Ashley Collar has built an academic career while embracing bright colors, carefully styled blonde hair and a love of pink.

But after documenting her PhD journey and university teaching online, Collar, 27, says men flooded her posts with attacks about her appearance, intelligence, accent and place in academia.

Collar calls herself the “real life Elle Woods,” drawing inspiration from the character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon.

Like the character, she favors a vibrant wardrobe, big hair and pink accessories while challenging assumptions about what an academic should look like.

She grew up on a council estate in Moss Side, Manchester, and says she had no real role models during childhood. Collar was one of 10 children, with seven children living in the family home alongside her mother and father.

Now a university lecturer, she is working toward a PhD in sociology after submitting her final piece of work last week. She previously taught at the University of Manchester and currently lectures at another university that she has chosen not to identify.

Collar told LADbible that she enjoyed learning even though she lacked a mentor and faced bullying at school. She received free school meals while attending a school with more middle class pupils, an experience that made her feel singled out.

Despite performing well in her SATs, Collar said she was placed in lower sets because of assumptions about her identity and background. People did not expect her to achieve much, she said, and those judgments became another barrier she had to overcome.

Collar later earned the top grades in A level sociology before completing a degree, becoming the first person in her family to do so. She eventually stood at the front of a lecture theatre as an assistant lecturer, surrounded by a bright pink desk and matching accessories.

Her appearance initially confused some students, who assumed she was a member of the class rather than the lecturer. Collar said she enjoys that reaction because it can break down the barrier between students and lecturers and reduce a power imbalance she does not support.

The hostility intensified after she created TikTok and Instagram accounts focused on her PhD studies and teaching experiences. Men posted comments calling her a “blonde bimbo,” “brainless” and an OnlyFans model, while others claimed she sounded uneducated or had no place in a classroom.

One person went further by using Collar’s contact email address to create a fake OnlyFans profile. Other users made graphic sexual comments, questioned her intelligence and suggested that her appearance prevented people from understanding her academic message.

In one TikTok video, Collar wore a pink leopard print pattern while addressing the abuse. Its caption read: “Exactly why I won’t stop posting, I must be doing something right!”

Collar said the comments show that some people cannot look beyond her appearance. She described the situation as “incredibly disappointing” and argued that looking a certain way says nothing about a person’s intelligence, ability or profession.

Her accent has also attracted abuse, with some TikTok users calling it low class and claiming it does not belong in academia. Collar said men regularly objectify her and assume that her blonde hair, clothes, makeup and curly hairstyle make her less clever, less articulate or unintelligent.

Rather than retreating, Collar believes it is important for people like her to remain visible in higher education. She hopes that continued visibility will challenge the idea that academics, doctors, nurses or people in other professions must conform to a particular appearance.

Collar uses humor to cope with the attacks and reminds herself that she is succeeding. She said anyone choosing to spend time sending hateful comments is revealing something about themselves, adding: “They’re the problem, not me.”

Her style has also produced affectionate reactions from students. While teaching a group of international students in Manchester, Collar said the class called her “Teacher Barbie.”

The Elle Woods nickname began in social media comments after Collar filmed a TikTok at her university desk, which she had decorated in pink. She embraced the comparison and turned it into part of her online identity, linking her story to the pink loving underdog from the 2001 film.

Growing up without much money meant Collar could not always express herself through her hair or clothing. She said bright colors and bleached hair now make her feel most confident, while her upbringing encouraged her to examine social structures and understand how education could open doors.

Her social media following has grown to more than 12,000 and became a source of support when she considered giving up. Collar said posting about her work created accountability, helped hold her together and gave her the motivation to submit her PhD work rather than disappoint the people following her journey.