Summary

• "Legally Blonde" is a secret sequel to "Clueless," with Cher and Elle Woods being the same person.
• Both Cher and Elle are stylish, popular, and have a similar rhetoric style.
• The theory of Cher and Elle being the same person creates a connected universe between the two films.

Despite its success, Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), one of the wealthiest, most stylish, and most popular girls in Bronson Alcott High School, along with her best friend Dionne Davenport (Stacey Dash).

Clueless follows Cher and Dionne as they befriend a new student, Tai (Brittany Murphy), and give her a makeover so she can fit in with the rest of their social circle. Cher also plays a matchmaker for two teachers and begins to question her own choices, including those she made when “creating” Tai. Clueless was a critical and commercial success and expanded with spinoffs and adaptations to other media, but never got an official sequel – however, one theory claims that Clueless did get a sequel six years later, and it’s one of the most successful rom-coms of the 2000s.

Legally Blonde Is A Standalone Sequel To Clueless

Cher Horowitz & Elle Woods are the same person.

A theory shared by Legally Blonde is a secret sequel to Clueless. Directed by Robert Luketic and based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde follows Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a sorority girl who, in an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend who thinks she isn’t “serious” enough for his kind of life at Harvard Law School, shows she’s capable of the same and is accepted to Harvard Law School. Always true to her unique style, Elle quickly proves that she rightfully earned her place at Harvard and breaks stereotypes against women and blondes. Not much is known about Elle Woods’ background, but just like Cher, she’s very stylish and popular.

The theory, then, says that Clueless’ Cher and Legally Blonde’s Elle are the same person, based on the timeline of both movies and the similarities between both characters. Clueless was released in 1995 and Cher mentions her birthday is in April, so it’s understood that she turned 16 in 1995. This means that, at the time of the events of Clueless, Cher was a sophomore, so she would have graduated in 1997 and later from college in 2001, the year Legally Blonde was released. Aside from both characters being blonde, stylish, and paying close attention to what they wear, the biggest similarity between Cher and Elle is their rhetoric style.

Clueless wasted no time in showing that Cher wasn’t the most knowledgeable student, but she always won in debate class because she knew how to speak to others and used personal stories to make her point. Cher also used this talent to convince her teachers to change her grades and she succeeded at it (except with one teacher), so she showed a lot of potential, but she just had to prepare better – after all, she was only 16. By the time viewers reunite with Cher-now-Elle in Legally Blonde, she had already polished those skills and was seen using her abilities in class and court, and just like Cher, she used personal stories to better explain her point.

What Happened To Cher After Clueless?

The Clueless spinoff series has many inconsistencies.

Legally Blonde got a sequel two years later titled Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, and a third movie has been in development since 2020, so the audience knows what Elle has been up to since graduating from Harvard Law School. Clueless didn’t have the same fate and didn’t get a sequel, and while it expanded with a TV series, it has various inconsistencies that don’t reveal what happened to Cher after the movie. At the end of Clueless, Cher was in a relationship with Josh (Paul Rudd), but in the series, this was ignored and Josh was written out of the show when it moved to another network. Cher’s future, then, is unknown and open to interpretation, which makes the theory of Cher and Elle Woods being the same person more fun and interesting.

How This Theory Changes Clueless & Legally Blonde

Clueless & Legally Blonde could be part of the same universe.

The theory implies that there’s a connected universe between, at least, two of the most popular teen comedies from the 1990s and 2000s, with the possibility of more being part of it. Legally Blonde being a standalone sequel to Clueless would also give more background to Elle Woods, as details about her past and family are unknown. Elle, then, would come from a wealthy family with a father who is a lawyer and a mother who died when she was a child – and that’s where the theory stops making sense, as Elle has both her parents and they tried to dissuade her from attending law school, whereas Cher’s father would have been very ive had Cher chosen to go to law school.

As for Cher, becoming Elle Woods (although why she would have changed her name is unknown, but it might have to do with not being linked to her father) would be greatly beneficial as it would mean she continued to work hard and polish her skills to become a great lawyer without losing her personal style. Surely, the theory has more things against it than ing it, but what can’t be denied is that Cher and Elle are both strong women who worked hard for what they wanted and also worked on bettering themselves.