Entertainment
'Gone Girl's Amy Dunne & 7 of the Most Memorable "Cool Girls" Of Film & Television
Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl was recently adapted to the big screen, and brought the resurgence of a discussion of the "cool girl" trope. What is the "cool girl? According to Flynn's character Amy, a "cool girl" is the girl who loves (or, at least, claims to love) all of the things that the man in her life does — say, hotdogs, threesomes, and Sunday football — while still maintaining her "most important" feminine quality of extraordinary hotness. The "cool girl" never begs to change the channel to Say Yes to the Dress or gets pissed off when her boyfriend is an hour late to dinner. The "cool girl" is entirely, well, cool.
She's also a myth. As Flynn writes in Gone Girl, the trope was (in part) created by the "socially awkward" male screenwriters who'd "like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them." Now, I have no idea how socially awkward these screenwriters are (I imagine, as with most writers, there's a certain level of awkwardness... and of course, I'm speaking as writer) but the fact remains that there are a ton of "cool girls" in movies written by dudes. Check out the seven "cool girls" that hit the screen.
Image: 20th Century Fox
Mary (Cameron Diaz), 'There's Something About Mary'
It’s easy to like the sweet-yet-feisty Mary in the 1998 film. In fact, that’s the point — nearly every single male character in the film is obsessed with Mary. If you’re a guy, it’s easy to see why: She’s a fantasy. Not only is she a surgeon, but she’s a golfer, football enthusiast, and just wants to wash down a hamburger with a glass of “real beer.” (FYI, Diaz does not eat this way. I know. I read The Body Book.) Flynn herself called out Diaz’ character (penned, unsurprisingly, by four male screenwriters) as a “cool girl.”
Image: 20th Century Fox
Mikaela (Megan Fox), 'Transformers'
Not only does Mikaela look like Megan Fox, but she has a secret affinity for car repair and is totally down to fight Megatron whenever necessary. Most importantly, she was wooed by the (slightly uncool) Sam in the first film, because every cool girl dates outside of her tier.
Image: DreamWorks
Lilly (Mila Kunis), 'Black Swan'
Lilly is the hot ballerina capable of channeling the necessary sexual energy for the performance of the Black Swan. She’s also very “cool” — she parties hard, has one night stands, and is described by the head of the ballet company as effortless, sexy, and uninhibited — essentially Cool Girl 101.
Image: Fox Searchlight
Anna (Samaire Armstrong), 'The O.C.'
Anna may not have been as perfect for Seth as Summer, but that’s probably because she was a little too perfect for Seth to be palatable. Anna liked everything that Seth liked, from tuna melts to comic books. Sure, she didn’t fake her interests for Seth, but considering she was the invention of The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, I’m thinking that a part of him wanted to see a cool, gorgeous girl who also indulged in a comic book habit.
Image: Fox
Kate (Olivia Wilde), 'Drinking Buddies'
Kate not only loves drinking beer — good beer — she also happens to work at a Craft Brewery. She’s the epitome of the “girl who can hang with the bros,” and spends most of her time sparring with co-worker, Luke (Jake Johnson). She’s also the girl who can strip off her clothes and run into the ocean, because when you look like Olivia Wilde, why the hell not?
Image: Magnolia Pictures
Sloane (Mia Sara), 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'
Did Sloane think it was a bad idea for her boyfriend, Ferris, to ditch class? Of course not. She was too busy having fun and looking awesomely effortless.
Image: Paramount Pictures
Vanessa (Jessica Szohr), 'Gossip Girl'
I know, I know: No one liked Vanessa. But her entire purpose on Gossip Girl was to be the epitome of the girl who could hang. Unlike It Girls like Blair and Serena, Vanessa was the (just as gorgeous) girl-next-door, who would happily stuff her face with any of Brooklyn’s amazing ethnic food while discussing the merits of an Ingmar Bergman film. She was the “relatable” girl, but she was also hot, brilliant, and funny.
Image: The CW
