'Friends': Why 'Fat Monica' from classic sitcom remains a controversial character 20 years later
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The craze for the hit sitcom 'Friends' is not going to slow down even 20 years of its release, as the sitcom has earned cult status amongst fans with its emergence in pop culture.
The show centers around six friends living in New York, who navigate their lives through adulthood while supporting each other.
With time, there are still some comedic gigs in the show that are thought to be controversial and haven't aged well. One particularly controversial element is the 'Fat Monica', joke directed at the character Monica Geller’s (Courteney Cox) past self depicted in flashbacks as an overweight teenager.
Let's find out why, exactly, even after 20 years, the issue remains so controversial.
'Fat Monica' jokes reinforced negative stereotypes in 'Friends'
Monica was often fat-shamed through several recurring themes and jokes centered around her past as an overweight teenager. The 'Fat Monica' storyline often revolves around making jokes at the expense of her weight.
For example, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) refers to her as 'Big Fat Goalie' and makes several derogatory comments about her eating habits and size during their teenage years.
These jokes had a negative impact on Monica herself, who often reflects negatively on her past weight, making self-deprecating comments about how she used to be 'fat' and how it defined her social standing during her teenage years.
Hence, it's pretty clear that this storyline perpetuates the idea that losing weight is essential for personal happiness and success and also contributes to a culture of body shaming by reinforcing the notion that being overweight is inherently negative and a valid target for humor.
'Fat Monica' jokes missed the positive storytelling opportunity
The 'Fat Monica' jokes frequently reinforce negative stereotypes about overweight people, and by doing so, the show missed an opportunity to challenge these harmful stereotypes and present a more nuanced and positive portrayal of people of all body types.
The show itself portrayed Monica's insecurity over her weight and how she fought hard to get to 'shape'.
In Episode 2 of Season 4, Monica and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) were shown competing for the attention of their old high school popular guy Chip Matthews (Dan Gauthier), with Monica saying, "The fat girl inside of me really wants to go. I owe her this. I never let her eat," was both sad and disturbing.
If the creators had considered leveraging the show's success to promote the positive representation of Monia's weight, things would have been different, as a whole generation may have learned that laughing at fat-shaming jokes is uncool.
How to stream 'Friends'?
To view the popular sitcom on Netflix, you need a subscription.
The Standard Plan with advertising costs $6.99 per month and supports streaming resolutions up to 1080p (full HD).
The Standard Plan, which does not contain adverts, costs $15.49 per month and allows one account to be utilised on two screens simultaneously, with streaming resolutions of up to 1080p (full HD).
The Premium Plan, which costs $22.99 a month, allows users to stream content in up to 4K Ultra HD with Dolby Atmos and HDR on up to four screens simultaneously.
'Friends' trailer