing.

Karen is not the only one who has very little power over who she will become. In “Blonde”, Jean also has very little power over her life. Jean so desperately wants to be blonde. She even studies her friend, who is blonde, so she can “act” like a blonde. Her fascination of being blonde does not stop there. Jean explains, “That the dazzling blonde I was could be undercovered by a surgeon’s blade... [That underneath my skin] was a girl of pure gold, Goldilocks or Shirley Temple, Even, one day perhaps, Marilyn Monroe”(1-2). This implies that Jean knows the famous blonde celebrities and wants to be like them.

Elle doesn’t fit the misogynist prospect of submissive femininity. She is loud, emotional, and flamboyant. When she enters a room with the clacking of her bright pink heels, Chihuahua in arm, beaming and effusive, you cannot ignore her. Elle’s bubbliness and enthusiasm is often disdained, especially in the legal world, but she continues to express her true self. She is unapologetic about being attractive, sexual and caring about her appearance. She does not stop being stereotypically “girly” despite that it makes others think she is less legitimate and intelligent. She proves that “sexy” and “smart” are not opposing forces. Elle is the perfect example of how being feminine does not mean you submit to patriarchal notion of submissiveness.

Stereotypes are deeply embedded in every society in numerous ways. The dictionary definition of a stereotype is “one that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type.” Stereotyping or Labeling is a technique that “attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the propaganda campaign

Self esteem can bring positive or negative outcomes when it comes to task performance. Thus, people with greater levels of self-esteem and no stereotype presence build on personal strengths to succeed, whereas people with lower levels of self-esteem and stereotype presence attempt to deal with their flaws to be accepted (Baumeister & Tice, 1985; Brown & Dutton, 1995). Therefore, we wish to determine whether stereotype threat effects could be reduced or eliminated by activating self-esteem. We hypothesized that by directly addressing the need to maintain a sense of self-worth through affirming a valued characteristic that is not under threat, we would reduce or eliminated the impact of the stereotype threat, allowing people to feel more confident to deal with the situation and perform better.

Stereotypes is one of the most common causes of racism. Through radio, through television, through the internet, through music, through books, and many alike, the real potential for stereo types to arise are an inevitable possibility. Parents, willingly or not, expose and teach their children, subconsciously, by saying statements and/or watching programs that involve racism. When there is a constant source of negativity towards a certain race, then it will eventually effect the overall opinions of the populous. (The 4)

The presences of stereotypes are overwhelming and are developed by both the environment a subject is raised in and their family. Stereotypes, which are pervasive throughout different societies, become intertwined in the collective values of the society as justification for all forms of social, economic, and political inequality among groups (Devine and Elliot 2000;Kaplan 2004; Operario and Fiske 2004). As people become more exposed to stereotypes they start to become a permanent part of a person’s life, they begin to stereotype themselves almost always involuntarily.