Thirty-One Years Later, Everyone Is Watching It Again… The Iconic ’90s Classic That Defined A Generation Has Returned To Netflix — And It’s Still As Brilliant As Ever. Long before social media trends and viral catchphrases, this beloved coming-of-age comedy was already shaping pop culture with unforgettable one-liners, iconic fashion, and a heroine who proved kindness and self-discovery never go out of style. Led by Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, and the late Brittany Murphy, the film remains just as funny, heartfelt, and surprisingly relevant today, with many calling it one of the most timeless teen movies ever made.

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Clueless’ cultural relevance still holds up after more than three decades as it returns on Netflix, expert says

It has been 31 years since Cher Horowitz gave everyone a lesson in what earned an “As if” or “whatever” remark, but the film still has a major cultural relevance

Clueless

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Clueless still has cultural relevance 31 years later(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

Clueless was released in theaters on July 19, 1995, and despite its age, it still has major cultural relevance, with audiences watching it as it returns to Netflix 31 years later.

The movie, which has become a Hollywood staple, featured Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Breckin Meyer, and Paul Rudd. Based on Jane Austen’s Emma, the movie tells the story of Cher Horowitz, a wealthy girl from Beverly Hills, California, who comes of age and deals with a number of issues that force her to confront her values.

And while a sequel series is now in the world for a younger audience, the original still has cultural relevance because of what it truly stood for, with a PR expert telling The Mirror US that it was actually ahead of its time.

“Clueless is one of my all-time favorite movies. So I may be slightly biased. But here is my honest take,” Amore Philip, the founder of Apples and Oranges Public Relations, tells the Mirror.

“Thirty-one years later, Clueless still holds up, and I think the reason is simpler than most people realize,” she said. “It was never really about fashion, or high school, or Beverly Hills. It was about a girl figuring out who she is, what she values, and how to use her influence for good. That is a story that does not age.”

Clueless

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Clueless starred Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

One thing that made the movie so memorable was that it added to the linguistic and cultural lexicon in a way that was completely ahead of the game.

“What strikes me every time I watch it from a cultural standpoint is how ahead of its time the language was,” she said. “‘As if, whatever, she is a total Monet.’ These phrases entered the cultural vocabulary and never left.”

“That kind of linguistic impact is extraordinarily rare. Most movies do not generate a single lasting phrase. Clueless generated an entire dialect. Thirty-one years later, people are still saying ‘as it’ without even knowing where it came from. That is cultural permanence.”

Philip also shared that the movie’s actual relevance and legacy come from the character of Cher Horowitz herself.

Clueless

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The movie still has cultural relevance despite being released more than three decades ago(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

“The real cultural legacy of Clueless is that it made intelligence fashionable before that was considered cool. Cher was not just pretty and popular. She was strategic, articulate, and eventually self-aware enough to recognize her own blind spots. For a movie released in 1995, that is a remarkable thing to have out on screen.”

This remains true even with a potential reboot in the works, because while some of it will change, what younger generations have loved about the movie will still resonate.

Clueless

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While some elements of the movie would change in a modern retelling, the core remains the same(Image: CBS via Getty Images)

“If Clueless were made for a modern audience, the surface details would change entirely,” she said. “The Rolodex becomes a curated Instagram grid. The makeover montage becomes a TikTok transformation. The debate about whether Tai is a good friend happens in a group chat.”

“But the soul of the story would stay the same because the soul of the story is about becoming. And that is something every generation understands.”

“Whatever. As if clueless was ever going to stop being relevant,” she concluded.

Clueless is now streaming on Netflix.