[3] In an effort to make the song sound authentic, Baerwald reviewed several issues of the teen magazine Sassy, in which he lifted multiple lines from the letter to the editors for inclusion in "Supermodel".

Sobule was initially hesitant to accept the offer, as she had taken no part in writing the song and she believed Clueless to be a mindless teen comedy film.

[5] Frustrated that her previous single "I Kissed a Girl" was promoted as a novelty song, Sobule agreed to perform "Supermodel" on the condition that she could add her own flair to it.

[8] On July 8, 1995, Capitol Records vice president of marketing Tom Corson announced that "Supermodel" would likely be released as the third single from the Clueless soundtrack.

In 1997, Lava Records Chairman Jason Flom stated that he felt as though "Supermodel" was a "smart choice" at the time of release, although he believed it ultimately killed any momentum Sobule had following the success of her previous single, "I Kissed a Girl".

Larry Flick of Billboard noted the "tongue-in-cheek flair" of the song, in which he commented that "the sarcastic undertone will smack all but the superficial in the face.

"[12] Also from Billboard, Kenneth Partridge praised the "brisk rocker" and referred to the song's bridge as "the most scathing series of lines in an alt-rock novelty whose sarcasm doesn’t spoil the party.

She particularly praised Sobule's addition of the bridge, which she believed "turned the track from a defiant jab at superficial teen culture into a pointed critique of body-image standards.

[2] The video starts with a brief scene from the film Clueless, in which characters Cher and Di walk side-by-side to class while talking on their cell phones.

The video then cuts to Sobule portraying an outcast named Jill White, who is intentionally tripped by a group of gossiping girls in the school hallway.

As the first verse begins, the video intercuts between scenes of Sobule performing with a band on stage and her character using supernatural powers to start the fire sprinklers above the group of girls.