When I watched the new Netflix Wednesday series I fucking screamed when Tyler prepared a “scary movie” date for Wednesday in Crackstone’s crypt and instantly knew what it was by the opening score…Legally Blonde. It is my guilty pleasure and self-dubbed “power movie.” I am not a pink girly likely due to being born the day after Valentine’s Day and having pink and heart-shaped items forced on me from an early age. Holiday birthday trauma aside, my aesthetic is much closer to goth/metal chick than girly girl. I even have framed photos of Morticia and Gomez in my bedroom. Case in point, I got called Wednesday by a hairdresser a few weeks ago and have even dressed as her for Halloween. This makes the juxtaposition of me loving Elle Woods even more jarring for some (see husband for details).
As I kick off my Bad B*tch Tune-Up series I want to start with Elle Woods because she has already given me a boost of motivation when I needed it the most. Let’s go back to when I was a pharmacy student on the verge of failing due to some Tyson-level punches from life. In the same week, I had food poisoning, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and I was in a car accident. The downward spiral was real and I started to withdraw more, skipped class, and just became very reclusive. Reality struck when I realized I would not graduate unless I got my shit together and aced my next pharmacology exam. So instead of getting into my flashcards…I put on Legally Blonde.
The study montage came on and it just woke me up. If Elle can get her shit together and study her ass off then so can I! As dumb as it sounds Legally Blonde gave me a boost when I needed it the most. With Elle in my corner, I punched life back and got an A on my exam. I stepped out of victim mode and I got myself back. This is the energy of Bad B*tch Tune-Up. She is already there in you. Sometimes you just need that little boost, that reminder that you are, in fact, a bad bitch too. If it comes in the form of a corny 2000’s movie so be it!
“Since its debut, “Legally Blonde” has become one of the most unimpeachably rewatchable films ever made, with lines like “What? Like it’s hard?” and “I’ll show you how valuable Elle Woods can be!” earning top marks in cinema’s unofficial dialogue hall of fame. Elle surprises not just scene by scene, but line by line, even word by word, with a free-flowing kindness and self-assuredness that’s served as a brand of philosophy among fashion-forward dog lovers for more than two decades.” -IndiWire.com
I know we can tear the film down with criticism of lack of diversity and if it is truly feminist but I do not need to add a layer of feminist guilt to my power-up movie. We need to have the duality to look at things critically and allow ourselves to enjoy shit too. I will continue to explore this with more controversial inspirations in later posts–looking at you Tarantino.
I invite you to tap into the mantra of I’ll show you how valuable *insert your own name here* can be. It lights a fire under my butt to get moving in the right direction and put in an all-out effort. Live every day like Elle Woods after Warner said she wasn’t smart enough for law school. I am focusing on studying Elle this week and will post an update and random thoughts in the notes section. I would love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join me in tapping into Elle Woods Energy this week.
Do you have a power movie or quote that you use for an energy boost?
Jot some things down in the comments below!