If there is one movie that dominated the 90s it was Clueless! Elevating Alicia Silverstone to the A-list it created so many memorable lines and scenes that it became a huge part of pop culture. Let's talk about why it became as popular as it did.

A Cultural Bombing in the Heart of the 90s

When it first came out Clueless occupied the No. 1 slot. It went on to gross more than $56 million domestically on a budget of $12 million. It was the prototype for teen movies—glam, fast one-liners, and attuned to Gen X. The movie "updated '90s fashion and slang," NPR reports, bringing "As If!" into the cultural vocabulary.

Alicia Silverstone as Cher: The Girl Who Was Cool

Alicia Silverstone's Cher Horowitz personified niceness and propriety. Amy Heckerling drawing inspiration from Jane Austen's Emma created a heroine who was comfortable with social intelligence rather than book smarts. Alicia's debut earned her The National Society of Film Critics' Breakthrough Performance and cemented Cher as a teen icon who remains indelible on screen.

The 1990s Turn: Fashion, Language, and Representation

Redefining Teen Style

NPR's Jen Chaney credited the revolution from preppy to grunge back to Clueless. Mona May's outfits, yellow plaid miniskirts and knee socks, were instantly iconic. 1990s runways followed soon: Versace and Karl Lagerfeld took a cue from Cher's style, foreshadowing a broader 90s euphoria revival.

Creating the Voice of a Generation

Aside from fashion, Clueless also made its mark on language. "As if!" and "totally buggin'" are now included in the vocabulary as teen slang. It even turned stereotypes in their minds: Cher is valley-girl cool, no doubt, but also ginormously insecure and spouting Shakespeare.

More Than Just a Teen Comedy

Having an Impact on Female Representation

In introducing the adorkable yet tacky teen girl, Clueless opened the door for a whole generation of movies with girls who were "smart but ditzy." It had nothing whatsoever to do with fashionable cuteness, quite the reverse, and everything to do with smart women still interested in fashion and friendship.

A Lasting Pop Culture Presence

Even after two decades, Alicia Silverstone is still talking about Clueless as she revealed her teenager son has memorized the entire script. Additionally Bella Hadid has created fashion based on the film and it still does well on streaming.

Conclusion

To this day Clueless (1995) is still the textbook definition of the 90s. Cher and her friends redefined teen movies, fashion, and jargon and we are still feeling the effects to this day!