Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde.
When you think of inspiring leading ladies who can motivate young girls to follow their dreams, Elle Woods might not be the first character that pops into your head, but she should be.
Over the course of the film Legally Blonde, Elle transforms from a heartbroken young woman who will do anything to get her man back to a strong, intelligent woman who finds her calling in life. The journey she goes on over the course of the movie is why she is so inspiring. Following the end of her relationship she decides to apply to Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her boyfriend Warner. While at Harvard however she discovers herself and finds out that she doesn’t need Warner in her life to be happy – she makes new friends, she succeeds in her classes and she also finds new romance.
Her path to success and happiness was not easy; she experienced loneliness by being away from her friends as well as a sense of not fitting in with everyone else at Harvard. She also has to deal with some of her classmates thinking she is a stereotypical dumb blonde – a common stereotype. These are feelings that most of us have experienced at some stage of their life but instead of letting it defeat her, she decides to prove everyone wrong. Elle decides to work harder at her studies and is ultimately rewarded by not only being her class valedictorian but also finding the thing in life that she was actually good at. We should all be as lucky as she is!
-Michelle O’Brien
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.