"Fat" Monica in Friends isn't even fat

[TallGirl24]

As per title. Rewatching all the old Friends episodes. How in the name of the wee donkey was this a recurring joke? She's basically normal sized but beside some very slim costars. I know it was a different time but it is so jarring to watch now.

Dahl loved writing about gluttonous characters getting their comeuppance.

I was too old for the Harry Potter books, but I'm certain Rowling got her idea for Aunt Marge from the mean, fat aunt in James and the Giant Peach. As soon as I saw the film Prisoner of Azkhaban and her treatment of Harry (the snap of the fingers I did laugh) before she blew up, I instantly thought of the Dahl character.

& Petunia with the pursed lips... nominative determinism

Being a chef...

Don't think I ever watched a full episode. Chandler and Joey were funny, the rest were so so. Never had a laugh out loud moment that I can recall, which is probably why I flicked through the channels when it was on. Their stolen turkey in the head gag from the Mr. Bean Christmas episode paled in comparison too.

Father Ted was screened in the same era, and not only were all four main characters funny, so too were the supporting cast.

She was fat.
But what boggles me is that Rhoda in the Mary Tyler Moore Show was supposed be overweight!
That's her on the left.

Doh!

She was obese.

What is it with people where you can't make fun of anything nowadays? Friends targeted every demographic for it's humour, and did it well the same as Family Guy and South Park do.

If you don't like it, don't watch.

ps - she was fat.

Ben or Emma? Phoebe had triplets as well.

agree! she is fat, I'm overweight and not even that fat!

Why do people have anorexia? - a thread.

Racist how?

I mean, she is fat. However the face is disproportionate, they did exaggerate it. I've been fat, and I know how fat you have to be to have your face look like that. It doesn't match the rest of her. I suspect it was partly for technical reasons as how big a fat suit were you going to put Courtney Cox in? Add in that it's television and her female castmates were very thin, and it makes it look more extreme.

Can't stand the plot line anyway.

As for Bridget Jones, in the book she's 9 stone and change, which isn't even chubby unless you're quite short. For an average height woman it's merely not-thin. Even when you consider that Renée Zellweger gained 2 stone for the film, she was very slim before, so she was at best slightly overweight as Bridget. Zellweger herself says Bridget wasn't fat. But take an average sized woman, put her in some granny pants and stick her on film and, well...

Even when I'm in the obese range I don't look that fat. She's definitely fat in the suit. It's just as a society we're so used to seeing most people overweight and obese now. Anyone slim is seen as skeletal.

She was certainly fat. She barely had a chin.

Missing point of post but I absolutely love Frasier. Genius.

I agree

I can't understand how she's NOT fat by 2025 standards???

Shes very very large indeed

However - the fat jokes are AWFUL and I hate them

The one eyeing up the buffet and stuffing his face? I think that was a covid era ad maybe when they were filming and were casting for real families due to the bubble thing

She is fat though.

Several adverts at the moment feature chubby kids. So yes, we are normalising obesity.
Monica was fat in the story. Then she lost weight. But was protrayed as obese

Are people confusing normal Monica with the flashbacks of a younger and obviously fatter Monica?
The younger Monica is fatter, there's no denying that.
I've never understood the "fat Natalie" storyline in Love Actually - I like to think the joke is that she ISN'T fat (because she clearly isn't!)

Fat doesn’t stop being fat just because more people are fat. Monica’s fat character was clinically obese. Her weight was so unhealthy. It would have caused various health issues and most likely lead to premature death.

Stop trying to normalise unhealthy weight.

Not sure "normalising" fat kids is the way forward though. Children shouldn't be overweight.

She's chubby in the film (Natalie)

She is a bit fat. Betty in mad men looks about a size 14 bodywise when she's supposed to be fat. But a size 24 on her lower face. Size 10 upper face.