If you haven’t watched the classic coming-of-age comedy Clueless, do yourself a favor and plan a movie night with your friends ASAP. The film is one of the best rom-coms of all time, and Alicia Silverstone shines as the rich, successful Cher Horowitz who runs the Beverly Hills social scene. Although the movie came out in 1995, Cher remains a modern-day icon and her character is now the inspiration for the “Stuff She Knows” TikTok trend, which has been all over my For You Page lately. The viral trend features a soundbite from Clueless and is perfect for the moments when you’ve been asked an impossible question and would rather plead the fifth.
The trending audio has been used in over 65,000 TikTok videos to date and originates from a comical party scene in Clueless. During the scene, Cher is attempting to steer Tai (Brittany Murphy), a grungy artist who’s completely naive about high school popularity, toward the popular, newly-single Elton (Jeremy Sisto). In the scene, Tai gets hit in the head on the dance floor with a flying shoe and is practically knocked out (director Amy Heckerling told Cosmopolitan that apparently, it took multiple “flying clog” attempts before they got the scene right).
As Elton looks on wondering how he can help Tai, Cher advises him, “If it’s a concussion, you have to keep her conscious, okay? Ask her questions.” Elton then asks, “What’s seven times seven?” to which Cher hilariously exclaims, “Stuff she knows!” TikTokers have now transformed the fun audio into a viral trend in which they reveal difficult questions they’d never want to be asked — whether they just got smacked in the head with a clog or not.
On TikTok, creators poke fun at questions they’d rather not answer.
Like many viral TikTok moments these days, the “Stuff She Knows” trend is all about tapping into your humorous side and coming up with a clever punchline. In this Clueless-inspired trend, the goal is to think of an anxiety-inducing question — like why you’re single on Valentine’s Day or what you plan on majoring in — and react as if you’d rather be knocked out at a high school party than answering it out loud. For example, @annasophiamul’s version says, “When someone suddenly asks why you’re crying,” and in @carriemg’s relatable version, her SO asks what she wants for dinner (an impossible question, to be fair).
Popular creator @annaxsitar’s version says, “When someone asks why you’re stressed,” and @sophmosca gets flustered when asked about doing her taxes. Creator @lilhubhub is unclear about whether or not she wants a relationship, @jessvalortiz has absolutely no idea what her dad does for a living, and @bastardfroggy panics when asked which way is “left” versus “right.” Whether you’re presented with an overwhelming question like what you want to do with your future or a blasphemous inquiry like “What’s your favorite Taylor Swift album?” the “Stuff She Knows” trend is perfect for poking fun at ridiculous questions that you’d rather avoid altogether.
The “Stuff She Knows” TikTok trend is pretty easy to try.
If you’re ready to have some fun and explore the Cher Horowitz-inspired trend, there are a few key elements that’ll make your version a success. First, save the trending audio since you’ll need to use it in the background of your video. Second, pull up your notes app and draft the first part of your text overlay — AKA Cher’s mini monologue about the concussion. You’ll want to copy and paste her exact quote from the movie into your TikTok (see this example, for reference), so keep the draft handy. Then, you’ll record yourself miming the words in a “side-by-side” scene, as if you’re playing two characters talking to each other. The idea is to ultimately line up your dialogue with the conversation between Cher and Elton from the trending soundbite.
If you haven’t already, brainstorm a few ideas for the dreaded “question” you want to avoid, whether it’s being asked to recite your BFF’s phone number on the spot or someone randomly asking where your AirPods are. Then, when Elton says “What’s seven times seven?” you’ll reveal your question of choice via text overlay. When Cher responds, “Stuff she knows!” your job is to act super flustered on camera. All dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures are welcome.
Give the “Stuff She Knows” trend a try, let us know what you create, and check out more viral trends on TikTalk, where you can learn about TikTok’s biggest trending moments.