The one with the Bechdel Test

We all know the classic 90's sitcom Friends filled with how you doin and we were on a break! And certainly while most of the show consists of the six characters sitting around the orange couch of Central Perk discussing the ins and outs of their dramatic yet comical relationships, Friends also manages to pass the Bechdel Test. A test in which female presence within media is critiqued. In order to pass the Bechdel Test, the show must meet the 3 criteria; it includes at least two women, who have at least one conversation, about something other than a man or men. The episode within Friends that I will be focusing on is titled The One with the Breast Milk. 

Within the episode, Monica enters the apartment after having lunch and shopping with Ross's new girlfriend Julie. Aware that Rachel strongly dislikes Julie, Monica tells Rachel that she went to lunch be herself. However, soon after, Rachel finds a a $53 receipt and begins questioning Monica on who she really went to lunch with. Folding under pressure, Monica confesses to Rachel that she spent the day with Julie, Ross's girlfriend. The scene begins to take a comedic turn as Monica's confession of going to lunch and shopping with Julie reflects a conversation between a couple in which one of them has cheated on the other. During this exchange, Monica even says, "we only did it once, it didn't mean anything to me, I was thinking of you the whole time." 

The conversation between Rachel and Monica passes the Bechdel Test and its criteria with flying colors. The scene includes two women, Rachel and Monica, who are having a conversation about something other than a man or men. I would also make the argument that while Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe's time on the show mostly consists of conversations about their different relationships, they also pass the Mako Mori Test in which the female lead is given a character arc that doesn't revolve around male characters. Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe are all given separate character arcs that do not revolve around the men in their life, for example Rachel pursues a job within fashion, Monica excels at being head chef at a restaurant, and Phoebe works as a masseuse. I also believe that the text does not involve the Smurfette Principle or Never a Self-Made Woman. 

While Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe all have their own character arc, they also all fall under certain tropes. For example, Rachel falls under the tv trope of everyone loves blondes, she stands out because she is the most desirable, almost always blonde, she may be the school's Prom Queen, and she is attractively charming. Monica fits the trope of the team mom, she essentially acts as the mother figure to everyone else in the group, she is neurotic and obsessive, especially when it comes to cleaning. Finally, Phoebe is the cloudcuckoolander granola girl who has her head in the clouds, overly cheerful, and flighty.