Feminist Film Theory in Legally Blonde
Women are equally important assets as men to the media
industry including the film industry which was highlighted by Julia Woods in
Gendered Media (1994). Throughout history, women were inevitably misrepresented
in films as a reflection of the norms of society which puts women at a
secondary and submissive position. With the modernisation of society in terms
of education, awareness began to arise which was evident in film with the
emergence of feminist film theory in 1920 and intensified as awareness increased
(Hayward, 2013). Therefore, feminist film theory was at a peak during the 1960s
where women began to actively defend their rights in all aspects including
politics, economics and social issues (Hayward, 2013). Film literates have
analysed the relativity of women represented in film to everyday society and
came up with theories to explain the phenomenon. The report elaborates on the
concept and themes of feminist film theory according to as
well as aims to discuss the representation of women in film specifically
through the film Legally Blonde directed by Robert Luketic. By firstly studying the concept of feminist
film theory, it makes it easier to analyse how films such as Legally Blonde
base their story structure on the themes as well as manipulate certain
aspects of feminist film theory to convey intended vision of film makers.
Feminist film theory is derived from the feminist
movement based on the ideology of feminism which defines as the advocacy of
women’s rights based on the analysis of previous exploitation of women’s rights
(Hayward, 2013). As films are a reflection of societal norms, it is evident
that the representation of women in films affect our culture and vice versa (History
Matters, n.d.). The common themes in feminist film theories include discrimination,
stereotyping, objectification, oppression and patriarchy (Hayward, 2013). Furthermore,
the theme of feminism in films is evident in three ways. Firstly, the
misrepresentation of women is evident through the bias assumption of their
sexual identities (Hayward, 2013). This is to reflect the double standard
towards women due to male supremacy. Secondly, the ideal type of women will be
prominent towards the end of a film with women characters of different
personality and behaviour (Hayward, 2013). Lastly, the relativity of women in
film with women in everyday life is to view the movie from a women audience’s
point of view (Hayward, 2013). Interpretation of feminism through film is an
effective and entertaining manner of raising societal awareness through the
interpretation of application methods such as the character development. These
principles are evident in the film, Legally Blonde.
The film revolves around Elle Woods. It is about the
struggles she faced being a woman whether she was a beautiful sorority leader
or intelligent lawyer. When her boyfriend broke up with her because of her
personality and life of being a sorority girl, she was determined to transition
to becoming his ideal type which was an intelligent lawyer. Hence, she enrolled
herself in Harvard Law School. There, she had to overcome many struggles of
being stereotyped as an unintelligent woman due to her attractiveness. The film
shows the prejudice and discrimination towards her as she was stereotyped as a
“dumb blonde” as well as how she overcame the stereotype by making her own
intelligent decisions.
Legally Blonde is a film which applies feminist film
theory to narrative development. It takes on the first way of looking at feminism
in films which is the stereotypical assumption of the lead's, Elle Woods’, sexual identity
and capabilities based on her attractive appearance that is stigmatised by a
male dominated society. The film encompassed the common themes found in
feminist films. Firstly, discrimination was evident as Professor Callahan
constantly made Vivian (visual 1) get him coffee instead of his other male students due to
her gender.
Visual 1
Secondly, stereotyping was evident as society stereotyped Brooke
Taylor (visual 2) to be an exploiter or gold-digger because she married an old successful
businessman.
Visual 2
Thirdly, objectification was evident during the scene where Elle
Woods first arrived at Harvard, and the students viewed her as a Malibu Barbie
Doll due to her appearance (visual 3) without much consideration towards her achievements.
Visual 3
Fourthly, oppression was evident as Paulette (visual 4) was emotionally abused by her
husband and he kept her beloved dog when they split up.
Visual 4
Lastly, patriarchy was
evident during the discussion of Elle Woods’ admission into Harvard. The
admissions board constituted of all men whom had the power to decide who enters
to the prestigious university (visual 5).
Visual 5
In short, the themes of discrimination,
stereotyping, objectification, oppression and patriarchy found in Legally
Blonde has classified it as a feminist film.
As a recapitulation of the report, feminist film
theory defines as films based on the common themes such as discrimination,
stereotyping, objectification, oppression and patriarchy towards women. These
films include Legally Blonde as its narrative structure was guided the themes
of feminist film theories. The film shows the misrepresentation of women and
attempts to rectify the false perception towards women’s capabilities. As film
content evolves, so does our culture. Therefore, films based on feminism such as
Legally Blonde play a crucial role in raising awareness towards the issue of
gender inequality and increase familiarity towards the term feminism. Films
should be used as a tool to empower women instead of degrading them through
proper and justified representations of women’s roles in society.
References
Hayward, S. (2013). Cinema Studies The Key Concepts (4th
ed.). USA: Routledge, pp. 137 – 148.
History Matters. (n.d.). Films as a Social and
Cultural History. Retrieved from
Wood, J. T. (1994). Gendered Media: The Influence of
Media on Views of Gender. Gendered
Lives: Gender, and Culture, 9,
231-244.
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