For a show that aired between the 80s and early 90s, The Golden Girls was surprisingly progressive. Even today, the show still remains a staple of comedy, making its way to the hearts of younger generations. Starring four of the biggest comedy powerhouses of all time – Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty – The Golden Girls wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable at the time.
Don’t get us wrong, 90% of the time, the jokes were hilarious and landed at the perfect time. But like any other television series, even one as ahead of its time as The Golden Girls, some moments were just a tad too much. In its efforts to take things to the next level, the show sometimes took things further than it should. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at ten jokes from the show that have already aged poorly.
“The Grand Pooh-Bah of Slutdom”
The Golden Girls never shied away from having the cour four go at each other’s throats over their respective sex lives, both past, and present. And while many of the zingers were nothing short of iconic and laugh-out-loud funny, we have to wonder if it was really necessary to go that far so often.
For instance, one of the times Dorothy was shaming Rose, for “having 56 boyfriends in a year”, she called her “THE slut, the grand pooh-bah of slutdom”. Seriously?
The Dress That Covered “That Old Thing”
At its core, the show was about four women living their lives after 50. Now, it’s no secret that ageism is a very relevant thing that exists in our society, and continues to exist. Especially women, once they are past a certain age, they are very often cast away, since they are past their prime and don’t have anything else to offer because they either lost their looks or the ability to bear children.
Now, the show did an awesome job of tackling this, and of portraying women as human beings worthy of love, affection, and adventure, regardless of age. But here and there, they also reminded us all of the ugly face of ageism – like when Dorothy replied to Blanche’s remark about “this old thing” (the dress) by saying “the dress covers most of it”. It’s a subtle but layered burn.
“Sluts Just Heal Quickly”
What’s with this show and the obsession with the word “slut”? Granted, no matter how progressive the show was, it was still set in the 80s and 90s, and sexual freedom was far from being where it is today. And even right now, women being labeled sluts because they enjoy expressing their sexuality is still an issue.
Once or twice it’s fine, perhaps even funny. But considering the show used the word more frequently than “hello” and “goodbye” gets really old, really fast. It even went as far as introducing the word when sexuality wasn’t even the topic of the conversation, and just meant as a plain, uncalled-for insult.
“You Look Like A Prostitute”
No, we are nowhere near done the issue of how much The Golden Girls seemed to take pleasure in insulting women over and over again with cheap words and unintelligent remarks. Sophia was obviously the one with more insults to give, and Blanche was often the preferred target. Seriously, that woman had to hear constant “opinions” that didn’t add anything.
Like when Sophia looked at her and the best thing she could think of saying was “you look like a prostitute”. Arent’ we over this? Haven’t we established that people can wear whatever they want, and present their bodies however they choose, and it’s nobody’s business? Call it an innocent joke if you want, but it’s still problematic.
“I Don’t Really Mind Clayton Being A Homosexual, I Just Don’t Like Him Dating Men”
Let us just preface this by saying that The Golden Girls always did a wonderful job of portraying its homosexual characters. Even though they weren’t the star of the show, there was the much-needed representation that didn’t turn gay characters into caricatures and the butt of cheap jokes and homophobic remarks disguised as comedy.
But it’s still an old show, and no matter how avant-garde it was, it still had some problems. Mostly because it felt like it needed to portray the journey of the core characters when finding out someone close to them was gay. Like when Blanche dropped this line that didn’t just age badly, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
“I Could Get Herpes Listening To This Story”
The more we go through this list, the more we realize how much of a thick skin Blanche must have had. Or she just really didn’t care what anyone thought of her life. Either way, as we’ve established before, the woman heard all the insults in the book.
One of the most horrible ones came from Dorothy’s mouth, and, surprisingly, not Sophia’s. She just wasn’t having it with one of Blanche’s many stories and decided to say she could “get herpes listening to this story”. That’s just in poor taste.
“Her Mother Was A Slut Too”
Dorothy could be quite the judgemental gal, couldn’t she? Especially when it came to Blanche, whom no one seemed to have any problem labeling as a slut. This particular interaction could’ve have been funny if it wasn’t so offensive.
“I’m from the south, flirting is part of my heritage”, claims Blanche. What exactly does this mean? Well, according to Dorothy, it means “her mother was a slut too”. Who’d know “your mama” jokes were already a thing back in the 80s?
“Open To Everyone, Day And Night”
Okay ladies and gentlemen, last joke related to Blanche’s sexuality and overall openness! There was plenty to choose from, and a lot of them did manage to make their way into this list. This one, however, seems to be the best of the worst – and not in a good way.
When Blanche was bragging about treating her body like a temple – as we should all do, mind you – Sophia was quick to reply “open to everyone, day and night”. So original! So cool! So not slut-shaming!
“I’m Just Saying I’m A Good Person”
Remember when Rose was freaking out because she thought she might have contracted AIDS due to an operation? That explains why she as being so annoying for the whole episode. It doesn’t really excuse her remarks of “this shouldn’t happen to people like me” or “I’m just saying I’m a good person”.
Thankfully, this can be excused since it opened the space for Blanche to say it wasn’t a bad person’s disease or God punishing someone for their sins. Were the other remarks still necessary, though?
“Look Me In The Face And Tell Me You Really Are What You Say You Are”
Everyone was pretty surprised when Blanche seemed to have a “homophobic relapse”. We’ve already been through one of her lines on this subject, related to her brother Clayton. But this one has to take the number one spot.
The way she stares at her brother, with small eyes and an undermining tone, spitting “look me in the face and tell me you really are what you say you are” is perhaps appropriate for the time. But looking back is quite easy to see it aged like a boiled egg in the hot August sun.
