Clueless: American Youth in the 1990s is a timely contribution to
the increasingly prominent academic field of youth film studies.
The book draws on the social context to the film's release, a range
of film industry perspectives including marketing, audience
reception and franchising, as well as postmodern theory and
feminist film theory to assert the cultural and historical
significance of Amy Heckerling's film and reaffirm its reputation
as one of the defining teen films of the 1990s. Lesley Speed
examines how the film channels aspects of Anita Loos' 1925 novel
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the 1960s television series Gidget and
Jane Austen's Emma, to present a heightened, optimistic view of
contemporary American teenage life. Although seemingly apolitical,
Speed makes the case for Clueless as a feminist exploration of
relationships between gender, comedy and consumer culture, centring
on a contemporary version of the 'dumb blonde' type. The film is
also proved to embrace diversity in its depiction of African
American characters and contributing to an increase in gay
teenagers on screen. Lesley Speed concludes her analysis by
tracking the rise of the Clueless franchise and cult following.
Both helped to cement the film in popular consciousness, inviting
fans to inhabit its fantasy world through spinoff narratives on
television and in print, public viewing rituals, revivalism and
vintage fashion.
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