Gender as Performance/Butler
Legally Blonde(2001)
The movie Legally Blonde shows gender performativity and how Elle learned to overcome it. Elle Woods is the main character who wears pink clothes, always has a happy mood, and is friends with the cool people at school. Originally, everyone around her assumes that since she wears pink all the time, always in a jolly mood, and hangs out with the cool people at school, she is not smart enough to be at Harvard Law School. But during, the film, she wanted to be different, but she didn’t stop acting feminine. Instead, she uses it to her advantage, creates gender subversion. The movie doesn’t make her change who she is to fit in, it shows that being smart and responsible are not always seen the same way. The film also includes heteronormativity, especially in the beginning when Elle’s goal is to win back her boyfriend. The idea that a woman’s success depends on a man’s approval is something the film changes. As the story goes on, Elle learns to do things for herself, not to impress anyone else. A parodic representation is the exaggeration of interest in her femininity, creating fun at how society defines what being a “real woman” looks like. Lastly, Legally Blonde turns what starts as a stereotype into something empowering, showing that gender isn’t something fixed but something you perform and can redefine on your own terms.
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