Instead of a misogynistic frat boy, we have Martin Ginsburg.
Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde” was determined to get into and excel at Harvard Law School because of Mr. Warner Huntington III, who kicked her to the curb thinking that she would never be anything more than arm candy for him. He who would become an all-important attorney with no time for the frivolity of a Delta Nu. So, Elle went to Harvard and made it her b*tch.
Alternatively, Marty Ginsburg in “On the Basis of Sex” is the man Warner should have been. He isn’t limited by gender roles; he lands the jobs at the big law firms and comes home and cooks dinner. He pushes Ruth to get on the litigation scene and comforts his children. He’s a blend of supportive and resourceful that all men need to take notes on. (It also doesn't hurt that he's played by Armie Hammer.)
Ruth and Elle possess an awe-inspiring drive.
Elle thought she’d never pass the LSAT. She skipped Greek Life parties to study, took practice test after practice test and moved her life to Cambridge to make it happen.
Likewise, Ruth went above and beyond to ensure both her and Marty’s success. When her husband is diagnosed with testicular cancer (with just a five percent survival rate, at that) she cares for him and their daughter while attending both his and her own lectures in order to get them through school. Double the coursework at Harvard, a baby at home and a cancer-stricken husband? This woman cannot be real.
Sexist males in power are put in their places.
I think we can all agree that Professor Callahan in “Legally Blonde” was a grade A terrible person. He only takes Elle seriously enough at Harvard to try and get her into bed, but not only does she stand up for herself, but she goes and wins herself a case Callahan thought was unwinnable, just to pour salt in his wounded ego.
Ruth begins her law school career at a dinner for the nine women in her class put together by Dean Griswold, who then asks each of them to state why they wanted a spot at Harvard that could have gone to a man. Ruth, of course, quips back sarcastically at the time, but gets her ultimate retribution when she wins Moritz v. Commissioner -- a case that Griswold aided the opposition with.
Women supporting women!
In “Legally Blonde,” Elle is at first at odds with Vivian Kensington, Warner’s fiancée. Which, ya know, is warranted -- I wouldn’t be buddy-buddy with my ex-boyfriend’s fiancée, either. But eventually, the two see that there’s no reason to have animosity between them and they become thick as thieves.
In “On the Basis of Sex,” it’s another, more complex relationship that tests the bonds of females: Ruth and her daughter, Jane. Jane, a 15-year-old firecracker for a majority of the film, has difficulty understanding Ruth’s frustration with where her career has ended up and clashes with her mother as a result. But, in time, Jane’s fierceness as a young woman in 1970s America sparks Ruth’s inspiration for a plan of attack in going after gender discrimination, and mother and daughter form a fierce team.
The courtroom is a battlefield to be dominated.
No one can forget that iconic Elle Woods monologue when she finds Chutney guilty of murder just by knowing the logistics of a perm. After a shaky start but with the support of her peers and all-around confidence in herself, Elle commands the courtroom and frees an innocent woman.
Ruth, who’s never actually practiced law due to the same discrimination she’s worked to break down, pushes for Moritz v. Commissioner to be brought before the Tenth Circuit. In a mock trial, though, she falters -- woman can write a mean legal brief, but at the mercy and interrogation of judges, she feels misplaced. Marty -- bless his soul -- refuses to take the entire oral argument from Ruth, but they split the time in court, where Ruth again flounders. But in their rebuttal, she draws inspiration from the government lawyer’s use of the phrase “radical social change,” and what follows is an argument that ends up winning the case. A whip-smart woman + a passion larger than her stature = radical social change.