On Jan. 29, timeless teen comedy “Clueless” was added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry as part of the 2025 class of movies. I can’t lie, its inclusion surprised me.

Directed by Amy Heckerling ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Look Who’s Talking"), "Clueless" is among three films inducted this month that was directed by a woman, which, along with “Frida” and “The Loving Story,” brings the grand total of female-helmed films in the registry to nearly 100 out of 925.

"Clueless" is also one of a handful of movies catering to teen girls to have made the list since the registry was created in the late 1980s, joining the ranks of other adolescent favorites like “The Breakfast Club” and “Grease.”

Yet “Clueless” feels different – unlike the aforementioned films, it's a movie that centers solely on a female main character. Sure, there’s a love story element – who are we to deny ourselves the romantic charisma of a young Paul Rudd – but the story is really about a teenage girl and the young women in her atmosphere.

Media for teenage girls is often thought of as unserious and lacking in artistic merit. This is not a problem for movies geared toward boys, as evidenced by the........

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