Gone Girl at 10: How Amy Dunne became an unlikely feminist icon

By Alexandra Koster of the ABC

"Honestly, Amy was right."

If you take a scroll through social media these days, you'll see that's the general consensus when it comes to Gone Girl's Amy Dunne.

When David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's psychological thriller hit screens a decade ago, Amy was viewed as the ultimate villain: a manipulative liar who fakes her own death and frames her husband for murder - partly for revenge, partly to make him fall back in love with her.

But while Amy displays traits that would label her a psychopath on paper, over on the internet, she's been re-imagined as something entirely different: a heroine, an icon and, for some, a role model.

So, how did a character once dubbed a "psycho bitch" become an unlikely feminist icon? The answer lies in a pivotal moment that sparked a broader conversation about women's place in media: the "cool girl" monologue.

The birth (and death) of the 'cool girl'

When Amy's true intentions are finally revealed, she delivers a scathing critique of the exhausting performance women are expected to put on for men in what's now known as the "cool girl monologue."

"Cool girl," Amy sneers. "Men always use that, don't they? As their defining compliment: 'She's a cool girl.' Cool girl is hot. Cool girl is game. Cool girl never gets angry at her man."

Amy dissects the "cool girl" trope: an idealised version of a woman who enjoys beer, burgers and burping while staying effortlessly thin, laid-back and totally chilled out. The cool girl is the ultimate male fantasy: sexy, fun, never threatening the male ego.

Before Gone Girl, the cool girl was a character we all recognised but didn't question. Think Robin in How I Met Your Mother, Megan Fox working on cars in Transformers, or Cameron Diaz eating hot dogs in There's Something About Mary. They're fun, effortlessly sexy and, most of all, passively suppress their desires in order to be a shiny trophy for the male gaze.

But with Gone Girl, the tired trope was named and, simultaneously, entirely shattered. Women began to notice feeling the pressure to transform into the mythical cool girl.

Sure, Amy is a psychopathic murderer and a villain - no denying that. But her decision to break out of the cool-girl mould and exact revenge wasn't just about being "psycho". It was a woman reaching her breaking point and rebelling against impossible gendered standards - both on and off the screen.

Nowadays, the Gone Girl monologue has reached cult-like status. While the cool-girl trope still creeps in occasionally, women are now in on the joke. TikTok skits parody the trope with skateboards, wrenches and oversized flannel shirts.

Others respond to men's sincere videos asking for a girlfriend who's "chill" by sarcastically reciting Amy's monologue right back at them. Instead of striving to fit the cool-girl mould, women now mock it.

The rise of messy female characters

By killing off the cool girl, Amy paved the way for a new generation of complicated female characters who are simultaneously villainous, unappealing, angry and messy. These characters aren't perfect - and that's exactly why women connect with them.

Whether it's in Promising Young Woman, Pearl or Fleabag, we've seen a rise in complex, morally ambiguous, and messy female characters who would make the cool girl sick.

Women are tired of rooting for flawed, deadbeat male characters like Amy's husband, Nick Dunne. We want our own messy anti-heroes.

In Promising Young Woman, protagonist Cassie (Carey Mulligan) weaponises her femininity and pretends to be "chill" to seduce men, only to flip the script and expose the dark side of gender dynamics.

Her acts of revenge against predatory men have struck a chord with audiences, who can't help but cheer, "Good for her" - a phrase women have adopted to celebrate moments when female characters finally push back.

Meanwhile, Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) leans into her self-destructive tendencies and unfiltered sexuality, refusing to be desirable in a world that demands perfection. She's messy, raw and brutally honest, defying the expectation to be likeable - and it's that unapologetic authenticity that's made her resonate so deeply.

And who could forget dear sweet Pearl (Mia Goth) from the X franchise? Instead of suppressing her ambition, Pearl lets it drive her to bloody extremes, shattering the notion that women need to be restrained to be compelling. Unapologetically driven by fame and recognition, Pearl has become a twisted Gen Z icon (she's a star).

Despite being morally questionable (to say the least), when each of these characters embraces being messy, angry or even downright reckless, the resounding reaction from women is one of celebration.

Between thirst-trap edits of these characters at their worst and comments like, "She did nothing wrong", young women are making it clear what they expect from their heroines: the rejection of social norms, and unbridled self-expression.

Amy Dunne: A new kind of feminist icon

The sainthood of Amy Dunne isn't about how she sought revenge (murder is, obviously, a no-no). It's because she embodies the frustrations and desires of women tired of being flattened into one-dimensional stereotypes.

Dubbed a "pinnacle of womanhood" by self-proclaimed Amy Dunne apologists, she reflects the rage of being seen as a prop.

re her actions justified? No. Do we cheer for her anyway? Absolutely. Amy isn't an icon because of her psychopathic status - she's an icon because she helped us all kick our addiction to 'Cool Girl-itis'. And now, a decade later, she still resonates because women still see themselves in that struggle, still recognise the rage and still want to be seen as more than a male fantasy.

The cool girl is dead, and we have Amy to thank for that.

This story was first published by the ABC.