People Watching Friends For The First Time Think it’s Very, Very Problematic

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?

1The fat-shaming of Monica

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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2 ‘She was just that fat’?

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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3The one with the male nanny

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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4The insane objectification

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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5What about consent?

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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