Why do we view Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) as an underdog, even though she is extremely wealthy? In this video essay, I talk about how different displays of wealth and social class are treated differently in the movie Legally Blonde, and why we like Elle Woods so much.

big thank you to Hannah and Nicky for their immense help!
Russian subtitles by Кристина Черпатюк

my patreon:   / maxteeth  

resources i used for this video essay:
Legally Blonde (2001; dir. Robert Luketic) (obviously)
Arrested Development S01E05 (or E06 depending on who you ask) (shoutout to ant)
Dolly Parton performing "Jolene":
   • Dolly Parton - Jolene 19880110  
Class by Paul Fussell
Amazing Legally Blonde costume analysis by modern gurlz:
   • a legally blonde style analysis 🐕👙🛍  
Interviews with costume designer Sophia De Rakoff:
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrit...
https://ew.com/gallery/legally-blonde...
Interview with director Robert Luketic:
https://web.archive.org/web/202007131...

the clips in this video constitute fair use, please youtube gods have mercy on me
(Elle and Bruiser Woods are geminis!!!)