A bunny boiler is a slang term for a woman who becomes obsessively jealous, vengeful, or stalker-like after a romantic rejection. The phrase comes from the 1987 film Fatal Attraction**, in which Glenn Close’s character boils the pet rabbit of Michael Douglas’s family after he ends their affair.
The term has become deeply embedded in pop culture as shorthand for obsessive ex-partners, though it’s often used more broadly for anyone who reacts to rejection with extreme, disproportionate retaliation. It carries misogynistic undertones — the phrase is almost exclusively applied to women, while men’s equivalent behavior is rarely labeled with such a vivid, dismissive term.
Why It Matters
“Bunny boiler” is a case study in how film quotes become linguistic fixtures. Thirty years after Fatal Attraction, the phrase is still used in British tabloids, dating advice columns, and casual conversation. It’s also an example of how pop culture can pathologize female anger while normalizing male aggression.
The film itself was controversial: feminists criticized it for demonizing independent women, while others read it as a cautionary tale about infidelity. Either way, the boiled rabbit became one of cinema’s most shocking images.
Examples
- Fatal Attraction: The scene that coined the term.
- Tabloid headlines: “Ex turns bunny boiler after split.”
- Dating apps: Men occasionally use the term as a red flag warning.
Related Terms
- Stalker, obsessive ex
- Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close
- Pop culture slang, misogyny