Graphic by Betty Smart ‘26
By Honora Quinn ’27
Staff Writer
The “female gaze” is a term found everywhere in modern pop culture. From the creations of women directors, authors and artists, to the themes they explore in those works, this small part of feminist theory has greatly impacted how we interact with art centered on or made by women, past or present. Debut author Veronica Litt views art seen through this “feminine” lens, or as she refers to it, “girly art,” as a necessary endeavor. These “girly” works, Litt posits, can help us rest and restore amidst an overwhelming world. As Litt puts it in her book, “Girly art is here to help you enjoy a deserved reprieve.” The “girly” work she chose to focus on in her first book? The 1995 film “Clueless.”
In her book “Ugh As If!,” Litt tackles societal notions of the “female gaze” and attempts to help us reevaluate our cultural attitudes towards creative products that are historically viewed as frivolous or lesser. The book — which is the newest installment in Canadian publisher ECW Press’ Pop Classics Series — explores these ideas through the film “Clueless,” which contains themes that are particularly relevant for students attending a gender-diverse women’s college.
“Clueless” is hardly a film without a cultural footprint. It is widely loved, and for good reason: It’s a smart and modern adaptation of the Jane Austen classic “Emma,” and its costumes have cemented themselves as perennial Halloween staples in the years to follow the initial release. According to NPR, it captured and even impacted teen vernacular in the mid to late ’90s.
Thirty years later, in “Ugh As If!,” the official ECW Press description outlines how Litt finds “Clueless” to be “the quintessential thinking woman’s movie,” a film that charts the path of young Cher Horowitz from just another “ditz with a credit card” to a “burgeoning activist” to be reckoned with.
Throughout the book, Litt deploys a sharp combination of nostalgia, adoration and criticism for the film with a careful hand, through which she urges readers to view “Clueless” as not just another “shiny” (read: silly) teen movie but as a treatise to lean fully into the importance and joy of art filtered through the “female gaze.” Litt shows that when we peel through the brightly colored layers of stories like Cher’s — the ones most often dismissed or devalued for said shiny wrappings — we can find deeper messages. According to ECW Press, Litt emphasizes how “Clueless” carefully weaves in a message about how “even the most unlikely people can change for the better and contribute to their communities.”
As a gender-diverse women’s college, Mount Holyoke often provides students with the opportunity to lean into this way of thinking using the same unique lens that Litt offers to her readers. As expressed in the “Mission and Administration” section of the Mount Holyoke College website, the College’s mission to encourage students to “develop their voices and vision for the future” and provide preparation for “lives of purposeful leadership” is similar to how Litt charts Cher’s arc throughout the story; she evolves into a person able to use her influence for the good of her community. However, this is not the only cultural territory readers will find themselves exploring with Litt as their endlessly knowledgeable and entertaining guide.
Across eight chapters, Litt explores the cultural tendencies of the 1990s through perspectives of gender, race, romance and friendship, using the central narrative as a means of interrogating the ugly seams and dark realities that lurk just off-screen of the happy world of Beverly Hills.
But what is ultimately the most impactful element from Litt’s narrative is the undeterred emphasis on positivity. She views the story as a call to action, but one that can only be initiated when you let your guard down and lean into the fun; when you take a moment to allow yourself the grace to grow. It is at this point that we can see how every small change or contribution one can make to a community is valued.
As the book’s back cover states, even when the state of the world looks dark, “[Clueless] nudges even the most jaded viewer into feeling hopeful about the future.” It is a film that inspires us to attempt to rebuke our nihilist tendencies and embrace genuine joy and positivity. Veronica Litt, using “Clueless” as her campy, colorful vessel, encourages us to love the art that moves us, to interrogate our notions of complacency and ignorance and, most importantly, to tell us not to give up the fight, whether it be on a global scale or confined to the halls of high school chaos.
“Ugh As If!: Clueless,” the fifteenth installment of ECW Press’ Pop Classics Series, releases on June 3, 2025.
Leah Dutcher ’28 contributed fact-checking.