‘Real-life Elle Woods’ Ashley Collar said she’d had some looks in academic settings
An ex-council estate kid is smashing the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype by channelling her inner Elle Woods – and is set to get a doctorate. Blonde bombshell Ashley Collar poured ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into her PHD all while sporting brightly-coloured dresses, big, bouncy blow-dries and glam make-up.
The 27-year-old woman admits her look has raised eyebrows in academic settings, with some people assuming she’s ‘dumb’, but is proud to prove them wrong. Studying hard alongside working as a sociology teaching assistant at the University of Manchester, Ashley is determined to inspire others.
Ahead of becoming a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology, Ashley wants to demonstrate that you can ‘do both’ – express yourself through fashion in a professional setting.
Ashley, from Manchester, said: “I have always loved very feminine and 2000s styles. I love Legally Blonde and the colour pink, I don’t think any of that has to end when you enter a professional setting.
“I do normally have a bit of make-up on and my hair is often quite curly and big. I think as soon as I walk into an academic group there’s an assumption that maybe I’m a bit dumb or less articulate than the average person.
“In all honesty I challenge this and channel it. [Dressing like this], it’s showing people that you can do both, like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. I think it keeps me quite grounded as if I didn’t dress in a way that authentically me, I feel as though I would be doing a disservice to myself and what I can bring.”
Ashley grew up as the youngest of 10 kids in a working-class family on a council estate in Moss Side in Manchester. As a child she claims education was always encouraged by her parents, but she never thought she would one day get to go to university.
But when she received an A* in A-level sociology Ashley decided to apply for a sociology degree at The University of Manchester and became the first in her family to go to university. After being accepted, Ashley began studying for her undergraduate degree in September 2017 and three years later graduated with a first-class honours.
She then went on to get a distinction grade in her Masters in Sociological Research and is currently waiting to receive her PHD. Despite being very well educated, Ashley admits people often assume she’s ‘dumb’ due to her style. Regularly dubbed a real-life ‘Elle Woods’ online, she claims others are often shocked to find out how educated she actually is.
Ashley said: “I don’t think I ever really felt represented or seen in the education system [when I was younger]. I didn’t think I could string a sentence together until I was 10.
“I had to go to speech therapy from about six years old to age 10. In later life, I was then also diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. A lot of blood sweat and tears has gone into my PHD and I hope people are able to see this.
“Growing up poor, I was never really able to express myself how I wanted to. I would be given hand-me-down clothes or cheap stuff to wear.
“I never was really able to express myself until I went to university and got my maintenance loan and was able to treat myself. I’ve always loved Legally Blonde and I think I posted a TikTok in 2024 showing off my nails at my university desk and it went viral.
“A lot of people were comparing me then to Elle Woods and I took it as a compliment. Now it seems after every post, people make that connection. I’ve embraced it and it is a massive compliment as I do relate to the story an awful lot.”
Ashley is the first in her family to go to university and when she first suggested studying for a degree to her parents they worried about the debt she would get herself into. As well as people judging her on her looks in person, Ashley also claims men make her feel ‘uncomfortable’ on dating apps.
Ashley said: “People are shocked when they find out how educated I am. I would say on dating apps especially, as soon as I share my educational background there is almost some kind of fetishisation.
“Some men would make statements like, ‘I wish I had a lecturer like you in uni’, or ‘I would be coming to every class if you were my lecturer’. These comments make me feel incredibly uncomfortable.
“It’s so disappointing to see that in 2026, this is still how they predominantly view women in quite a misogynistic way. I’m hoping that by continuing despite the comments and hate I get, that I’m inspiring other people to do it.
“I’ve had thousands of people since starting social media thanking me. I think it’s that sense of representation they needed to see when they might feel that imposter syndrome as well.”
Ashley currently works as a lecturer and hopes to continue her career in a public-facing role. She is now encouraging others to go to university as she claims it allows young people to grow as people as well as learn about the world around them.
Ashley said: “I’m fortunate enough that I have a permanent lecturing job at university, but I’m also working on a teacher qualification. I want to publish and I want to go into colleges and talk to students. My values lie in being public-facing as opposed to academic-facing and I hope to inspire others.
“I think university can be a scary thing with the debt, but it really is a time in your life when you learn so much about yourself and the world around you. It really is a time when you can transition into a fully grounded person.
“I would encourage anyone to go to university if they have a passion for it. I would also say when you’re at university, you should make the most of the opportunities which are there. I’ve seen some of these students who started in first year and the growth they have had in those three years and then watching them graduate, it’s phenomenal.”