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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