"I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn."

I spent about 12 years of my life as a blonde (for real, maybe I'll post pictures sometime), so I always identified with Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. I envisioned my blonde self kicking ass and taking names at Harvard Law, all while looking fabulous. (the chihuahua was always left out of my visions, though)

If you've never seen the movie (seriously, do you live under a rock?!), it raises a lot of questions about being sexy versus classy. The movie seems to promote the idea that you can't be both. Elle is sexy, fabulous, and maybe a little frivolous, so no one takes her seriously. Her ex-boyfriend tells her that if he is ever going to be a senator, he needs to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn. These two women, on the surface, don't seem to have much in common (aside from sleeping with JFK, of course).

Jackie, beautiful, dignified, prim Jackie, is the lasting symbol of feminine grace. Marilyn, sexy, curvy, controversial Marilyn, is the epitome of sex appeal. Jackie was the country's First Lady, giving her a revered position of national power. Her impeccable style and poise ensured her the respect of all Americans, and even in her later years she remained the picture of imagined American royalty. Marilyn was a movie star and sex symbol. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, argued for the liberation of women's bodies and minds. Her untimely death revealed the problems that plagued her in life. Each woman is remembered for very different things, but both serve as the ideal, Jackie as the prim and proper woman, and Marilyn as the sexy woman.

But why do I have to be one or the other? Can't I be a Jackie and a Marilyn? I love a good pantsuit, and the Kennedys are my idols, no question, but sometimes I like to show a little skin and throw on some red lipstick. As a modern woman, I don't think I need to choose Jackie or Marilyn. I want to be both, and I have every right to do so. I want to hold my own among politicians and international businessmen, but I also want to have a flair for the dramatic and be extravagant and fabulous.

I want to be classy.

I want to be sexy.

I want to be Jackie.

I want to be Marilyn.

I am a modern woman, and I think it's just fine if I am both at the very same time.