Friends: 10 Things About Monica That Would Never Fly Today
Monica Geller was one of the most popular characters on NBC's hit sitcom, Friends. All of the friends in this series portray real-life struggles and triumphs of young adulthood in a big city. Monica's storylines deal with everything from casual sex to her difficult relationships with her parents.
There's a lot about Monica that fans found relatable and critics loved, but Courteney Cox, the actress who plays Monica, was the only cast member who has never nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her work on the show. Looking back at Monica's character and the stories she was given, there are a few things that she probably couldn't get away with if they show were airing new episodes today.
10 Her OCD
The world today is much more aware of mental health and society is working hard to eliminate the stigma around it. In the '90s, mental health was a punchline or a character flaw or quirk. Monica is the perfect example of that.
She is very particular about her space and where things go and how things are cleaned. She is clearly showing signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, and her friends don't really seem too concerned and instead mock her for it to the point that she feels self-conscious. Furthermore, she never gets the therapy or the help that she needs.
9 She's Very Controlling
It seems that whatever Monica says, goes, in this friend dynamic. Her apartment is the one everyone gathers in, her rules are the ones enforced, and if she doesn't get her way, she's very capable of throwing a fit until she does get her way.
She seems to have total control over everything and everyone in her life and it's hard to imagine a group of friends that would tolerate that now. In a lot of ways, Monica's controlling nature makes her a bully and her friends are afraid to stand up to her.
8 Her Outbursts At Work
Monica is not the most pleasant person to work with. Her controlling nature and need for perfection doesn't just affect her relationships with her close friends, but she extends these behaviors into her workplace.
In one episode in season six, Chandler calls Monica at work to check in on her and she tells him she's having a bad night because her staff is not doing things the way she wants them to be done. She goes on to tell Chandler she could kill them. Threatening co-workers shouldn't be a punchline, especially when they aren't really doing anything wrong.
7 Hiding Her Relationship With Chandler
Looking back at the series, this storyline doesn't sit well with viewers today. Monica and Chandler hide their relationship from the rest of their friends, but they don't seem to have a very good reason for doing so. Monica seems more afraid of what their friends will think, which is really problematic.
Monica and her friends have known each other for years and, if anything, Monica should feel supported by the group, but she's clearly insecure about sharing her happiness with everyone. Furthermore, hiding the relationship implies that she feels embarrassed by Chandler, which is a red flag in any relationship.
6 Her Relationship With Her Parents
Monica's parents are awful to her, which in the 90's may have been funny, but today it's unlikely Monica would have tolerated the strained relationships. Both Jack and Judy Geller openly admit to liking Monica's brother, Ross, more and on multiple occasions, they show little to no regard for Monica's feelings.
Her mother is especially cruel and critical of Monica and viewers are never given any reason behind the unhealthy dynamic in the Geller family. Furthermore, the strained relationship between Monica and Judy is a negative depiction of women's relationships against which modern viewers advocate, regardless of the media.
5 Overweight Monica
Probably the biggest and most problematic storyline in the entire series is Monica's backstory of being overweight throughout her childhood and young adolescence. Jokes are made at her expense frequently and there is so much body shaming that takes place over the ten seasons this show aired.
Today, this storyline would have been thrown out and the writer would have been fired for suggesting it because society has finally realized that "fat jokes" aren't at all funny.
4 Her Apartment
Another question frequently raised today by viewers, whether they are watching the show for the first time or rewatching, is, how does Monica afford that apartment? The most unrealistic part of the apartment is the size. It is a massive two-bedroom with a full kitchen and bath, and even closet space and a balcony.
The monthly rent and expenses to keep a place like that in the heart of New York City would be way over a chef's budget and that fact is not something viewers can overlook nowadays.
3 Offering To Make Out With Rachel
In one episode, Rachel and Monica compete with Chandler and Joey in a trivia game about the group of friends. A very competitive Monica raises the stakes in the game and bets the girls' apartment in a winner-takes-all final round.
The girls lose and Chandler and Joey are quick to move in. After a few weeks slumming it across the hall in Chandler and Joey's apartment, Monica and Rachel have had enough. They offer to make-out for a minute if the boys give them back their place. Objectifying women in this way and making same-sex attraction a punchline definitely wouldn't fly in 2020.
2 Richard
Monica and Richard were a couple viewers still root for today. They clearly loved each other and had a pretty healthy relationship. The biggest problem surrounding this couple was what a big deal everyone made about the age gap.
Twenty-one years is a significant difference, but society today is much more open-minded when it comes to romantic relationships and if Monica and Richard were dating today, it would be inappropriate to comment or ridicule the age gap between them.
1 Her Relationship With Ross
There's a lot of issues with the brother-sister dynamic between Monica and Ross when rewatching the series in more recent years. They seem to be co-dependent and also a little too close for comfort.
A relationship like this today would raise a lot of red flags in a friend group and would most likely need an intervention at some point. In one episode, it is revealed that Ross was accidentally Monica's first kiss, and this punchline crosses a line into very unfunny territory.
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