Friends has not only lasted for 10 long years but has the biggest TV show fandom ever. The show not only introduced living room sitcom to the world but also launched the format which several shows would eventually abide by and succeed. Friends may have been a huge hit in the 90s but now almost twenty years later amid a raging cultural debate which addresses equality so specifically, the content of FRIENDS is very problematic.
Recently the show was featured on Netflix and several millennials who had never seen it before got to see it for the first time. They called out the show on its outrageous storylines which promote gender inequality, predatory behaviour and insult homosexual people. It's clear that Friends would never be a success today considering the cultural awakening but what are some of the biggest issues people have with the show?
The character of Monica Geller was relentlessly fat-shamed for being overweight as a teenager. Monica was shown to be a victim of bullying and humiliation and yet her treatment was given a comical spin and was not recognised as wrongful misconduct. Monica was treated a whole lot better when she lost weight and turned into an attractive woman as an adult. This has been acutely slammed by people as it reinforces stereotypes.
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In season 6 episode 15 they talk about if Chandler would date Monica if she hadn't lost weight. "Do you think I'm that shallow?" Chandler asks them. To which Ross replies, "No Monica was just that fat." This is just one of the many examples when the show was beyond inappropriate and insensitive.
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Remember when Ross and Rachel hire a male nanny for their child and Ross constantly berates him and mocks the nanny's feminine habits? People were made to think that a straight man would never want to be a nanny and this has been found to be incredibly offensive to nannies and gay people.
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Friends has established masculine stereotypes and has done its fans no favours. The character of Joey was constantly shown to be a womanizer who has no real feelings for any of his partners and often refers to them in derregotary ways. The worst thing about this is that it lasted for 10 whole seasons and yet Joey's behaviour was never shunned by his friends. In fact, at times he has been lauded for his ways with women.
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In one of the sequences, it was revealed that Ross had once kissed a sleeping Monica thinking that she was Rachel. The issue has been slammed as borderline predatory as it completely undermines the issue of consent and no one makes it clear that it's wrong and almost criminal.
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Friends has always tried to define gender roles and that too in the worst way possible. For instance in an episode when Joey makes his own flower arrangements and Ross puts on makeup their friend Chandler slams their ‘womanly’ habits. This had been found to be very offensive to women and it's an example of the show’s dated behaviour.
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The biggest and the most successful TV show in history was all about six straight white people. In 2018 a diverse cast is almost a given when a TV show is being conceptualised but Friends can never really be an example of representation. Not only were people of colour seen in unforgettable minor roles in the show but the show has treated gays and lesbians as outsiders.
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Remember when Monica made fun of Chandler when she found out he had kissed a guy? Or all the times when Ross's lesbian ex-wife was shamed for her lifestyle? The show has made countless insensitive references addressing gay people which often inferiorized them and poked fun at their lifestyle.
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Viewers couldn't help but notice how poorly Chandler's father was treated just for his unconventional lifestyle choice. Chandler's father who was a transgender, was relentlessly made fun of especially by his own son. Fans of the show have called out the show's stifling treatment of gay and transgender people.
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Every chapter involving Ross's lesbian ex-wife Carol and her partner Susan has been trivialized and turned into an outrageous joke material. There is nothing funny about a loving consensual lesbian relationship and yet their orientations were always a matter of laughter on the show and was used as a comic tokens.
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Remember when Monica got cornrows on a vacation? It has been called out by fans as a terrible example if cultural appropriation as the characters of the show were seen making fun if it. Cultural appropriation is about representing a cultural symbol in the wrong light and as far as this episode went fans were horribly offended.
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Remember when Rachel leaves her dream job just so she could be with Ross. Feminists around the world have taken offence to her great sacrifice as Ross was never shown to be considering leaving his city or his job to be with Rachel and their child.
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Remember when Ross got worked up because his son was playing with a Barbie and wanted him to play with a GI-Joe just because it’s masculine? The shaming of a two-year-old child for his choice of toy was slammed relentlessly.
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Joey has been constantly shown to be someone who can pick up any woman with one particular pick-up line. Not only is it problematic but it shows women in an unfavourable light, basically degrading them to people without any specific tastes or opinions.
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Richard, a 50-something man was shown to be in a relationship with Monica who he had known since she was born, and was more than thirty years younger to him. This was not problematic per se, but fans were simply creeped out by it.
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