Is Elle Woods an epilepsy icon?

Elle Woods & Epilepsy

Legally blonde. It's a right of passage in girlhood. We all know there are three movies all pre-teen girls watch that shape us.

• Mean girls

• Legally Blonde

• And, Clueless

There's something about these movies that makes us feel good! I watched all these movies when I turned 14, and these movies make you feel understood at that age. But funny enough, that feeling never disappeared when I watched Legally Blonde.

Elle Woods is more than a pretty face, and we all know this. She fights for justice in the only way she knows, with her modern-day girl logic.

Before last month, I can't remember the last time I had watched Legally Blonde, but it has always been my favorite- and that's A LOT for someone who can't sit still for most movies. I started thinking about Elle's sense of justice and how she figured things out. I began to realize it seemed familiar because I do the same thing.

SPOILER ALERT: I would skip this part if you plan on finishing the movie!

When Elle takes over Brooke Whindam's case, she wins by realizing Chutney was the murderer since her perm was still intact. Now, as the daughter of a lawyer, I can tell you that they don't teach you about proper perm hair care in law school. She figured this out by her modern-day GIRL LOGIC ( this should be a new thing like girl dinner and girl math… it could be the "girl trifecta.")

Every time I've raised epilepsy awareness, I've done it to appeal to the young, modern-day consumer. Let's be honest: people who know about epilepsy don't need to learn seizure first aid because they know it already. My products are mainly for people with epilepsy, but it's also for people with NO CLUE what our condition is. Why? Because if one of them puts a sticker on their computer, water bottle, or school notebook, more people see it and start to learn about epilepsy. It wouldn't be fair to make merchandise that solely epileptics understand- because that's LESS awareness! Now, what does this have to do with Elle Woods? If I hadn't started this when I was 16, I probably wouldn't understand the importance of making "trendy epilepsy awareness merch. What is this, you say? GIRL. LOGIC.

Most young women will know that pursuing any career that is harder for them because we are young women- especially OPINONATED young women. I have yet to (thankfully) FULLY experience this- but the short snippets are equally painful. I say this because Elle is an opinionated young woman who continues to stand up for herself and others despite the misogyny she continuously faces. The only thing that I believe has stopped me from letting other people's views on what I'm doing is my mission to prove everyone and their mother wrong. I truly believe if Elle Woods were here, she would say the same thing. Don't do it for them. Do it to prove. Them. Wrong.

Elle is an underdog. Nobody believes that you can be girly AND intelligent. To say I was an underdog when starting Milo&Me was a total understatement. Taking the leap to start this organization was one of the scariest things I've ever done. For most of my life, I felt like no one except my family believed in me.

I would've never gotten where I am today if I wasn't kind. Kindness is a superpower many people have the ability to hold, but not enough people use it! I genuinely believe that every person I have met along this journey has been able to help in one way or another- even the most negative people I've met. Many of these people wouldn't feel inclined to help me if I didn't show the compassion and empathy I show at every single event, gala, speaking ceremony, or political meeting I've been a part of. People like REAL connection, and they can see that when you're passionate about something the way Elle and I are, lol.

Now, the moral of this blog post isn't some pompous blog post about how I am Elle Woods. It's about how Elle has all the characteristics of a modern-day girl boss. Elle's character is like no other simply because she feels REAL. If you're like me and always loved Legally Blonde, you might not be that far off from being her. You might not be in your "elle woods era" yet because you havent found YOUR thing. For me, I took an insane interest in my medical condition; for you, it might be writing, singing, crafting, or so much more.

Start channeling your inner Elle woods. Your moment is sooo close.

Xoxo

Sophia&Milo