15 Life Lessons From Legally Blonde
Get ready to feel old, because Legally Blonde turns 15 today. That's right; 15 years ago, we were first introduced to Elle Woods, the Delta Nu sorority, Paulette, and, of course, Bruiser. However, despite the fact that the movie is almost old enough to vote (and we would totally write in “Elle Woods for President” on a ballot), its message still resonates with us today. Elle taught us many important things, from the dos and don’ts of chemical hair care to how to fight for the job that we want. In honor of its 15th birthday, here are 15 of the biggest life lessons we learned from everyone's favorite sorority sister.
Giphy1/15Intelligence comes in all shapes and sizes.
Being smart doesn't just have one definition, and if anyone can prove that's true, it's Elle Woods. She taught us that the skills learned in one area of life can be adapted to other situations. (Remember this the next time someone tells you that your chosen college major is “worthless.”) Elle’s 4.0 in Fashion Merchandising ended up coming in handy when she legit slayed in that infamous courtroom scene. “These aren't last season!”
Giphy2/15Don't judge a book by its cover (or a girl by her pink outfit).
When Elle first arrived at Harvard (what, like it’s hard?), her classmates didn't take her seriously because she was dressed in all pink and carried around those fuzzy pens à la Clueless. Though she traded in her miniskirts for beanies and blazers in order to fit in, that was kind of silly because she was just as smart (if not smarter) than her classmates all along.
Giphy3/15Never, ever get your hair wet after a perm.
We learned that if we ever did decide to go for some chemical curls, we should never get our locks wet for 24 hours because we wouldn’t want to run the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate. Duh.
Giphy4/15People who cut you down are not worth your time.
Warner Huntington III is the epitome of the toxic boyfriend. Even though Elle spends a good portion of the movie trying to win him back, she eventually learns that she deserves someone who believes in her, and who accepts her for who she is.
Giphy5/15It's OK to wallow after a breakup.
One of the most relatable scenes in Legally Blonde is when Elle is lying in bed, eating gourmet chocolates, and shouting at the TV while watching cheesy soap operas. (“Liar!!!”) It's easy to feel pressure to jump into the “I'm too good for them” phase, but it's important to remember that feeling sad and experiencing that sadness is healthy too. And, let’s be honest, chocolate never hurts.
Giphy6/15Make it clear who gets the dog after a breakup.
Thanks to Legally Blonde, we know that it's essential to have the “Who gets the dog if we break up?” conversation. And it's equally important to do everything within your power to make sure that the person who gets ownership of Fluffy is YOU.
Giphy7/15Being a mean girl will ultimately backfire.
Remember when Vivian thinks she’s soooo clever because she tricks Elle into thinking that her regular house party is actually a costume party? And then Elle shows up in costume, and dishes attitude right back to Vivian — and chats it up with Warner anyway? Yeah, lesson learned, Vivian. Don't play cruel tricks on other girls. Mean is never pretty.
Giphy8/15It's always good to stand out from the crowd.
OK, maybe we don't have to go so far as to type a résumé on scented paper, but we can still take a cue from Elle’s internship application. Despite the fact that Callahan and Emmett sort of laughed at her perfume-splashed résumé, it did help her get attention, just as her video essay did when she was applying to Harvard Law in the first place.
Giphy9/15You never know who you're impressing.
One of the best scenes in Legally Blonde is when Elle is at the salon toward the end of the film, telling Paulette that she is going to give up and move back home. All of a sudden, that intimidating Professor Stromwall emerges from under the dryer and says, “If you're going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, then you're not the girl I thought you were.” Elle is surprised when Stromwall says this, mostly because she was convinced that the teacher hated her when she got kicked out of class at the beginning of the movie. You never know what impression you might actually be making!
Giphy10/15It actually is really important to work out...and not just to stay healthy.
Say it with me: “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people just don't shoot their husbands!” It’s hard not to think of this line when hopping on the elliptical or stepping into that weekly spin class. That pricey gym membership is lowering the crime rate, OK?
Giphy11/15True love knows no bounds.
Of all the relationships in this movie, the one that's probably the most envy-worthy is Paulette and The UPS Guy, whose actual name is Kyle. Think about it — she literally broke his nose and somehow that was just part of their courtship. Relationship goals, for sure.
Giphy12/15Anything is possible if you want it hard enough. No, scratch that — if you WORK hard enough.
It's important to note that Elle didn't just stumble her way into Harvard Law. She actually studied like a beast for those LSATs, memorized legal jargon (beyond “I object”), and worked tirelessly for her internship. And despite the fact that her initial reason for applying to Harvard wasn't too inspiring (ahem, she went there for a boy), she actually had to work quite hard to attain all those accomplishments. That hustle is pretty inspiring.
Giphy13/15Friendship is sometimes more important than #winning.
Callahan and the rest of the internship team couldn't understand why the heck Elle wouldn't give up Brooke's alibi (whispers "liposuction") but we totally get it. Sisterhood, duh. But in all seriousness, sometimes it's important to protect someone's trust, even if that means you're going to make other people angry in the process.
Giphy14/15Above all, be true to yourself.
If there's anything that Elle represents, it's the lesson that we should always embrace who we are. Elle is at her best when she stops trying to pretend to be someone she’s not, which is true for life in general. We are all at our best when we just decide to be ourselves.
Giphy15/15And because we had to ...
A Legally Blonde story would be incomplete without a reference to the "bend and snap."
