What Is a Problematic Fave? How the 2010s Defined the Problematic Fave
Notably, the site stopped updating before the #MeToo era, and so the Louis C.K. post, for example, cites his use of the c-word, n-word, and homophobic slurs, but doesn’t mention the fact that multiple women have accused him of sexual misconduct—stories that he himself has admitted to be true.
The realization of this moment—that once-beloved entertainers might be monstrous predators—makes the idea of “problematic faves” somewhat less delightful.
At a certain level of terribleness, some people should not be anyone’s fave—problematic or otherwise. That awareness might explain how the common usage of “problematic fave” in culture has evolved from the blog’s original application—real, live people—towards fictional characters, or entire fictional universes.
With that more expanded definition, the concept has dominated the 2010s, a decade that witnessed both the rise of streaming, making older content more accessible, and a new framework through which to re-evaluate those once-beloved shows and movies. Out with the gendered, self-deprecating “guilty pleasure.” In with the problematic fave.
Take the television series Friends. If you were one of the millions of people who adored Friends at its peak, rewatching it in 2019 can be cringe-inducing. You (yes, you!) laughed at those fatphobic jokes and homophobic plot lines designed for an audience that once found them not just acceptable but hilarious. (Who can forget the entire subplot that rested on Chandler not wanting to invite his transgender father to his wedding because it would be a “distraction”!?) The show premiered in 1994, a different era perhaps. But even now, it remains one of the most popular shows offered on Netflix, with millions of new viewers who never saw it air live tuning in to binge it.
Another example? Sex and the City. Carrie Bradshaw’s outfits remain as over-the-top as ever and the sex puns still have their charm, but the unbearable whiteness that permeates this brunch foursome might make some wonder whether Carrie met Charlotte at a Reagan fundraiser.