Monica is without doubt a controversial inclusion on this list. She was never an actress or performer of any kind, and her fame only came about because of her involvement in what was arguably the greatest scandal of the 1990s. Such was the impact of her affair with then-President Bill Clinton, it's impossible to argue against the statement that she was one of the most influential women of the entire decade, even if she never set out with that intention.
Monica's relationship with the President made her a household name all over the world, and she's managed to capitalize on that to make a living out of an incident which could just as easily have destroyed her life. She's worked as a fashion designer and a television presenter in the years that have followed, and campaigns heavily against cyber-bullying, having herself been a victim of it when she first established a presence on Twitter.