Created by David Krane and Marta Kauffman in 1994, Friends has become one of the most successful sitcoms ever. It is the perfect series to uplift one’s mood. The light comedy and the way in which the characters try to navigate through life make it both enjoyable and relatable. This American sitcom is still being discussed, and is one that keeps on attracting new fans. However, with the world being more aware of the problematic portrayals and the harmful depictions of certain topics, it might be reasonable to reevaluate this particular show.

Of course, the time period during which Friends was created might be one reason why such portrayals were neglected, since there was a lack of discussion on them. Nonetheless, these issues definitely cannot be ignored, as such ignorance would only lead to the replication of these portrayals. This is especially important today since there has been a creation of spinoffs and reboots, like How I Met Your Father. Thus, here are some instances where Friends became problematic.

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Gender Stereotyping

     Warner Bros. Television Distribution

With gender studies exploring and presenting the importance of understanding and accepting that gender is a social construct, it might be time to revisit how Friends portrayed gender. From the very beginning of the show, there seems to be a clear binarization of gender, with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) being portrayed as a very feminine figure obsessed with shopping, while Monica (Courtney Cox) is portrayed as someone obsessed with cleaning and cooking. This, inadvertently, assigns them gendered roles as they, being CIS-gendered women, are portrayed as “feminine” through these features.

However, what becomes even more problematic is the constant mockery of men talking about feminine roles or features. This is very obvious in “The One With The Male Nanny”, where Rachel and Ross (David Schwimmer) come across the ideal nanny for Emma. Unfortunately, the male characters, especially Ross, find it difficult to accept this nanny, Sandy (Freddie Prinze Jr.), simply because he is male and nannies are supposed to be female. Similarly, in another episode, when Ben starts playing with a doll, Ross finds it extremely difficult to accept this “feminine trait” and thus, is adamant in replacing his Barbie with a G.I. Joe toy. And, of course, when Joey (Matt LeBlanc) panicked about “turning into a woman”, because he was spending too much time with Janine. All these incidents, amidst many more, clearly illustrate how gender is constantly binarized by drawing a line between what a woman is and should be, and what a man is and should be. Unfortunately, this also becomes the source of humor during many incidents.

The Negative Portrayal of LGBTQIA+

From Chandler (Matthew Perry) constantly taking offense to being called gay, and others constantly laughing at him for “looking” and “acting” gay, heteronormative ideologies are reinstated. Of course, the most obvious one being the main characters being all heterosexuals, there seems to be a lack of diversity in terms of sexuality. However, there is a slight inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters through Ross’s ex-wife, Carol. Nonetheless, the way in which humor is brought out through Chandler’s offense towards being regarded as gay and even jokingly calling him as someone with “gay attributes” is definitely problematic.

Lack of Diversity

Every single Friends poster is a clear portrayal of how this show lacks diversity. With the main characters being all white, it is obvious that there is a huge gap in terms of diversity. What’s worse is that there are brief moments where the show makes fun of other cultures. For example, Rachel’s mimicking of the Indian accent might be funny, but it can also be harming as it might be reinstating certain stereotypes.

The show also lacked diversity in terms of sexuality and body images. While there are certain instances where some characters portray their queerness, like Phoebe crushing over Monica and Ross’s cousin, the failure to acknowledge it goes on to feed into the lack of diversity. Moreover, all the main characters seem to fit into one body frame, which is lean. Of course, the female characters seem to be “petite”, in turn, contributing to the toxic beauty standards.

Fat Shaming

This issue has been one that is quite obvious and under great debate. The focus of Monica’s life changing after getting rid of her “weight” is undeniably a toxic portrayal of body standards. In the flashback episodes, we see that both Monica and Rachel are struggling with their body images. For Monica, it is her weight, and for Rachel it is her nose. Of course, changing or altering your body to ensure you are comfortable with it is a perfectly normal and positive thing. However, hating your body simply because you don’t “look pretty” or fit into the toxic frame of the “ideal body” has a negative impact. In Friends, the latter is seen as the reason. This is made evident when Monica is constantly fat-shamed by her own parents and friends. Thus, there seems to be a constant re-iteration of what the “beautiful body” should be in this particular show.

The Normalizing of Invading Privacy

The idea of somebody watching you is definitely creepy, uncomfortable and immoral. Unfortunately, this is yet another theme that is used to invoke humor in Friends. The constant gaze at the “Ugly-Naked Guy” and the invasion of your friends’ homes without knocking or so might seem funny but if analyzed closely, they are unethical behavior, and one that should not be encouraged.