We Compared Poo From Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham To Rachel Green From F.R.I.E.N.D.S: Tell Us How It Waaaaas…
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Even if you didn’t grow up in the early 2000s, you’re probably familiar with the feminist icons Pooja from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Rachel Green from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Two women who were clearly ahead of their time in every way. And while these women have a lot in common, we love them for their unique quirks and personality traits. So here’s why Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green and Kareena Kapoor as Poo are our favorite feminist icons:
1. Ultra Sassy
Something both Poo and Rachel have in common is their level of sassiness. From Poo rejecting a college stud’s date by saying ‘Tell me how it wassss’ to Rachel Green shutting down Ross for saying her false contractions weren’t a big deal with ‘No Uterus, No Opinion’. These fabulous women aren’t afraid to speak their mind, and their sarcastic sense of humor is what makes them the belles of the ball.
2. Trendsetters
Besides being total divas and having enviable wardrobes, these two never let their fashion choices stay stagnant. They manage to turn even the worst fashion mishaps into style statements as Poo did when she donned her siren-esque look to go out partying. When Hrithik Roshan points out that she’s wearing the wrong pair of shoes, Poo fights back by saying it’s a fashion statement before flipping her hair and walking away (talk about ultimate sass). While Jennifer Aniston experimented with several styles throughout the course of the series, the ultimate shoutout has to go to the “Rachel haircut” which was so popular that it was the most requested at hair salons. Poo was also one of the pioneers behind the ‘nude lip’ trend and rocked the look well before the Kardashians started selling their nude makeup lines.
3. Prioritizing Self-Care
When we are first introduced to a grown-up Pooja in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, she’s shown lying down on her bed while rocking a face mask, cucumber slices on her eyes, and being surrounded by fashion magazines. Nothing screams self-care better than that scene. Similarly, if you’ve watched enough of Rachel Green, you’d know that the woman prioritized herself when she was slipping into a marriage that she didn’t want to be in with Barry. She shops to cheer her up, takes bubble baths, gets massages, and is honest about her feelings. This is self-care in a deeper version, girls; something we should learn from Poo and Rachel for sure.
4. Spoiled, ‘But We Like It!’
When we are first introduced to these characters, they come across as a little full of themselves and spoiled. After all, Poo’s massive closet is enviable to even the richest of girls out there, and Rachel Green’s knowledge of fashion and style is what gets her places in the industry as she moves up the career ladder — despite this knowledge mostly being acquired before the series pilot when she was still a “Daddy’s Little Princess”.
5. Self-Confident
You can’t say self-confidence without thinking of Poo. Despite other people being often critical of her fashion choices, she channels through like a boss and slays the naysayers with her sassy attitude and subtle insults. While Rachel isn’t a stone face of confidence like Poo, she too channels her confidence in a professional environment. She has some pretty awesome moments throughout the series that showcase her braving it up and being the ultimate queen of sass that we’ve come to recognize her as.
6. Queen Bees
Both Poo and Rachel are the Queen Bees of their friend circle. Before Rachel met her “friends,” she had a separate girl gang for herself where she was the queen bee. The same way, Poo has a small harem of her own, and her ‘side-kicks’ often come across as wannabe imitations of her. Well, in the immortal words of Poo “Tumhara koi haq nahi banta ki tum itni khoobsurat lago,” and she can’t be imitated.
7. Soft Corners For Their Childhood Friends
It’s safe to say that both Rohan and Ross were introduced as two lovelorn characters as both the objects of their desire, Poo and Rachel didn’t initially feel the same way about them. However, after the drama and tears, both men manage to woo the women they desire, and Ross even has a child with Rachel. Rohan and Poo, on the other hand, fall in love after hatching a plan to get their respective brother and sister to return to the family that once disowned them.
In Conclusion
While both these women have so much in common, we can’t write a comparison article without talking about their differences as well. Since Poo is much younger, she often comes across as a little immature and naive, and we see Rachel grow out of that phase and start ‘adulting’ pretty quickly. And while Rachel dons a slightly more traditional role, Poo isn’t afraid to call men out and turn the tables on them at their own game (the epic scene where she rates men based on how they look just as men rate women based on how they look IRL). While Poo comes across as the traditional girly girl, Rachel is a little more of a ‘bro’. She famously claimed that she has more male friends because women don’t like her. However, there’s one thing that can be said about both these women; they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Both Rachel and Poo are shown to have soft spots for their significant others and would go out of their way to avoid hurting them.
So what did you think of this list? Do you believe Poo and Rachel are two of the most iconic empowering feminist figures of the 21st century? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below.
