The Elle Woods effect

Being “girled” while reclaiming girliness

Bibliographic Data

ID19002972
AuthorsJocelyne Bartram Scott (0000-0003-0795-1477, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume27
Issue8
Pages1371-1385
Publication date2023-03-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexualities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13634607231164714
OpenAlexW4353029276
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited25

Using a case study of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde (2001), I assert that sorority communities are a prime example of the powerful impact of femmephobia in popular culture. Drawn from qualitative interview data with sorority women as well as media analysis and autoethnographic reflection, I use femme theory (Hoskin, 2017) and “girling” (Ahmed, 2017) to analyze a trend within my data that I label the “Elle Woods Effect.” Ultimately, I assert that the femmephobic dualistic tensions of the “Elle Woods Effect” demonstrate the off-screen impact of popular culture for femininized people and communities

Autoethnography · Media studies · Popular culture · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Media, Gender, and Advertising

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