Clueless is a well known, well loved ‘chick flick’ from the 90s that has played a huge role in fashion ever since its release but it goes without saying that some of the representations in the film are outdated. Whilst it could be said that it was progressive for a film of it’s era to have so many non-white characters, there are still many aspects that don’t fit with that image.
The first stereotype is shown within the first five minutes of the film - the black best friend. This is a popular Hollywood trope often giving audience’s the impression that there is equal representation when in fact, they’re simply being reduced to the side character. The “black best friend” in this incident is Dionne Davenport, a fashionable, upmarket young woman who (like the main character) possesses a high social standing. That being said, the first thing Cher does when she greets Dionne is mock her, asking if she’s “been shopping with Dr Suess.” Whilst this comment is not directly linked to race, it could be argued that it wouldn’t have been in the script if she was white. Merely one minute later, we see Di arguing with her boyfriend, Murray, who is also black, over a har extension that does not belong to her. The hair piece is described as ‘stringy’ and ‘cheap,’ this is another indirect comment on people of colour being presented as “other” as these braid extensions are not things you, ordinarily, find in white culture. The comments passed were belittling the style of hair that Dionne, along with many other black women, wears. However, Dionne actually joins Murray in insulting the hairstyle, almost as if she is insulting black culture, whilst being a part of it, subtly implying that she is on a level with Cher and her other white peers, and is happy to mock and criticise the “other.”
Not only does Dionne argue with Murray about the hair piece, she continues to argue with him whilst Cher walks away. This only reinforces the age old stereotype that that black people are aggressive. Not only is there verbal disagreement but she is seen actually hitting her boyfriend. This is the only ‘fight’ scene we see in the entire film - making it seem strategically placed and specific to those characters (both people of colour). This being said, this is the only time in the movie where we see Dionne being presented this aggressively so maybe it isn’t a matter of race and simply that these are the only consistent couple, no matter how much they argue, that could justify having a fight scene.
There aren’t really any new representations in the remains of the film but the black best friend stereotype is prevalent and Dionne is never truly given the opportunity to show who she is, she is only ever Cher’s side character. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the amount of scenes there are (in the full 1:32:34) that Dionne is in without Cher.
This is a really interesting analysis of a film that is probably overlooked for its representations of race. I wonder if these kinds of comedy films escape scrutiny because there are quite a few made by black writers & directors (mostly by the Wayans brothers) and therefore the perception is that race is not under-represented. Comedy often relies on the use of stereotypes and it is also interesting to see how well films like Clueless have 'aged' in this regard compared to other similar contemporary films.