Friends Fans Can't Believe They Fell for the "Fat" Monica Joke All These Years
It's been close to 30 years since the first episode of the sitcom Friends aired, and whilst most fans think back fondly on the series' many funny and iconic moments over its years on tv, there are a few instances that haven't aged well, and don't make sense today.
Monica's past weight made her the butt of many jokes, starting in her younger days with Chandler referring to her as Ross' "fat sister."
This was the start of a slew of comments about Monica's weight that served as comedic relief in the show, and her friend's descriptions of her former body had fans believing she was morbidly obese, but this was not the case.
Back in the 2000's "Fat Monica" was certainly larger than the ultra-thin "heroin girl" figure that dominated magazine covers, but she certainly wasn't near as fat as fans were made to believe, and by today's standards "Fat Monica" would be considered maybe slightly above average size and weight.
Fat Monica appeared alongside Rachel in their prom tape, and Joey reacts to her weight by saying that some other girl swallowed her.
In the tape itself, Monica hugs Rachel whilst holding a half-eaten sandwich in her hand and then apologizes for getting mayonnaise on her.
Ross spoke about her trying to ride a dog and breaking it because she was a "200-pound 11-year-old."
There are many moments involving "Fat Monica" and her food, in one instance she is extremely concerned that Phoebe may have possibly sat on her Kit-Kats.
Another appearance by Fat Monica saw her younger self, alone and dancing carefreely whilst holding a donut. This moment was comedic purely because of her "fatness" and exaggerated dance moves.
Showrunners created the moment for the audience to laugh at her, and nowadays fans feel like it could have been a moment to celebrate her body confidence, but instead felt like fat-shaming for cheap laughs.
The jokes and references to "Fat Monica" certainly didn't age well, especially because Monica was far from the food-obsessed, socially awkward obese character she was made out to be in her earlier days.
Fans are certainly watching the episodes that mention her size with a more critical mind, considering how the jokes and depiction of Monica certainly haven't aged well.
Whether she was morbidly obese or just slightly overweight, Monica certainly did not deserve to have her body made fun of for comedic purposes.