Elle strictly follows the traditional rules of femininity as dictated by southern californian culture, with special interests in the color pink, fashion, and her parter. She is extremely trusting and takes people literally when they are kind to her which is OK when she “stays in her place” as gender norms dictate, but as she leaves her familiar habitus in which she has cultivated social, cultural, and symbolic capital through careful study and adherence to these social norms, she finds herself ostracized and abused. Even though she is hyperlexic and has a high IQ (as traditionally defined), she has difficulty reading social cues in new environments. She also copes with transitioning into new circumstances by falling back onto familiar routines of personal hygiene and filling her personal space with familiar items. She is also extremely ethical to her personal morals which gets her into difficulty when social norms dictate being flexible with one’s ethics. She also does not privilege human companionship over other species.
Elle Woods is the kind of Autistic that most neurotypicals can’t recognize because she is camouflaged in “socially acceptable” practices, but to someone who is also Autistic is clear that the way she approaches these practices is neuroatypical. Many Autistic women survive and ‘blend in’ by making traditional feminine norms their special interests, and their neuroatypicality can often become disabling only when they change habitus, which means the circle of people and environment and all the culture and practices that go with it. They spend a lifetime getting “good” at one habitus and fitting in, but suddenly stand out as “different” when their habitus changes. Autistic women are also often extremely trusting, and when they are “attractive” by traditional feminine norms they don’t question when people are kind to them. They assume people mean well unless they say otherwise, making them highly susceptible to abuse and bullying, often by fellow women. Many Autistic women have above average IQs (by traditional definitions) and apply these abilities to traditional feminine practices such as fashion, art, homemaking, pop culture, etc. So they don’t fit the stereotypes of the “absent minded professor” which is extremely gendered male and white. As many Autistic people often feel that other people, often partners, are their special interests, some Autistic women are camouflaged by their focus and dedication to a boyfriend or husband, because gender norms literally normalize this as an acceptable, desirable practice. Practicing their ethics with strict black and white rules, they can appear to be extremely “pious,” religious, and “dedicated” wives and mothers, which again is normed by gender practices and camouflaged. If they experience OCD qualities, these are often practiced in homemaking-related skills like cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene, again… all camouflaged by gender norms as simple being a “good girl” and a “good wife and mother.”
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