Why does the perfect guy sometimes lose his luster? Do we copy other people’s opinions about who’s hot? How can women manage the double-bind in masculine settings? Dr. Katy Milkman teams up with Paul and Eli to soak up the wisdom and legal jargon of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, the 2001 megahit.
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Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel
Intro
1:20: (Eli) Who are the characters and couples?
2:35: (Paul) 1-minute plot recap
3:50: What is our relationship to this movie?
What the movie gets right
6:15: (Eli) We tend to be more attracted to people if we see that others are especially attracted to them
Mate choice copying in humans meta-analysis by Dr. Gouda-Vossos
Prestige and mate-choice copying study by Dr. Foreman
10:30: (Paul) It’s not at all rare to lose interest over time in an objectively hot partner
13:00: (Paul) Warner’s behavior undermines both Vivian’s and Elle’s interest in him
Failing to derogate romantic alternatives predicts relationship difficulties review by Dr. Rusbult
Pursuing somebody who fits a “type” is misguided study by Dr. Sparks
15:50: (Eli) Bisexual individuals often feel like their sexual orientation is invisible to others
Bi+ identity visibility and well-being study by Dr. McGorray
Determinants of mental health for bisexual people study by Dr. Ross
“What do bisexuals look like? I don’t know!” study by Dr. Nelson
Expert Corner: Katy Milkman
20:15: (Katy) The movie (mostly) does a great job of shattering stereotypes
24:05: (Katy) Signals of our socioeconomic status (e.g., “polo player”) alters our likelihood of getting a callback for a job
Pedigree book by Dr. Rivera
26:20: (Katy) It’s hard for women in professional spaces to be perceived as both warm and competent
Warmth and competence as stereotype foundations review by Dr. Fiske
Social incentives for gender differences in the propensity to initiate negotiations study by Dr. Bowles
Women are just as assertive as men when negotiating on behalf of others study by Dr. Amanatullah
31:55: (Katy) Like Elle, Katy also followed a boy to Harvard
37:00: (Katy): When people are reminded of a negative stereotype against their group, they often push back against it
Stereotype reactance prompts women to compete study by Dr. Pink
Misconceptions in the movie
41:40: (Paul) Women tend to find other women’s claims of sexual harassment to be credible
Workplace sexual harassment review by Dr. McDonald
Sexual harassment mythology study by Dr. Lonsway
44:15: (Eli): It’s rare for two partners to have radically different views of the relationship
The two partners’ relationship commitment tends to be highly correlated study by Dr. Impett
47:25: (Paul) Attractiveness isn’t relevant to one’s ability to “hold on to a man”
Attractiveness in unrelated to relationship satisfaction review by Paul
51:45: (Eli) The movie doesn’t give us enough information to understand why Elle is into Warner
“Are we ok with this?”
52:45 (Paul): Is it really necessary to conclude the movie by reassuring us that Elle gets engaged?
54:00 (Eli): Maybe Elle is the real villain?
56:45 (Eli): Um, maybe Elle’s sorority sister is also the real villain?
Relationship Quotes!
58:00: (Eli) It’s not about our “equipment.” It’s about how we use it.
59:00: (Paul) Warner gets his comeuppance.
What do we wish we knew?
1:00:10: (Paul) How do specific events alter our attraction to a person?
1:01:20: (Eli) Using the same idiosyncratic pet name for multiple romantic partners seems gross, but there aren’t studies of that phenomenon
Stars (1–5): The hosts rate the quality of the movie
Rusbults (1–5): The hosts rate the accuracy of the movie’s ideas about relationships
Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons
Artwork by Katie Keil
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