What is the Dark Side?

This portfolio uncovers the dark side of the romantic comedy Legally Blonde, starring well known actress Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon plays Elle Woods, a pink loving, ditzy sorority girl who wants nothing more than to marry her fraternity boyfriend, Warner. However, when college ends and Warren is expected to attend Harvard Law School in the fall, he dumps Elle in the search of finding a more ambitious, less blonde woman. Elle fights to win him back and gains admission into Harvard in order to prove herself to him and everybody else.

While this film is known for its light heartedness and easy going nature, it also delves into the deeper, more negative aspects of interpersonal relationships. Throughout its hour and a half plot, Legally Blonde uncovers some of the dysfunctional outcomes of communication, known as the dark side. Cupach & Spitzberg (2011) define the dark side as “aversive interpersonal behaviors” that disrupt, devalue and distress. This portfolio will highlight six different dark side topics within the film, exposing not only their detrimental effects, but also identifying the silver linings of each behavior.

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The Dark Side: Envy

Throughout the film, Legally Blonde covers a large variety of emotions. It ranges from the sadness of breakups to the triumphs of winning a court case. In its opening scene, the film specifically highlights the negative effects of envy through emotional sadness, anger and fear. According to Foster (1972), “envy is with us all the time; it surrounds us, and penetrates to our innermost being” (p. 164). Feelings of envy occur when others possess something we desire to have, creating an array of destructive emotions. In Legally Blonde, the main character Elle Woods finds herself envious of a female law student after she is dumped by her boyfriend, Warner.

The Dark Side: Age Gap Relationships

Age gap relationships, defined as one partner being significantly older than the other, are not typically deemed socially acceptable by society. While significantly older is a broad term, age gap relationships usually consist of at least a 10-year age difference between partners. These types of relationships are seen as violations of traditional social norms and couples are often marginalized due to this social disapproval. In North America, the average age gap is 2.7 years (Cupach & Spitzberg, 2011). There is some leniency for older men, younger women relationships, as they are deemed more acceptable and more common than older women, younger men relationships. Research by Bozon (1991) suggests this preference for younger women is more acceptable due to its traditional and evolutionary attitudes ingrained within society. For example, a younger woman is a positive social marker for youthfulness whereas an older woman is seen as infertile and barren. This mentality is proven within the statistics of age gap relationships, as 7.2% involve an older male compared to a minimal 1.3% involving an older female (Cupach & Spitzberg, 2011).

The Dark Side: Jealousy

Although similar to envy, jealousy is another negative emotion that can be all consuming when people feel they are in danger of losing a valued relationship. This feeling is exemplified in Legally Blonde through the relationship of Mr. Wyndham and his daughter, Chutney. Chutney feels she is losing her relationship with her dad to her new stepmother, Brooke. To make matters worse, Brooke is the same age as Chutney which furthers Chutney’s rage.

The Dark Side: Girls’ Social Aggression

The ways in which girls fight differ from the ways in which boys fight. While boys may resort to violence, girls tend to use socially aggressive tactics in order to advance their own reputations and tarnish their victims. This can include the use of verbal and nonverbal communication, manipulation and exclusion to hurt one another, involving concepts from indirect and relational aggression. The main goal for using social aggression is to inflict social harm by damaging ones social standing or social self-concept (Cupach & Spitzberg, 2011).

The Dark Side: Narcissism

Throughout the movie, Warner displays many narcissistic characteristics. A narcissist is defined as someone who is arrogant, self absorbed and generally unpleasant to be around (Cupach & Spitzberg, 2011). However, paradoxical to this, narcissists have the ability to come across as exuberant, bold and charismatic. Their positive first impressions attract people to them, but narcissists struggle to keep these relationships long term. As seen in the film, Warner is charming during the early stages of his relationships. We see this with Elle, his ex-girlfriend, and Vivian, his new girlfriend. He calls them endearing nicknames, like “Pooh Bear” and spends time with their friends. He seems to be successful with high self-esteem, as he attends Harvard Law and is working as an intern at a prestigious law firm. However, underneath this facade, Warner is self absorbed and cares only for himself.

The Dark Side: Secret Keeping

As an intern at Callahan’s law firm, Elle works to defend Brooke against the accusations that she murdered her husband. The defense team needs Brooke to provide an alibi during the time of the murder to prove her innocence, but Brooke refuses. Elle visits her at prison one afternoon and brings her a gift basket. Elle once again asks Brooke for her alibi, and Brooke tells Elle that she can’t give it to her, stating, “It will ruin me”. After more pleading, Brooke ultimately tells Elle that she was getting liposuction during the time of the murder, signifying that Brooke is a fraud since she makes her living by creating weight loss videos for women. Although Elle is shocked by this news, and agrees to keep her secret in order to maintain Brooke’s reputation.

References

Afifi, W. A., & Caughlin, J. P. (2006). A Close Look at Revealing Secrets and Some Consequences That Follow. Communication Research, 33(6), 467-488.

Bozon, M. (1991). Women and the Age Gap Between Spouses: An Accepted Domination? Population: An English Selection, 3, 113-148.

Brunell, A. B., & Campbell, W. K. (2012). Narcissism and Romantic Relationships. Theoretical Approaches, Empirical Findings, and Treatments The Handbook of Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, 344-350.

Cupach, W. R., & Spitzberg, B. H. (2011). The dark side of close relationships II. New York: Routledge.

Foster, G. M., Apthorpe, R. J., Bernard, H. R., Bock, B., Brogger, J., Brown, J. K., . . . Whiting, B. B. (1972). The Anatomy of Envy: A Study in Symbolic Behavior. Current Anthropology, 13(2), 165-202.

Hawley, P. H. (2003). Prosocial and Coercive Configurations of Resource Control in Early Adolescence: A Case for the Well-Adapted Machiavellian. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49(3), 279-309.

Mathes, E. W., & Verstraete, C. (1993). Jealous Aggression: Who Is The Target, The Beloved Or The Rival? Psychological Reports, 72(3c), 1071-1074.

Younggren, J. N., & Harris, E. A. (2008). Can you keep a secret? Confidentiality in psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology J. Clin. Psychol., 64(5), 589-600.