Rachel Green

Rachel Green is introduced in the pilot episode of Friends as a runaway bride who leaves her fiancé, Barry Farber, at the altar, and seeks refuge with her childhood friend Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) in New York City. Moving in with Monica, she meets Monica's friends Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), while reacquainting with Monica's brother Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), who has harbored romantic feelings for her since high school. Previously reliant on her parents’ wealth, Rachel begins her journey toward independence by working as a waitress at Central Perk, despite being notably unskilled at the job.{{Cite episode |title=Pilot |episode-link=The Pilot (Friends) |series=Friends |series-link=Friends |network=NBC |airdate=September 22, 1994 |season=1 |number=1 |credits=David Crane & Marta Kauffman (writers); James Burrows (director)}}

Rachel's relationship with Ross is a central focus throughout the series. After learning Ross is in love with her at the end of the first season, she reciprocates but he has already begun dating someone else,{{Cite episode|airdate=May 18, 1995|credits=Chris Brown (writer); Kevin S. Bright (director)|network=NBC|number=24|season=1|series=Friends|series-link=Friends|title=The One Where Rachel Finds Out}}{{Cite episode|airdate=December 12, 1996|title=The One Where Rachel Quits|credits = Gregory S. Malins & Michael Curtis (writers); Terry Hughes (director)|number=10|season=3|network=NBC|series=Friends}} initiating their on-again, off-again relationship that spans the entire show. Their relationship includes notable landmarks such as Ross choosing Rachel over his girlfriend at the time,{{Cite episode|series=Friends|number=8|season=2|airdate=November 16, 1995|network=NBC|credits=David Crane & Marta Kauffman (writers); Mary Kay Place (director)|title=The One with the List}} Ross' frustration with Rachel's busy work schedule and companionship with a male coworker,{{Cite episode|airdate=January 16, 1997|credits=Doty Abrams (writer); Robby Benson (director)|network=NBC|number=12|season=3|title=The One with All the Jealousy|series=Friends|series-link=Friends}} their breakup over a disagreement while they were on a "break" from dating each other,{{Cite episode|airdate=February 13, 1997|credits=Michael Borkow (writer); James Burrows (director)|network=NBC|number=15|season=3|series=Friends|title=The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break}} and several moments of both hostility towards each other and reconciliation. Ross marries his boss' niece Emily (Helen Baxendale) despite accidentally saying Rachel's name during their wedding vows,{{Cite episode|airdate=May 7, 1998|credits=Michael Borkow, Shana Goldberg-Meehan, Scott Silveri, Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (writers); Kevin S. Bright (director)|network=NBC|number=23/24|season=4|series=Friends|title=The One with Ross's Wedding}} but divorces Emily once she demands he stops being friends with Rachel.{{Cite episode|airdate=November 5, 1998|credits=Alexa Junge (writer); Gary Halvorson (director)|network=NBC|number=6|season=5|series=Friends|title=The One with the Yeti}} They drunkenly marry in Las Vegas during season five,{{Cite episode|airdate = May 20, 1999|credits=Ted Cohen, Andrew Reich, Gregory S. Malins, Scott Silveri (writers); Kevin S. Bright (director)|network=NBC|number=23/24|season=5|series=Friends|title=The One in Vegas}} eventually divorce after failing to have their marriage annulled, and later co-parent their daughter Emma, born in season eight following a one-night stand.{{Cite episode |title=The One with the Red Sweater |series=Friends |series-link=Friends |network=NBC |airdate=October 4, 2001 |season=8 |number=2 |credits=Dana Klein Borkow (writer); David Schwimmer (director)}}{{Cite episode |title=The One Where Rachel Has a Baby |series=Friends |series-link=Friends |network=NBC |airdate=May 16, 2002 |season=8 |number=23/24 |credits=Scott Silveri, Marta Kauffman & David Crane (writers); Kevin S. Bright}} In season nine, Rachel briefly dates Joey,{{Cite episode|airdate=May 11, 2003|credits=Marta Kaufman & David Crane (writers); Kevin Bright (director)|network = NBC|number=9|season=24|series=Friends|title=The One in Barbados: Part 2}} but they end their relationship in season ten after realizing they are better as friends.{{Cite episode|airdate=October 9, 2003|credits=Brian Buckner (writer); Gary Halvorson (director)|network = NBC|number=10|season=3|series=Friends|series-link=Friends|title=The One with Ross's Tan}} Despite receiving a job offer in France, Rachel ultimately decides to stay in New York and rekindle her relationship with Ross in the series finale, de-boarding her flight at the last minute.{{Cite episode |title=The Last One |series=Friends |network=NBC |airdate=May 6, 2004 |season=10 |number=17/18 |credits=Marta Kauffman & David Crane (writers); Kevin S. Bright (director)}}

By the series' conclusion, Rachel achieves significant personal and professional growth. Her decision to reunite with Ross in the final episode brings her story full circle, solidifying her evolution from a dependent individual into a self-assured and independent woman. Post-series material, such as the spin-off Joey, suggests that she and Ross eventually remarry.

After their short-lived television series Family Album was canceled,{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4899445 |title='Friends' creators share show's beginnings |date=May 5, 2014 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |work=NBC News |last=Lauer |first=Matt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002171335/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4899445/ns/dateline_nbc-newsmakers/t/friends-creators-share-shows-beginnings/ |archive-date=October 2, 2013 }} television writers David Crane and Marta Kauffman pitched Friends to then-NBC president Warren Littlefield as a sitcom about "that special time in your life when your friends are your family," basing the show on their own experiences as young people living in New York;{{cite web|url = http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/509982/Fun-Friends-facts|title = Friends like these... Fun facts about the 20 year old sitcom|date = September 14, 2014|access-date = March 27, 2015|website = Daily Express|last = Hassell|first = Katherine}} the main characters themselves were inspired by their own friends.{{cite web|url=http://thescriptlab.com/features/tales-from-the-trade/1253-interview-marta-kauffman#|title=Interview: Marta Kauffman|last=Lusinski|first=Natalia|date=August 2, 2011|website=The Script Lab|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328164204/http://thescriptlab.com/features/tales-from-the-trade/1253-interview-marta-kauffman|archive-date=March 28, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2015}} Conceived as a young woman who is unprepared for adulthood,{{Cite book|title=Shining in Shadows: Movie Stars of the 2000s |last=Pomerance |first=Murray |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|year=2011 |isbn=9780813552163 |pages=56–63 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CaRuVcysg_EC&pg=PA58 }} the character Rachel Green (occasionally spelled Greene{{cite web|first1=Lauren|last1=Brown|access-date=July 7, 2018|title=Weird Friends Plot Holes You Never Noticed...Until Now|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/weird-friends-goofs-plot-holes-you-never-noticed-before|website=Glamour|date=August 19, 2016}}) was originally named Rachel Robbins in the pilot.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/read-the-friends-pilot-script.html|title=Friends Countdown: Read the Friends Pilot Script|last=Lyons|first=Margaret|date=December 1, 2014|website=Vulture|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521125024/http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/read-the-friends-pilot-script.html|archive-date=May 21, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=May 19, 2015}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/friends/feature/a804268/friends-could-have-been-totally-different-original-script/|title=Friends: 13 ways the show could have been totally different based on the original script|last=Wightman|first=Catriona|date=August 10, 2016|website=Digital Spy|access-date=April 23, 2018}} Although critics and audiences initially perceived Monica as the show's main character when Friends premiered,{{cite web|url= https://people.com/archive/picks-and-pans-main-tube-vol-42-no-21-2/ |title=Picks and Pans Main: Tube |last=Hiltbrand |first=David |date=October 3, 1994 |website=People |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111162318/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20104006%2C00.html |archive-date=January 11, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 8, 2015 }}{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-22-ca-41409-story.html |title=TV Reviews : NBC's Strongest Evening of the Week Has Its Weak Spot |date=September 22, 1994 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092239/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-09-22/entertainment/ca-41409_1_martin-short-show |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} the writers had actually given Rachel the pilot's most prominent storyline.{{Cite book|title = Jennifer Aniston: The Unauthorized Biography|last = Smith|first = Sean|publisher = Pan Macmillan|year = 2008|isbn = 9780283063893|location = London|pages = 140–164|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CjIQmp2llUQC&q=muddling+through+jennifer+aniston+friends&pg=PA163}} Before deciding that Rachel and Ross would be an item for the entire series, the writers had originally intended for the show's defining couple to be Joey and Monica. However, after the success of the pilot, in which Rachel and Ross' developing romance is first hinted at, and witnessing Aniston and co-star David Schwimmer's on-screen chemistry for the first time,{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-friends#.btKeNgoDv |title=61 Things You Probably Didn't Know About "Friends" |date=July 22, 2014 |access-date=April 4, 2015 |website=BuzzFeed |last=Leggett |first=Tabatha |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316165827/http://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-friends |archive-date=March 16, 2015 }} Crane and Kauffman determined that the entire series relied on "finding all the wonderful roadblocks for them to be with each other".

Audiences began rooting for Rachel and Ross' union from the very beginning of Friends, openly voicing their frustration with Rachel's obliviousness to Ross' feelings for her.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11110627/Friends-at-20-how-Ross-and-Rachel-started-a-TV-revolution.html |title=Friends at 20: how Ross and Rachel started a TV revolution |last=Bernstein |first=Jonathan |date=September 22, 2014 |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=April 28, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519040048/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11110627/Friends-at-20-how-Ross-and-Rachel-started-a-TV-revolution.html |archive-date=May 19, 2015 }} The episode that would ultimately transform the friends' relationship for the remainder of the series was the first-season finale "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", in which Rachel finally learns of Ross' true feelings for her, at the same time discovering she actually feels the same. However, the episode nearly went unwritten because, at the time, few Friends writers were expecting the couple's relationship to morph into the phenomenon that it ultimately became.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/ross-rachel-finds-out.html|title=Friends Countdown: How Jane Austen Inspired 'The One Where Rachel Finds Out'|last=Lyons|first=Margaret|date=December 18, 2014|website=Vulture|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419063311/http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/ross-rachel-finds-out.html|archive-date=April 19, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2015}} The episode was first suggested by director James Burrows; the writers felt that it was time to alter the couple's dynamic in order to avoid the repetitive "he's pining, she's oblivious" pattern, using the work of author Jane Austen as inspiration on how to finally shift the pining arc from Ross to Rachel. Because stakes for the episode were unprecedentedly high, "The One Where Rachel Finds Out" became Friends' most reworked episode. The couple's first kiss at the end of season two's "The One Where Ross Finds Out" was met with deafening applause from the studio audience. Crane admitted that keeping viewers interested in their relationship for ten years was challenging. Jonathan Bernstein of The Daily Telegraph believes that they accomplished this by "dangl[ing] the possibility of a Ross and Rachel recoupling through several cliffhangers without ever putting them back together". According to Encyclopedia of Television author Horace Newcomb, Ross and Rachel's ever-changing relationship "converted the traditional amnesic plotlines of the situation comedy into ones akin to episodic drama".{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Television |last=Newcomb |first=Horace |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, England|year=2014 |isbn=9781135194727 |pages=935–936 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NUXIAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA935 }} Meanwhile, writing for The New York Review of Books, Elaine Blair agreed that Friends created "a sense of chemistry between two characters while also putting obstacles in their way, setting us up for a long-deferred union".{{cite web|url=http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2013/jan/03/sitcoms-single-women/ |title=Single Women and the Sitcom |last=Blair |first=Elaine |date=January 3, 2013 |website=The New York Review of Books|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416083441/http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2013/jan/03/sitcoms-single-women/ |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 11, 2015 }}

After Rachel and Ross drunkenly get married while on vacation in Las Vegas during season five, Schwimmer had initially objected to the idea of having Ross divorce her – his third divorce – because he felt that it was taking it "too far". The actor explained that "The whole arc of the relationship was weird then ... because for [Ross] to be able to move on enough to marry someone else and then go back to being in love with Rachel later just went a bit too far."{{cite web |url=http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a29836/friends-facts-33-things-you-never-knew/ |title=33 things you never knew about Friends |date=September 22, 2014 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=Cosmopolitan |last=Hodgson |first=Claire |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150404211650/http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a29836/friends-facts-33-things-you-never-knew/ |archive-date=April 4, 2015 }} Rachel and Joey's romantic storyline was conceived because the writers wanted to delay Ross and Rachel's reunion further. Crane felt that pairing Rachel and Joey during season ten "was for the greater good" because "it was inappropriate". However, the cast initially protested the idea, fearing that Rachel, Joey, and Ross would ultimately become unlikeable characters and audiences would either "resent Joey for going after a pregnant woman, or resent Rachel for rejecting him, or resent Ross for standing between the two of them".{{cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20020515/wfriends/baby-episode-could-make-friends-tvs-top-show |title=Baby episode could make 'Friends' TV's top show |date=May 15, 2002 |access-date=March 3, 2015 |work=The Seattle Times |last=Bauder |first=David |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122135945/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020515&slug=wfriends |archive-date=January 22, 2009 }} Meanwhile, the writers also approached the concept of Rachel's pregnancy and baby tentatively, worrying about how they would include it in the show because they did not want Friends "to become a show about a baby" while "On the other hand, we don't want to pretend that there isn't one." According to Robert Bianco of USA Today, the critical success and popularity of Rachel's pregnancy is ultimately responsible for "propel[ling] the show to the top of the ratings".{{Cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-04-21-revisiting-friends_x.htm |title=Monica and Chandler's wedding kept the honeymoon going strong |date=April 21, 2004 |access-date=January 19, 2016 |website=USA Today |last=Bianco |first=Robert |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202190906/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-04-21-revisiting-friends_x.htm |archive-date=February 2, 2016 }} When it finally came time to write the series finale, "The only thing [Crane and Kauffman] absolutely knew from very early on was that we had to get Ross and Rachel together," deciding, "We had dicked the audience around for 10 years with their 'will they or won't they,' and we didn't see any advantage in frustrating them" any longer.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/10/art-saying-goodbye |title=The Art of Saying Goodbye |date=January 17, 2015 |access-date=April 2, 2015 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403080506/http://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/10/art-saying-goodbye |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} However, at one point the writers had deliberated ending the series with Ross and Rachel in "a gray area of where they aren't together, but we hint there's a sense that they might be down the road". Ultimately, Crane and Kauffman relented in favor of giving the audience what they wanted.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/16/marta-kauffman-david-crane-friends-finale |title='Friends' creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane look back at the finale – and why they won't do a reunion show |date=January 17, 2015 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Snierson |first=Dan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113717/http://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/16/marta-kauffman-david-crane-friends-finale |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}

The final character to be cast, Rachel is portrayed by actress Jennifer Aniston, who auditioned for the role shortly after declining a position as a cast member on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/the-list/os-friends-actors-who-did-not-get-the-parts-post.html |title='Friends' at 20: Actors who didn't get the parts |date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=Orlando Sentinel |last=Mauney |first=Matt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105150/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/the-list/os-friends-actors-who-did-not-get-the-parts-post.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Her decision was initially ridiculed by both her friends as well as actor Adam Sandler, a Saturday Night Live alum.{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/02/jennifer-aniston-turned-down-saturday-night-live-cast-job/1#.VRo7J-GPurJ |title=Jennifer Aniston turned down 'Saturday Night Live' job |date=February 3, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |website=USA Today |last=Oldenburg |first=Ann |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903193008/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/02/jennifer-aniston-turned-down-saturday-night-live-cast-job/1 |archive-date=September 3, 2014 }} Actress Téa Leoni, who at the time was being referred to by the media as "the next Lucille Ball",{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2011/01/23/role-play-2/ |title=Role play |date=January 23, 2011 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |work=New York Post |last=Rorke |first=Robert |quote=Today, no one would ever think Jennifer Aniston was not born to play Rachel Green, but Tea Leoni, thought at the time to be the next Lucille Ball (as if!), was the preferred actress for the part. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405202023/http://nypost.com/2011/01/23/role-play-2/ |archive-date=April 5, 2015 }} was offered the role of Rachel as the studio's first choice, but she declined in favor of starring in the sitcom The Naked Truth.{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/jennifer-aniston/news/friends-alternate-cast-jennifer-aniston_4079951 |title=Friends: The Stars Who Auditioned For Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler and Joey. |date=February 21, 2014 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=Contactmusic.com |last=Miskiw |first=Sophie |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163257/http://www.contactmusic.com/jennifer-aniston/news/friends-alternate-cast-jennifer-aniston_4079951 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Actress Elizabeth Berkley also auditioned for the role.{{cite web|url=http://www.aol.ca/article/2014/09/25/actors-you-didnt-know-auditioned-for-friends/20967660/ |title=Actors you didn't know auditioned for 'Friends' |date=September 25, 2014 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=AOL|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402141521/http://www.aol.ca/article/2014/09/25/actors-you-didnt-know-auditioned-for-friends/20967660/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Other actresses who auditioned for Rachel include Denise Richards, Melissa Rivers, Nicollette Sheridan, Parker Posey, and Jami Gertz. Originally, the producers wanted to cast actress Courteney Cox as Rachel,{{cite web|url=http://www.yourtango.com/2013199533/tv-love-22-things-you-didnt-know-about-friends |title=22 Awesome Things You Definitely Didn't Know About 'Friends' |access-date=March 27, 2015 |website=YourTango |last=Lindsey |first=Kupfer |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327112747/http://www.yourtango.com/2013199533/tv-love-22-things-you-didnt-know-about-friends |archive-date=March 27, 2015 }} who Crane and Kauffman were particularly drawn to because of her "cheery, upbeat energy". Additionally, Cox was the most famous cast member at the time amidst an ensemble of relatively unknown actors.{{cite web|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/56565/25-things-you-might-not-know-about-friends |title=25 Things You Might Not Know About Friends |date=September 22, 2014 |access-date=March 27, 2015 |website=Mental Floss|last=Danko |first=Meredith |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326225914/http://mentalfloss.com/article/56565/25-things-you-might-not-know-about-friends |archive-date=March 26, 2015 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/23/arts/sitcom-born-only-time-will-tell-road-prime-time-last-four-articles-creation.html |title=A Sitcom Is Born: Only Time Will Tell The Road To Prime Time: Last of four articles on the creation of a television series. |date=May 23, 1994 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |website=The New York Times |last=Kolbert |first=Elizabeth |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510173434/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/23/arts/sitcom-born-only-time-will-tell-road-prime-time-last-four-articles-creation.html |archive-date=May 10, 2015 }} However, the actress lobbied for the role of Rachel's best friend Monica, as whom she was ultimately cast, because she felt that she was not "quirky" enough to play Rachel.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/friends-six-lives-on-videotape-19950518?page=3 |title='Friends': Six Lives on Videotape |date=May 18, 1995 |access-date=April 8, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |last=Wild |first=David |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414080311/http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/friends-six-lives-on-videotape-19950518?page=3 |archive-date=April 14, 2015 }} At the same time, although unbeknownst to each other,{{cite web|url=http://www.musictimes.com/articles/26861/20150131/jennifer-aniston-reveals-friends-role-went-courteney-cox.htm |title=Jennifer Aniston Reveals That Her 'Friends' Role Almost Went to Courteney Cox |date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |work=Music Times |last=Meighan |first=Cate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207195402/http://www.musictimes.com/articles/26861/20150131/jennifer-aniston-reveals-friends-role-went-courteney-cox.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2015 }} Aniston was being considered for the role of Monica,{{cite web|url=http://www.brecorder.com/arts-a-leisure/50-movies/221430-jennifer-aniston-was-supposed-to-play-monica-in-%E2%80%98friends%E2%80%99.html |title=Jennifer Aniston was supposed to play Monica in 'Friends' |last=Shakeel |first=Madiha |date=February 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210754/http://www.brecorder.com/arts-a-leisure/50-movies/221430-jennifer-aniston-was-supposed-to-play-monica-in-%E2%80%98friends%E2%80%99.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 30, 2015 |work=Business Recorder }} but fought to play Rachel because she felt that the character suited her better.{{cite web|url=http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/548350/friends-without-jennifer-aniston-how-that-very-nearly-happened.html#index=5&uiSynced=true |title=Friends Without Jennifer Aniston? How That Very Nearly Happened... |last=Ramsdale |first=Suzannah |date=February 2, 2015 |website=Marie Claire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065739/http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/548350/friends-without-jennifer-aniston-how-that-very-nearly-happened.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 31, 2015 }}{{Cite book|title = Jennifer Aniston: From Friends to Films|last = Etingoff|first = Kim|publisher = Mason Crest|year = 2014|isbn = 9781422293539|location = United States|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iHzTBAAAQBAJ&q=rachel+green+friends&pg=PT28}} At one point, Cox had begun to regret her decision to play Monica until her own character's storylines started improving.

File:JenniferAnistonFeb09.jpg, at the time. The producers had originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica.]]

Friends was Aniston's sixth sitcom;{{cite web|url=http://ca.eonline.com/news/468262/jennifer-aniston-reveals-she-was-asked-to-step-out-of-friends-cast-photos |title=Jennifer Aniston Reveals She Was 'Asked to Step Out' of Friends Cast Photos |last=Harrison |first=Lily |date=October 9, 2013 |website=E! |publisher=Entertainment Television, LLC |location=Los Angeles, California|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216222800/http://www.eonline.com/ca/news/468262/jennifer-aniston-reveals-she-was-asked-to-step-out-of-friends-cast-photos |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 12, 2015 }} each of her previous ventures had been canceled prematurely.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/4-shows-jennifer-aniston-was-on-before-friends.html |title=The Four TV Shows Jennifer Aniston Was on Before Friends |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=Vulture |publisher=New York Media LLC |location=New York City|last=Buchanan |first=Kyle |date=August 7, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328214622/http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/4-shows-jennifer-aniston-was-on-before-friends.html |archive-date=March 28, 2015 }} Feeling vulnerable, Aniston had begun to doubt herself as an actress{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/jennifer-aniston |title=Jennifer Aniston – Biography |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=Contactmusic.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407074733/http://www.contactmusic.com/jennifer-aniston |archive-date=April 7, 2015 }} and personally approached Littlefield for reassurance on her career, who encouraged her to audition for Friends,{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/warren-littlefield-jennifer-aniston_n_1475363.html |title=Warren Littlefield Talks Jennifer Aniston's Journey To 'Friends' |date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |work=The Huffington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701235038/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/warren-littlefield-jennifer-aniston_n_1475363.html |archive-date=July 1, 2015 }} which was being referred to as Friends Like These at the time.{{cite web |url=http://www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-jennifer-aniston |title=Jennifer Aniston |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=Lifetime UK |publisher=AETN UK |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503060138/http://www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-jennifer-aniston |archive-date=May 3, 2015 }} Crane and Kauffman had worked with Aniston prior to this. However, casting her as Rachel posed a challenge for the network because, at the time, Aniston was simultaneously starring in a developing CBS sitcom called Muddling Through,{{cite web|url=http://www.instyle.co.uk/celebrity/news/jennifer-aniston-knows-how-to-work-the-70s-trend-in-flares |title=Jennifer Aniston Knows How To Work The 70s Trend In Flares |date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |website=InStyle |last=Marks |first=Olivia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402175306/http://www.instyle.co.uk/celebrity/news/jennifer-aniston-knows-how-to-work-the-70s-trend-in-flares |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} in which she plays a young woman whose mother is returning home from jail after two years.{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/31/jennifer-aniston-reveals-i-was-almost-replaced-in-the-cast-of-friends-5044310/ |title=Jennifer Aniston reveals: I was almost replaced in the cast of Friends |date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=Metro |last=Westbrook |first=Caroline |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217065920/http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/31/jennifer-aniston-reveals-i-was-almost-replaced-in-the-cast-of-friends-5044310/ |archive-date=February 17, 2015 }} CBS was initially reluctant to release Aniston from her contract, which required the actress to balance both roles simultaneously,{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-replaced-friends/story?id=28666263 |title=How Jennifer Aniston Was Almost Replaced on 'Friends' |date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=ABC News |last=Rothman |first=Michael |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402210554/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-replaced-friends/story?id=28666263 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} traveling back-and-forth between Muddling Through and Friends for two weeks.{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jennifer-aniston-almost-didnt-do-friends-rachel-green-santa-barbara-international-film-festival/1/416491.html |title=Did you know? Jennifer Aniston was almost replaced in Friends |date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=India Today |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402182546/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jennifer-aniston-almost-didnt-do-friends-rachel-green-santa-barbara-international-film-festival/1/416491.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Meanwhile, NBC risked having to recast the role of Rachel, replace Aniston, and reshoot several episodes if CBS' series proved successful, which would have potentially cost the network millions of dollars. However, Littlefield remained confident that Muddling Through would fail.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/friends-jennifer-aniston-replaced-as-rachel_n_3733395.html |title='Friends': Jennifer Aniston Was Almost Replaced As Rachel Before The Show Aired (VIDEO) |date=August 9, 2013 |access-date=March 30, 2014 |work=The Huffington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107120132/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/friends-jennifer-aniston-replaced-as-rachel_n_3733395.html |archive-date=November 7, 2013 }} Essentially, the producers of Friends hoped that Muddling Through would be canceled before Friends premiered,{{cite web|url=https://people.com/tv/jennifer-aniston-talks-friends-was-almost-replaced-as-rachel/ |title=Jennifer Aniston: I Was Almost Replaced in Friends! |last=Falcone |first=Dana Rose |date=January 31, 2015 |website=People |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102425/http://www.people.com/article/jennifer-aniston-almost-replaced-friends-rachel |archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=December 27, 2021}} while Aniston feared that Muddling Through would be the more successful of the two sitcoms in spite of her preference for Friends.{{cite web |url=http://www.abcnewspoint.com/jennifer-aniston-role-in-friends-almost-replaced-once-in-past/ |title=Jennifer Aniston Role in Friends, Almost Replaced Once In Past |access-date=March 31, 2015 |website=ABC News Point |last=Hashmi |first=Tooba |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402222530/http://www.abcnewspoint.com/jennifer-aniston-role-in-friends-almost-replaced-once-in-past/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} During this time of uncertainty, Aniston was forced not to participate in several Friends-related promotions and photo shoots;{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/i-was-almost-replaced-in-friends-jennifer-aniston-115020100580_1.html |title=I was almost replaced in 'Friends': Jennifer Aniston |date=February 1, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |newspaper=Business Standard India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092830/http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/i-was-almost-replaced-in-friends-jennifer-aniston-115020100580_1.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |agency=Press Trust of India }} the network excluded her from these in case she would be replaced.{{cite web|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jennifer-aniston-friends-was-my-sixth-tv-pilot-had-to-sit-out-cast-photos-2013810/ |title=Jennifer Aniston: Friends Was My Sixth TV Pilot, Had to "Sit Out" Cast Photos |date=October 8, 2013 |access-date=April 12, 2015 |work=Us Weekly |last=Nicole |first=Eggenberger |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515075442/http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/jennifer-aniston-friends-was-my-sixth-tv-pilot-had-to-sit-out-cast-photos-2013810 |archive-date=May 15, 2015 }} Aniston explained, "When we were shooting the first grouping of cast photos ... I was asked to step out of a bunch because they didn't know if I was going to be still playing Rachel." Director James Burrows admitted that Aniston had been cast in second position.{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/jennifer-aniston-fans-dont-want-friends-reunion-8C11373347 |title=Jennifer Aniston: Fans don't want 'Friends' reunion |date=October 10, 2013 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=Today|last=Fashingbauer Cooper |first=Gael |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135841/http://www.today.com/popculture/jennifer-aniston-fans-dont-want-friends-reunion-8C11373347 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-08-et-bubble8-story.html |title=Nervous Time for the TV Set |date=May 8, 2002 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |last1=Calvo |first1=Dana |last2=Brownfield |first2=Paul|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408140601/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/may/08/entertainment/et-bubble8/2 |archive-date=April 8, 2015 }} The producers had already begun auditioning other actresses for the part,{{cite web|url=https://www.inquisitr.com/1804313/award-winner-jennifer-aniston-reveals-she-almost-lost-the-role-of-a-lifetime/ |title=Award-Winner Jennifer Aniston Reveals She Almost Lost The Role Of A Lifetime |date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |website=The Inquisitr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402190848/http://www.inquisitr.com/1804313/award-winner-jennifer-aniston-reveals-she-almost-lost-the-role-of-a-lifetime/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} while Aniston also received phone calls from her own friends warning her, "I'm auditioning for your part in Friends."{{cite web|url=http://www.wetpaint.com/tv-nostalgia/articles/2015-01-31-jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced |title=Jennifer Aniston Was Almost Replaced on Friends |last=Zumwalt |first=Landen |date=January 31, 2015 |website=Wetpaint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320092923/http://www.wetpaint.com/jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced-1378808/ |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 29, 2015 }} Ultimately, Muddling Through was canceled after only three months and 10 episodes,{{cite web|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-says-she-was-almost-replaced-in-friends-1.2214976 |title=Jennifer Aniston says she was almost replaced in 'Friends' |date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=CTV News|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402193427/http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-says-she-was-almost-replaced-in-friends-1.2214976 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced-as-rachel-in-friends/articleshow/46093404.cms |title=Jennifer Aniston was almost replaced as Rachel in 'Friends' |date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=The Economic Times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930155807/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced-as-rachel-in-friends/articleshow/46093404.cms |archive-date=September 30, 2015 }} two weeks before the pilot of Friends aired,{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/18-tv-roles-the-cast-of-friends-had-before-they-were-friends#.un2e1WM6p |title=18 TV Roles The Cast Of "Friends" Had Before They Were Friends |date=June 11, 2014 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |website=BuzzFeed |last=Galindo |first=Brian |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331014926/http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/18-tv-roles-the-cast-of-friends-had-before-they-were-friends |archive-date=March 31, 2015 }} thus allowing Aniston to keep her role on the show,{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-01/jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced-in-friends |title=Jennifer Aniston was almost replaced in Friends |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Radio Times |last=Walker-Arnott |first=Ellie |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205021509/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-01/jennifer-aniston-was-almost-replaced-in-friends |archive-date=February 5, 2015 }} becoming its second youngest cast member at the age of 25. Crane appreciated Aniston's interpretation of Rachel because "in the wrong hands Rachel is kind of annoying and spoiled and unlikable," commending the actress for "breathing life into a difficult character".

Crane and Kauffman strongly envisioned Friends as an ensemble comedy, and Warner Bros. initially marketed the show as such by having the cast appear in their entirety for all press, interviews and photo shoots.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/16/arts/friends-cast-bands-together-to-demand-a-salary-increase.html |title=Friends' Cast Bands Together To Demand a Salary Increase |date=July 16, 1996 |access-date=March 27, 2015 |website=The New York Times |last=Carter |first=Bill |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403040339/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/16/arts/friends-cast-bands-together-to-demand-a-salary-increase.html |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} One of few sitcoms at the time to be neither a workplace comedy, family sitcom or star a famous comedian, Elizabeth Kolbert of The New York Times explained that each of the show's main characters are "of equal importance". As a writer, Crane preferred it this way because "utilizing six equal players, rather than emphasizing one or two, would allow for myriad story lines". Kauffman echoed that "Friends worked best when the entire ensemble was onstage."{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4990 |title=24. Friends |website=Writers Guild of America, West |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518101559/http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=4990 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 2, 2015 }} The only reason Aniston is credited first during the show's title sequence is because the cast is listed alphabetically. The show's ensemble format is also believed to have prevented jealous conflicts among the cast.{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-friends-buzz0502-story.html#page=2 |title=They leave as they began: With a buzz |date=May 2, 2004 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |website=The Baltimore Sun |last=Jicha |first=Tom |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160139/http://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-friends-buzz0502-story.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Famously, the Friends cast became the first in television history to negotiate as a group for equal salaries, refusing to work until their demands of $100,000 per episode were met during season three, which eventually increased to $1 million per episode by seasons nine and ten – approximately $25 million per year. Alongside Cox and actress Lisa Kudrow, who portrays Phoebe, Aniston became the highest-paid television actress of all time.{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/stars/jennifer-aniston |title=Jennifer Aniston – About This Person |website=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322025217/http://www.ign.com/stars/jennifer-aniston |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 2, 2015 }} By then, Aniston had surpassed Cox as the show's most famous cast member due to having launched an international hair trend with the "Rachel" and successfully transitioning into a film career, combined with her high-profile relationship with her then-husband, actor Brad Pitt, who had once guest starred in an episode of the show.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3689029.stm |title=Friends climax watched by 51m |date=May 7, 2004 |access-date=April 29, 2015 |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630213151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3689029.stm |archive-date=June 30, 2015 }} At times the producers would use the actress' popularity to boost the show's ratings, notably her character's seventh season kiss with actress Winona Ryder and pregnancy arc.{{cite web|url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/jennifer-aniston/biography/48 |title=Jennifer Aniston – Biography |last=Willis |first=Dominic |website=TalkTalk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107201339/http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/jennifer-aniston/biography/48 |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |url-status=dead |quote=All the Friends would gradually perfect their styles as the show went on but, at the end of the day, it was Rachel ... who became the general favourite. |access-date=April 10, 2015 }} Aniston had been telling the press that the show's ninth season would be her last, and was initially hesitant to return to Friends to film its tenth and final season. She explained to NBC's Matt Lauer, "I wanted it to end when people still loved us and we were on a high. And then I was also feeling like, 'How much more of Rachel do I have in me?'" However, the actress ultimately agreed to complete the tenth season of Friends, which was reduced from 24 to 18 episodes to accommodate Aniston's busy film schedule.{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/tv/10-thing-you-might-not-know-about-the-friends-finale-on-its-10th-anniversary/|title=10 Things You Might Not Know About The 'Friends' Finale On Its 10th Anniversary |last=Hawkins |first=Bennett |date=May 6, 2014 |website=Uproxx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310204658/http://uproxx.com/tv/10-thing-you-might-not-know-about-the-friends-finale-on-its-10th-anniversary/ |archive-date=March 10, 2016|access-date=December 27, 2021}}

Rachel is the youngest of Friends six main characters.{{cite web|url=http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040505/NEWS/205050336/1027/FEATURES01&tc=ar |title=Have yourself a mocha latte and reminisce a bit |date=May 5, 2004 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |website=Ocala.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402110955/http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20040505%2FNEWS%2F205050336%2F1027%2FFEATURES01&tc=ar |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} She was brought up in Long Island, New York. The term "spoiled" is often used to describe the character's personality during her early appearances.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/friends-4-1200438471/ |title=Review: Friends |date=September 22, 1994 |access-date=April 8, 2015 |website=Variety |last=Scott |first=Tony |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703012436/http://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/friends-4-1200438471/ |archive-date=July 3, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/jennifer_aniston/ |title=Jennifer Aniston |website=People |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004064947/http://www.people.com/people/jennifer_aniston |archive-date=October 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 14, 2015 }} Encyclopædia Britannica describes Rachel as a spoiled and funny character.{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1560842/Jennifer-Aniston |title=Jennifer Aniston |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518074454/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1560842/Jennifer-Aniston |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 28, 2015 }} According to Rachel's original character description, written by Crane and Kauffman themselves for the show's pilot, the character is a spoiled yet courageous young woman who "has worked for none of what she has", unlike best friend Monica, and is initially "equipped to do nothing".{{cite web|url= https://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/the-original-friends-character-descriptions-are-spot-on |title=The Original "Friends" Character Descriptions Are Spot-On |date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |website=BuzzFeed |last=Epstein |first=Leonora |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307073347/http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/the-original-friends-character-descriptions-are-spot-on |archive-date=March 7, 2015 }} James Endrst of the Hartford Courant identified her as "a spoiled rich kid",{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1994-09-04-9409010113-story.html |title=Emergency! 2 Hospital Dramas! 2 Sets Of Parents Killed In Car Crashes! Lots Of Bad Shows! |date=September 4, 1994 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |website=Hartford Courant |last=Endrst |first=James |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414013314/http://articles.courant.com/1994-09-04/entertainment/9409010113_1_carlton-dial-harry-flack-fortune-hunter/5 |archive-date=April 14, 2015 }} while the Daily News dubbed Rachel an "endearingly spoiled Daddy's girl".{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/friends-gallery-1.90286?pmSlide=1.91035 |title='Friends': Where are they now? – Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green) |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Daily News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705135204/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/friends-gallery-1.90286?pmSlide=1.91035 |archive-date=July 5, 2015 }} Author Kim Etingoff wrote about Rachel in her book Jennifer Aniston: From Friends to Films that the character is "spunky and sometimes spoiled", while TV Land called her "naive".{{cite web|url=http://www.tvland.com/shows/friends/bios/jennifer-aniston |title=Jennifer Aniston – Rachel Green |website=TV Land |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703190746/http://www.tvland.com/shows/friends/bios/jennifer-aniston |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 10, 2015 }} Citing the differences between Rachel and her two female friends, The Guardian{{'}}s Ryan Gilbey observed that the character "wasn't insulated by self-regard, like Monica, or swaddled in gormlessness, like Phoebe".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/22/2 |title=A superstar with something to prove |date=January 22, 2006 |access-date=April 5, 2015 |website=The Guardian |last=Gilbey |first=Ryan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411125334/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/22/2 |archive-date=April 11, 2015 }} Frequently identified as fitting the "girl next door" archetype,{{cite web|url = http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/when-stars-collide-celeb-smackdowns-26465333.html|title = When stars collide: celeb smack-downs|date = July 29, 2008|access-date = April 8, 2015|website = Irish Independent|last = Power|first = Ed}}{{cite web|url=https://www.archetypes.com/timeline/hollywood-archetypes-girl-next-door |title=Hollywood Archetypes: The Girl Next Door |last=Sandora-Nastyn |first=Pat |website=Archetype |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211645/https://www.archetypes.com/timeline/hollywood-archetypes-girl-next-door |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 9, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/145707/7-reasons-why-kaley-cuoco-could-become-the-next-jennifer-aniston |title=7 Reasons Why Kaley Cuoco Could Become The Next Jennifer Aniston |last=Littlejohn |first=Georgina |date=April 4, 2014 |website=Entertainmentwise |publisher=Giant Digital |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224042816/http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/145707/7-Reasons-Why-Kaley-Cuoco-Could-Become-The-Next-Jennifer-Aniston |archive-date=December 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 9, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/friends-iconic-fashion-beauty-hair-wedding-moments#gallery-2 |title=The 50 most iconic fashion and beauty moments in Friends |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Stylist |date=May 8, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417094059/http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/friends-iconic-fashion-beauty-hair-wedding-moments |archive-date=April 17, 2015 }} Anne Bilson of The Telegraph described Rachel as "funny but not too funny, pretty but not too pretty, sexy but not too sexy, scatterbrained but not too scatterbrained".{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-blog/10257350/Can-Jennifer-Aniston-ever-really-lose-Rachel-from-Friends.html |title=Can Jennifer Aniston ever really lose Rachel from Friends? |last=Billson |first=Anne |date=February 12, 2015 |website=The Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619214559/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150313/jsp/t2/story_8294.jsp |archive-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 8, 2015 }} TalkTalk's Dominic Wills described the character as "smart but ditzy, determined but undisciplined." Meanwhile, Liat Kornowski, writing for The Huffington Post, wrote that Rachel is a "beautiful, coveted, slightly neurotic, borderline egocentric" character.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/reasons-youre-rachel-green_n_3573300.html |title=17 Reasons You Are So Rachel Green (GIFs) |date=July 10, 2013 |access-date=April 12, 2015 |work=The Huffington Post |last=Kornowski |first=Liat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607060937/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/reasons-youre-rachel-green_n_3573300.html |archive-date=June 7, 2015 }}

Observing that the show's main characters are each based on a stereotype, Jonathan Bernstein of The Daily Telegraph identified Rachel as "the self-absorbed one who goes from riches to rags". According to Reign Magazine, Rachel is "a human being full of vulnerability, humor and strength while aesthetically donning an undeniable beauty and allure".{{cite web|url=https://reignmag.com/happy-birthday-jennifer-aniston/ |title=Happy Birthday, Jennifer Aniston |date=February 11, 2015 |access-date=April 12, 2015 |work=Reign Magazine |quote=Aniston’s breakout character of Rachel Green... |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628030114/https://reignmag.com/happy-birthday-jennifer-aniston/ |archive-date=June 28, 2015 }} Originally depicted as a character who is unprepared for "the world as an adult", Rachel's personality was gradually tailored to suit Aniston as the series progressed, becoming "more self-sufficient and sympathetic". According to Shining in the Shadows: Movie Stars of the 2000s author Murray Pomerance, "The more boundary collapsed between the 'real' Jennifer Aniston and Rachel, the more 'authentic' Aniston became." Pomerance also noted that the character's "well-roundedness, normalcy and relatability" is similar to Aniston's, while both the character and the actress herself are very expressive, talking "with [their] hands a good deal." In her book How To Write For Television, author Madeline Dimaggio wrote that although "Rachel grew within the context of the series ... she would always struggle with the spoiled, image-conscious Daddy's girl who fled from her wedding in the pilot."{{Cite book|title = How To Write For Television|last = Dimaggio|first = Madeline|publisher = Simon and Schuster|year = 2008|isbn = 9781416570455|location = United States|page = 17|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H59uOUljeOgC&q=rachel+green+daddy%27s+girl&pg=PA17}} Similarly, BuddyTV wrote that although Rachel "eventually evolves into being less absorbed in later series, she [remains] the most image-centric among the six",{{cite web|url=http://www.buddytv.com/info/jennifer-aniston-info.aspx |title=Jennifer Aniston |access-date=April 9, 2015 |website=BuddyTV |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415045105/http://www.buddytv.com/info/jennifer-aniston-info.aspx |archive-date=April 15, 2015 }} while Vogue's Edward Barsamian opined, "She might have been self-centered and bratty, but Rachel Green was perhaps the most stylish and unabashedly fashion-obsessed character on the show."{{cite web|url=http://www.vogue.com/10549635/jennifer-aniston-friends-fashion/ |title=Friends Forever: What We Learned From Jennifer Aniston's Cool '90s Style |last=Barsamian |first=Edward |date=February 11, 2015 |website=Vogue |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328041704/http://www.vogue.com/10549635/jennifer-aniston-friends-fashion/ |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 10, 2015 }} TV Land summarized the character's arc and development in the website's biography of her, writing, "Rachel is a born shopper, but... she's not necessarily a born worker. In fact, before moving in with Monica, she's never had to work at all, thanks to the generosity of her parents. Luckily, Rachel is smart, resourceful and chic, so her future is bright, both as a member of the workforce and with her newfound tribe." Examining the character's sexuality, Splitsider's Mike D'Avria determined that Rachel has had the third most sexual partners, 14, as well as the highest percentage of serious monogamous relationships at 71%. D'Avria opined, "Throughout the whole series Rachel is continually meeting men she wants to impress. Her flirtations typically fail, but she somehow winds up in a serious relationship with them."{{cite web|url=http://splitsider.com/2011/07/the-sexual-proclivities-of-friends/ |title=The Sexual Proclivities of Friends |date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=April 14, 2015 |website=Splitsider |last=D'Avria |first=Mike |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408041121/http://splitsider.com/2011/07/the-sexual-proclivities-of-friends |archive-date=April 8, 2015 }} Additionally, Rachel is also the only female character to admit to having had a homosexual experience (Chandler having likewise admitted to kissing a man on season 7, episode 4).

In an interview with the Jewish Telegraph, Kauffman confirmed that Rachel is Jewish. On the character's "Jewish ties", Kauffman told J. The Jewish News of Northern California that Rachel had always been Jewish "in our minds", explaining, "You can't create a character with the name 'Rachel Green' and not from the get-go make some character choices".{{cite web|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/59890/its-been-six-years-but-theyll-always-be-my-jewish-friends/ |title=It's been six years, but they'll always be my Jewish 'Friends' |last=Pazornik |first=Amanda |date=November 11, 2010 |website=J. The Jewish News of Northern California |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413193510/http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/59890/its-been-six-years-but-theyll-always-be-my-jewish-friends/ |archive-date=April 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 7, 2015 }} Prior to this, critics and fans had long speculated whether or not Rachel is Jewish.{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_119.html |title=Written off but she co-created Friends |access-date=April 3, 2015 |work=Jewish Telegraph |quote=And Marta, 54, confirmed that only Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) is Jewish according to halachic law. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322092312/http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_119.html |archive-date=March 22, 2015 }} Vulture's Lindsey Weber, who identifies herself as Jewish, observed several similarities and Jewish stereotypes she shares with the character, citing the facts that Rachel refers to her grandmother Ida Green as "Bubbe",{{Cite episode|airdate = December 5, 2002|series = Friends|title = The One With Rachel's Phone Number|number = 9|season = 9|credits = Mark Kunerth (writer); Ben Weiss (director)|network = NBC}} Long Island origin, and engagement to a Jewish doctor as allusions to the character's Jewish culture.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/friends-countdown-is-rachel-green-jewish.html |title=Friends Countdown: Is Rachel Green Jewish? |date=December 17, 2014 |access-date=April 3, 2015 |website=Vulture |publisher=New York Media LLC |last=Weber |first=Lindsey |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408130136/http://www.vulture.com/2014/12/friends-countdown-is-rachel-green-jewish.html |archive-date=April 8, 2015 }} In her book Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical, author Stacy Wolf identified Rachel as one of several popular female television characters who embodied Jewish stereotypes during the 1990s and often served as "the butt of the shows' jokes".{{Cite book|title=Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical |last=Wolf |first=Stacy |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9780199831234 |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/changedforgoodfe0000wolf/page/167 167] |url=https://archive.org/details/changedforgoodfe0000wolf |url-access=registration |access-date=2015-10-25 }} Meanwhile, JDate's Rebecca Frankel cited Rachel as one of the earliest and most prominent examples of the Jewish American Princess stereotype on screen.{{cite web|url=http://www.jdate.com/jmag/2011/02/reclaiming-your-inner-jap/ |title=Reclaiming Your Inner JAP |access-date=April 8, 2015 |website=JDate |publisher=Spark Networks USA, LLC |last=Frankel |first=Rebecca |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414164032/http://www.jdate.com/jmag/2011/02/reclaiming-your-inner-jap/ |archive-date=April 14, 2015 }} Writing for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Alicia R. Korenman also acknowledged Rachel's initial Jewish American Princess qualities, describing her as "spoiled, dependent on her father's money and her fiance's, is horrified at the thought of working for a living and generally inept in her attempts to do so, and is eventually revealed to have had a nose job", which she eventually overcomes as they become less "evident in later seasons of the show".{{cite web|url=https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexablecontent/uuid:1d130208-4db9-438f-9a8a-688b000f5df5 |title=Princesses, Mothers, Heroes, and Superheroes: Images of Jewish Women in Comic Books and Graphic Novels. |access-date=April 8, 2015 |website=University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |publisher=The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |last=Korenman |first=Alicia R. |date=December 10, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416123427/https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/indexablecontent/uuid%3A1d130208-4db9-438f-9a8a-688b000f5df5 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 }} In his article "Princesses, Schlemiels, Punishers and Overbearing Mothers", Evan Cooper described Rachel as a "de-semitized" Jew because, aside from her name, "there is never any discussion of experiences of growing up in a Jewish culture, no use of Yiddish, and few, if any, references to family members with distinctively Jewish surnames".{{cite web|url=http://citation.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/4/2/9/2/pages242923/p242923-11.php |title=Princesses, Schlemiels, Punishers and Overbearing Mothers |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=All Academic |last=Evan |first=Cooper |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723214636/http://citation.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/4/2/9/2/pages242923/p242923-11.php |archive-date=July 23, 2015 }} Cooper continued to write that although Rachel possesses some Jewish American Princess traits, she is more similar to the "little woman" stereotype. The New York Post{{'}}s Robert Rorke labeled Rachel "a rehabilitated Jewish American Princess", in contrast to her sister Amy (Christina Applegate) who remains "selfish, condescending and narcissistic".{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2004/04/29/friends-of-friends-movie-stars-moonlighted-with-ross-rachel-co/ |title=Friends of Friends — Movie Stars Moonlighted with Ross, Rachel & Co. |date=April 29, 2004 |access-date=April 8, 2015 |work=New York Post |last=Rorke |first=Robert |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421063049/http://nypost.com/2004/04/29/friends-of-friends-movie-stars-moonlighted-with-ross-rachel-co/ |archive-date=April 21, 2015 }}

Critical response towards Rachel remained mostly positive throughout the show's ten-season run. Writing for The A.V. Club, John Reid believes that Rachel is responsible for the success of the pilot, explaining, "The story of this group of friends must start with a stranger coming to town," describing Rachel as "the perfect stranger for this plot". Reid also holds Rachel responsible for spurring character development in the show's five other main characters, calling her arrival "a catalyst for all of them to grow, because unlike the rest of them, Rachel is interested in finding meaning for her life". Also writing for The A.V. Club, Sonia Saraiya enjoyed Rachel's first awkward encounter with Ross because, for the first time, "Rachel displays a moment of true empathy for another human being". Saraiya went on to hail Rachel as "a model for women coming of age in the 1990s—the popular, pretty girl dissatisfied with where those illusions have taken her but also unwilling to embrace the more aggressively 'feminist' career-woman strategy".{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/friends-the-pilot-1798176953 |title=Friends: "The Pilot" |date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=March 23, 2015 |website=The A.V. Club |last1=Reid |first1=John |last2=Saraiya |first2=Sonia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133438/http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/friends-the-pilot-98273 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} The New York Times' Joseph Hanania enjoyed Rachel's telephone conversation with her father during the pilot, describing it as "hilarious".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/07/arts/television-radio-playing-princesses-punishers-and-prudes.html |title=Television/Radio; Playing Princesses, Punishers and Prudes |date=March 7, 1999 |access-date=April 4, 2015 |website=The New York Times |last=Hanania |first=Joseph |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411092257/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/07/arts/television-radio-playing-princesses-punishers-and-prudes.html |archive-date=April 11, 2015 }} The Los Angeles Times Bob Shayne admitted his attraction towards Rachel, joking, "my feelings for Rachel, I say with some embarrassment, mirror those of Gunther".{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-10-ca-8511-story.html |title=No Experience Wanted |date=June 10, 2001 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |last=Shayne |first=Bob |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220104534/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jun/10/entertainment/ca-8511/3 |archive-date=December 20, 2014 }} Cosmopolitan touted Rachel "the best fictional gal pal we've ever had".{{cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a33605/jennifer-aniston-cake-interview-exclusive/ |title=Jennifer Aniston says she totally gets why she's typecast |date=February 19, 2015 |access-date=December 27, 2021|website=Cosmopolitan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411095727/http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a33605/jennifer-aniston-cake-interview-exclusive/ |archive-date=April 11, 2015 }} While People called her "spoiled-but-lovable", TV Guide described Rachel as "neurotic and adorable". Writing for Heat, Ellen Kerry hailed Rachel's gradual transformation from waitress to businesswoman as arguably "the best thing on tv".

USA Today's Robert Bianco credits Rachel's pregnancy storyline with saving Friends, observing that the arc increased the show's ratings while ultimately "reversing the show's decline in ways ... that no one watching 'The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding' could ever have imagined." Bianco concluded, "Indeed, without that fortune-altering twist, Friends probably would have ended sooner". BDCwire ranked "The One with the Ball", "The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss", "The One With The Football", "The One with the Fake Party" and "The One In Vegas, Part One" Rachel's five strongest episodes.{{cite web|url=http://www.bdcwire.com/a-definitive-ranking-of-the-5-best-friends-episodes-for-each-character/ |title=A Definitive Ranking of the 5 Best 'Friends' Episodes for Each Character |date=January 6, 2015 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |website=BDCwire |publisher=The Boston Globe |last=Leist |first=Christie |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815010104/http://www.bdcwire.com/a-definitive-ranking-of-the-5-best-friends-episodes-for-each-character/ |archive-date=August 15, 2015 }} Meanwhile, TVLine criticized Rachel for sleeping with ex-fiancé Barry in season one's "The One With the Evil Orthodontist", panning the episode as "cringeworthy".{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/gallery/friends-worst-episodes-photos/#!1/friends-skippable-evil-orthodontist/ |title=Friends on Netflix: Could These 10 Episodes Be Any More Skippable? |date=January 3, 2015 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=TVLine |last1=Iannucci |first1=Rebecca |last2=Roots |first2=Kimberly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327152455/http://tvline.com/gallery/friends-worst-episodes-photos/ |archive-date=March 27, 2015 }} TVLine similarly criticized the character's role in season four's "The One With The Fake Party".{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/gallery/friends-worst-episodes-photos/#!4/friends-skippable-fake-party/ |title=Friends on Netflix: Could These 10 Episodes Be Any More Skippable? |date=January 3, 2015 |access-date=March 28, 2015 |website=TV Line |last1=Iannucci |first1=Rebecca |last2=Roots |first2=Kimberly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327152455/http://tvline.com/gallery/friends-worst-episodes-photos/ |archive-date=March 27, 2015 }} At times the character would generate mild controversy, specifically the second-season episode "The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies", during which Rachel and Monica argue over who will get to use the last remaining condom in the apartment, which Rachel ultimately wins via a game of rock-paper-scissors.{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-03-24-revisiting-friends_x.htm |title=Joey's life as a doctor is short-lived |date=March 24, 2004 |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=USA Today |last=Bianco |first=Robert |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712213908/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-03-24-revisiting-friends_x.htm |archive-date=July 12, 2015 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/03/finale.friends/ |title='Friends' to the end |date=May 3, 2004 |access-date=April 7, 2015 |work=CNN|last=Snipes |first=Stephanie |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422105933/http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/03/finale.friends/ |archive-date=April 22, 2015 }} Additionally, fans would often approach Aniston and scold her for decisions that Rachel makes within the show that they do not particularly agree with.{{Cite book|title=Cult of Celebrity: What Our Fascination with the Stars Reveals about Us |last1=Lawrence |first1=Cooper |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2009 |isbn=9781599217161 |location=United States |page=25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQDPYS13CwAC&pg=PA25 |last2=Baio |first2=Scott }}

Within the first two seasons of Friends, the character became extremely popular among women. Viewers' perpetual desire to see Rachel succeed helped her remain a fan favorite throughout all ten seasons of the show. Writing for TalkTalk, Dominic Wills agreed that while Rachel established herself as "the general favourite ... No one had a bad word to say about Jennifer Aniston", with whose performance audiences instantly fell in love. Aniston's performance has been consistently praised since her debut in the pilot, about which Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker wrote that the actress portrays Rachel with "prickly intelligence".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1994/10/21/tv-show-review-winning-friends |title=TV Show Review: Winning 'Friends' |date=October 21, 1994 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Tucker |first=Ken |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105439/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/10/21/tv-show-review-winning-friends |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Writing for The Baltimore Sun, David Zurawik cited Aniston among the show's "very strong cast",{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-friends-94review-story.html |title=Good 'Friends' fits snugly into NBC's lineup |date=September 22, 1994 |access-date=April 8, 2015 |website=The Baltimore Sun |last=Zurawik |first=David |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150057/http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/tv/bal-friends-94review-story.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} while Variety's Tony Scott agreed that "All six of the principals ... appear resourceful and display sharp sitcom skills"; Robert Bianco of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the work of show's female cast equally.{{cite web|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IYwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3371,4064656&hl=en|title = Six 'Friends' sittin' around, talking|date = September 22, 1994|access-date = May 15, 2015| work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last = Bianco|first = Robert}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} TV Guide wrote that Aniston "instantly charmed audiences with her perfect looks and endearingly flawed persona",{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jennifer-aniston/bio/156567/ |title=Jennifer Aniston |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429013938/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jennifer-aniston/bio/156567 |archive-date=April 29, 2015 }} while Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast referred to Aniston's tenure on Friends as not "a leading lady performance" but instead "the work of a brilliant character actress".{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/07/jennifer-aniston-s-new-movie-sucks-what-s-she-doing-wrong.html |title=Jennifer Aniston's New Movie Sucks. What's She Doing Wrong? |date=August 7, 2013 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |last=Fallon |first=Kevin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423170943/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/07/jennifer-aniston-s-new-movie-sucks-what-s-she-doing-wrong.html |archive-date=April 23, 2015 }} The Guardian's Ryan Gilbey highlighted Aniston as the cast member "least reliant on goofball caricature", observing that "Playing the only character with whom a sane viewer might reasonably identify also meant that she got the lion's share of attention". Writing that the actress "quickly stole our hearts as the daddy's girl and aspiring fashionista," Andrew Collins of Radio Times hailed Aniston as a "natural comic performer, as adept with a subtle nose wrinkle as a full-on pratfall, and fluent in quick-fire patter".{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-07-09/jennifer-aniston-a-career-profile |title=Jennifer Aniston: a career profile |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=Radio Times |last=Collins |first=Andrew |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412151429/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-07-09/jennifer-aniston-a-career-profile |archive-date=April 12, 2015 }} In 2002, Aniston won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/news/jennifer-aniston-sienna-miller-david-oyelowo-chris-pratt-john-travolta-and-kerry-washington |title=Jennifer Aniston, Sienna Miller, David Oyelowo, Chris Pratt, John Travolta and Kerry Washington To Present At 87th Oscars® |date=February 10, 2015 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402024333/http://www.oscars.org/news/jennifer-aniston-sienna-miller-david-oyelowo-chris-pratt-john-travolta-and-kerry-washington |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} In 2003, the actress won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical.{{cite web|url=http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=/member/29209 |title=Jennifer Aniston |website=Golden Globe Awards Official Website |publisher=HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922004302/http://www.hfpa.org/browse/?param=%2Fmember%2F29209 |archive-date=September 22, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 31, 2015 }} Dominic Willis of TalkTalk believes that Aniston won these awards because of "her brilliant comic performances in the show".

Rachel has had several romantic relationships throughout Friends decade-long run, the most famous and prominent of which remains her on-again, off-again relationship with friend Ross. Although wildly popular among audiences,{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/news/industry-news/friends-20th-anniversary-oral-history|title=Friends: A 20th Anniversary Oral History|last=Keck|first=William|date=September 16, 2014|website=Emmys.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144101/http://www.emmys.com/news/industry-news/friends-20th-anniversary-oral-history|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2015}} the couple has been met with mixed reviews from critics. Katherine Hassel of the Daily Express described the characters' relationship as "the heart of the show". China Daily cited Ross and Rachel's reunion during the series finale "The Last One" among the episode's highlights,{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-05/08/content_328725.htm |title=52 millon friends see off "Friends" |date=May 8, 2004 |access-date=April 29, 2015 |website=China Daily |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125163130/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-05/08/content_328725.htm |archive-date=January 25, 2009 }} while Gary Susman of Rolling Stone believes that audiences would not have been happy had the couple not ultimately reunited.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-best-sitcom-finales-of-all-time-20130514 |title=The Best Sitcom Finales of All-Time |date=May 14, 2013 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |magazine=Rolling Stone |last=Susman |first=Gary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429031929/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-best-sitcom-finales-of-all-time-20130514 |archive-date=April 29, 2015 }} Contrastingly, The Wire's Joe Reid is of the opinion that the show's second season is "the only time Ross/Rachel was truly great".{{cite web|url=http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/05/a-definitive-ranking-of-every-season-of-every-tv-show-that-mattered/371852/ |title=A Definitive Ranking of Every Season of Every TV Show That Mattered |last1=Reid |first1=Joe |last2=Sims |first2=David |date=May 29, 2014 |website=The Wire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408220156/http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/05/a-definitive-ranking-of-every-season-of-every-tv-show-that-mattered/371852 |archive-date=April 8, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 28, 2015 }} Virgin Media wrote that the couple's dynamics "had grown mightily tedious" by season ten.{{cite web|url=http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/galleries/drama/sexy-tvroles.php?ssid=4 |title=Sexiest TV roles! – Jennifer Aniston as Friends' Rachel Green |access-date=April 3, 2015 |website=Virgin Media |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408121441/http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/galleries/drama/sexy-tvroles.php?ssid=4 |archive-date=April 8, 2015 }} E! cable network ranked Rachel and Ross the ninth greatest Friends couple, writing that their relationship gave "Friends fans enough iconic quotes to fill a book",{{cite web|url=http://ca.eonline.com/photos/13785/we-ranked-all-the-friends-couples-and-no-1-may-shock-you/419086 |title=We Ranked All the Friends Couples, and No. 1 May Shock You... – 9. Ross and Rachel |last=Bucksbaum |first=Sydney |date=September 22, 2014 |website=E! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723175703/http://www.eonline.com/photos/13785/we-ranked-all-the-friends-couples-and-no-1-may-shock-you/419086 |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 2, 2015 }} considering Phoebe's line "See? [Ross is] her lobster!" to be among show's most iconic. Ross and Rachel's season three breakup has spawned a debate among Friends fans, who continue to argue over which of the two was at fault: Rachel for suggesting that they take a break from their relationship, or Ross for sleeping with another woman immediately afterwards. Writing for E!, Jenna Mullins ruled in favor of Rachel, elaborating, "there is no excuse for Ross sleeping with someone else after his lobster suggested taking a break", concluding that Ross "blew it".{{cite web|url=http://ca.eonline.com/news/539047/7-things-friends-fans-still-argue-about-ten-years-later |title=7 Things Friends Fans Still Argue About After All These Years |last=Mullins |first=Jenna |date=September 22, 2014 |website=E! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723172650/http://www.eonline.com/news/539047/7-things-friends-fans-still-argue-about-ten-years-later |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 2, 2015 }} The Jewish community was particularly receptive to the fact that a Jewish-American couple existed on prime time television, described by Lilith magazine as "a televisual first".{{Cite book|title=Something Ain't Kosher Here: The Rise of the "Jewish" Sitcom |last=Brook |first=Vincent |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780813532110 |location=United States |page=[https://archive.org/details/somethingaintkos00vinc/page/127 127] |url=https://archive.org/details/somethingaintkos00vinc |url-access=registration }}

Rachel and Ross are considered to be among television's greatest and most beloved couples.{{cite web |last=Yandoli |first=Krystie Lee |date=January 4, 2015 |title=Poll: The Hardest Question Every "Friends" Fan Needs To Answer |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/poll-the-hardest-question-every-friends-fan-needs-to-answer#.xk2GQ2mkp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408014105/http://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/poll-the-hardest-question-every-friends-fan-needs-to-answer |archive-date=April 8, 2015 |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=BuzzFeed}}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10402779/The-20-best-TV-couples.html?frame=2721158 |title=The 20 best TV couples |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=November 11, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710180338/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10402779/The-20-best-TV-couples.html?frame=2721158 |archive-date=July 10, 2015 }} Ninemsn referred to them as "everyone's favourite on ... off ... on (a break!) duo,"{{cite web|url=http://thefix.ninemsn.com.au/2014/12/09/06/30/greatest-tv-couples-of-all-time|title=Greatest TV couples of all time|last=Teen|first=Julia|website=ninemsn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412212625/http://thefix.ninemsn.com.au/2014/12/09/06/30/greatest-tv-couples-of-all-time|archive-date=2015-04-12|url-status=dead|access-date=April 12, 2015}} while Us Weekly and BuzzFeed ranked them the first and second best television couple, respectively.{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/best-tv-couples-of-all-time-2013112/28307 |title=Best TV Couples of All Time – Rachel Green and Ross Geller |access-date=April 7, 2015 |work=Us Weekly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328002315/http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/best-tv-couples-of-all-time-2013112/28307 |archive-date=March 28, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/fivezaj/the-50-best-tv-couples-a8zp |title=50 Best TV Couples Ever |date=May 4, 2013 |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=BuzzFeed |last=Ivezaj |first=Flora |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214100657/http://www.buzzfeed.com/fivezaj/the-50-best-tv-couples-a8zp |archive-date=February 14, 2015 }} TV Guide ranked Ross and Rachel the third greatest television couple, dubbing them "the most iconic TV couple in recent memory".{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/galleries/best-tv-couples-1026715/photo/9bd2fb20-0a13-45f8-bcf7-6c0409a1335b/ |title=The Best TV Couples of All Time |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413231701/http://www.tvguide.com/galleries/best-tv-couples-1026715/photo/9bd2fb20-0a13-45f8-bcf7-6c0409a1335b/ |archive-date=April 13, 2015 }} Extra placed the couple at number eight, writing, "Never did we want two people to get together more than Ross ... and Rachel".{{cite web|url=http://extratv.com/2010/08/21/20-best-tv-couples-of-all-time/#rachel_green_and_ross_geller_friends |title=20 Best TV Couples of All Time |date=August 21, 2010 |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=Extra |publisher=West Coast, Inc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413005846/http://extratv.com/2010/08/21/20-best-tv-couples-of-all-time/ |archive-date=April 13, 2015 }} Refinery29 included Rachel and Ross in the website's "16 TV Couples We Want To Be Together Forever" list.{{cite web|url=http://www.refinery29.com/best-tv-couples#slide-3 |title=16 TV Couples We Want To Be Together Forever |date=March 26, 2015 |access-date=April 7, 2015 |website=Refinery29 |last=Weiss |first=Sabrina Rojas |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405064409/http://www.refinery29.com/best-tv-couples |archive-date=April 5, 2015 }} The pair is also often ranked among television's greatest "will they or won't they" couples.{{cite web|url=http://www.etcanada.com/tv/photos/tvs_most_beloved_will_they_won_t_they_couples.aspx#!183074ed5949e924ac8134b40b193a56 |title=TV's Most Beloved "Will They/Won't They" Couples |website=Entertainment Tonight Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325094240/http://www.etcanada.com/tv/photos/tvs_most_beloved_will_they_won_t_they_couples.aspx |archive-date=March 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 12, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://okmagazine.com/photos/the-best-will-they-wont-they-couples-in-tv-history/ |title=The Best "Will They, Won't They" Couples in TV History |last=Menza |first=Kaitlin |date=April 7, 2014 |website=OK! |publisher=Odyssey Magazine Publishing Group Inc |access-date=April 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326183239/http://okmagazine.com/photos/the-best-will-they-wont-they-couples-in-tv-history/ |archive-date=March 26, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.celebuzz.com/photos/will-they-or-wont-they-gallery/friends-2/ |title=TV's Greatest 'Will They or Won't They?' Couples – Friends: Rachel and Ross |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Celebuzz |publisher=SpinMedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702010318/http://www.celebuzz.com/photos/will-they-or-wont-they-gallery/friends-2/ |archive-date=July 2, 2015 }} Naming Ross and Rachel the greatest "will they, won't they" couple, Network Ten believes they defined the term,{{cite web |url=http://tenplay.com.au/blog/the-insider/5-best-will-they-or-wont-theys |title=The 5 Best Will They or Won't They Couples |date=November 11, 2013 |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Network Ten |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417000143/http://tenplay.com.au/blog/the-insider/5-best-will-they-or-wont-theys |archive-date=April 17, 2015 }} while Suggest dubbed them the "quintessential will they/won't they couple".{{cite web|url=http://www.suggest.com/tv/542/18-will-they-wont-they-tv-couples-we-root-for?&list=true#page=1 |title=18 "Will They/Won't They" TV Couples We Root For |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Suggest |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412210840/http://www.suggest.com/tv/542/18-will-they-wont-they-tv-couples-we-root-for?&list=true |archive-date=April 12, 2015 }} According to Sarah Doran of Radio Times, the couple "became synonymous with the phrase 'we're on a break'".{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-03/will-they-wont-they-tv-couples-arent-half-as-exciting-when-they-get-together |title=Will-they-won't-they TV couples aren't half as exciting when they get together |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Radio Times |last=Doran |first=Sarah |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503073327/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-02-03/will-they-wont-they-tv-couples-arent-half-as-exciting-when-they-get-together |archive-date=May 3, 2015 }} Phoebe's line, in which she refers to the couple as each other's lobsters, has become one of the show's most popular and oft-quoted.{{cite web|url=http://twocentstv.com/tvs-all-time-favorite-couples-thetwocents-staff-picks/ |title=TV's ALL-Time Favorite Couples – TheTwoCents Staff Picks |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=TheTwoCents |last=Kaye |first=Farrah |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004101725/http://twocentstv.com/tvs-all-time-favorite-couples-thetwocents-staff-picks/ |archive-date=October 4, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://news.moviefone.com/photos/11-greatest-will-they-wont-they-tv-couples#slide=3082902 |title=10 Greatest 'Will They/Won't They' TV Couples |website=Moviefone |publisher=AOL Inc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307224835/http://www.moviefone.com/photos/11-greatest-will-they-wont-they-tv-couples/ |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 12, 2015 }} Kaitlin Reilly of Bustle magazine defined the term as "the person of whom another is meant to be with forever".{{cite web|url=http://www.bustle.com/articles/23107-hes-her-lobster-a-friends-dictionary-to-help-you-interpret-ross-rachel-and-the-whole-gang |title="He's Her Lobster!" A 'Friends' Dictionary To Help You Interpret Ross, Rachel, and The Whole Gang |date=May 6, 2014 |access-date=April 14, 2015 |website=Bustle |last=Reilly |first=Kaitlin |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415001037/http://www.bustle.com/articles/23107-hes-her-lobster-a-friends-dictionary-to-help-you-interpret-ross-rachel-and-the-whole-gang |archive-date=April 15, 2015 }} Tara Aquino of Complex magazine believes that "Every other person can tell you what exactly a 'Ross and Rachel' relationship means".{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/funniest-tv-comedies-of-all-time/friends |title=The 50 Funniest TV Comedies of All Time |date=February 26, 2013 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |website=Complex |last=Aquino |first=Tara }} Ultimately, Rachel's season eight pregnancy arc is credited with reviving the show's ratings and reviews.{{cite web|url = http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/01/27/tem_friends_grows_in.html|title = 'Friends' grows in stature, ratings|date = January 27, 2002|access-date = April 29, 2015|website = The Cincinnati Enquirer|last = Kiesewetter|first = John}}

During season ten, Rachel's brief romance with friend Joey drew strong criticism from both critics and fans, although the contested relationship did not harm viewership. Joshua Kurp of Splitsider believes that the Rachel/Joey/Ross love triangle is the main reason the show's final two seasons continued to perform well despite mediocre reviews.{{cite web|url=http://splitsider.com/2011/01/the-legacy-of-friends-or-lack-thereof/ |title=The Legacy of Friends — Or Lack Thereof |date=January 11, 2011 |access-date=April 2, 2015 |website=Splitsider |last=Kurp |first=Joshua |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403112304/http://splitsider.com/2011/01/the-legacy-of-friends-or-lack-thereof/ |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} Eric Goldman of IGN referred to the Rachel-Joey storyline as "questionable".{{cite web|url=http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/11/19/friends-the-complete-series-blu-ray-review |title=Friends – The Complete Series Blu-ray Review |last=Goldman |first=Eric |date=November 19, 2012 |website=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111952/http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/11/19/friends-the-complete-series-blu-ray-review |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 2, 2015 }} Entertainment Tonight Canada ranked "The One After Rachel and Joey Kiss" among the show's ten worst episodes at number five, with author I. P. Johnson panning it as "desperate", concluding, "Jeers for even conceiving this romantic plot; cheers for abandoning it".{{cite web|url=http://www.etcanada.com/tv/photos/the_worst_of_the_best_friends_weakest_episodes.aspx#!0e8c2032a8cebe1f9ed25f390c12c3d9 |title=The Worst Of The Best: 'Friends'' Weakest Episodes |last=Johnson |first=I. P |website=Entertainment Tonight Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031131006/http://www.etcanada.com/tv/photos/the_worst_of_the_best_friends_weakest_episodes.aspx |archive-date=October 31, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 27, 2015 }} Contrarily, E! enjoyed Rachel and Joey as a couple because they brought out positive aspects in each other's personalities and share a similar sense of humor.{{cite web|url=http://ca.eonline.com/photos/13785/we-ranked-all-the-friends-couples-and-no-1-may-shock-you/418956 |title=4. Rachel and Joey |last=Bucksbaum |first=Sydney |date=September 22, 2014 |website=E! |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527040213/http://www.eonline.com/ca/photos/13785/we-ranked-all-the-friends-couples-and-no-1-may-shock-you/418956 |archive-date=May 27, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 2, 2015 }} Their relationship also spawned a debate among fans, who argued over whether making Rachel and Joey a couple was a bad idea. Jenna Mullins of E! determined that it is because "It was too far into the series to throw these two together. They didn't make sense and their romantic scenes felt forced".

After Ross and Rachel's break up, there were many hints that they would eventually reunite forever, especially seasons 8–10. In the final season, Rachel wants to sleep with Ross when her father has a heart attack and wants "sympathy sex", which he turns down, not wanting to take advantage of her in the state she is in. However, Ross and Rachel do sleep together again the night before she leaves for Paris, which results in him admitting he still loves her and wants to get back together in the series finale. Rachel turns down the Paris job in order to be with Ross when she realizes she still loves him too, and the two agree "this is it", getting back together for good. Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel, confirmed that after the series finale, Ross and Rachel got remarried, happily and had at least one more child.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jennifer-aniston-friends-ross-rachel-wanderlust-walk-of-fame-294015 |title=Jennifer Aniston talks about Ross and Rachel |date=February 22, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2016 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221101722/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jennifer-aniston-friends-ross-rachel-wanderlust-walk-of-fame-294015 |archive-date=December 21, 2016 }}

Rachel's popularity would establish her as the show's breakout character;{{cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/me/nbcfriends/friends.html |title=All About Friends |website=Angelfire |quote=The Rachel Green role, which eventually went to Jennifer Aniston, ended up becoming the breakout character in the series. |access-date=March 24, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307054522/http://www.angelfire.com/me/nbcfriends/friends.html |archive-date=March 7, 2015 }} she is often ranked among the greatest characters in television history. Us Weekly ranked Rachel the most beloved television character of the past two decades, citing her as "one of TV's most endearing personalities".{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/20-most-beloved-tv-characters/#eric-taylor |title=20 Most Beloved TV Characters from the Past 20 Years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318131801/http://www.usmagazine.com/20-most-beloved-tv-characters/ |archive-date=March 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 23, 2015 |work=Us Weekly }} Entertainment Weekly ranked the character sixth on a similar countdown,{{cite magazine|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/01/100-greatest-characters-of-last-20-years-full-list/ |title=The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years: Here's our full list! |last=Vary |first=Adam B. |date=June 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921234113/http://www.ew.com/article/2010/06/01/100-greatest-characters-of-last-20-years-full-list |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |url-status=dead |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=July 7, 2012 }} while AOL TV included Rachel among television's hundred "Greatest Women" at number 23, with author Kim Potts observing that "Rachel became one of viewers' favorite Friends because she grew from what could have been a one-note character ... into a more independent, caring pal".{{cite web|url=http://www.aoltv.com/2011/03/02/tvs-greatest-women-25-1/ |title=TV's Greatest Women: 25-1 |last=Potts |first=Kim |date=March 2, 2011 |website=AOL TV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702004219/http://www.aoltv.com/2011/03/02/tvs-greatest-women-25-1/ |archive-date=July 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 23, 2015 }} BuddyTV ranked Rachel the 15th funniest female character in sitcom history,{{cite web|url=http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/the-office/make-em-laugh-tvs-50-funniest-female-sitcom-characters-of-all-time-48056.aspx |title=Make 'Em Laugh: TV's 50 Funniest Female Sitcom Characters of All Time |last=Lind-Westbrook |first=Jennifer |date=February 21, 2013 |website=BuddyTV |access-date=March 23, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095644/http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/the-office/make-em-laugh-tvs-50-funniest-female-sitcom-characters-of-all-time-48056.aspx |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} while ChaCha collectively ranked Rachel, Monica and Phoebe 11th, 12th and 13th on the website's list of the "Top 16 Female TV Characters of All Time".{{cite web|url=http://www.chacha.com/gallery/1276/top-16-female-tv-characters-of-all-time/7695 |title=Top 16 Female TV Characters of All Time |website=ChaCha |publisher=ChaCha Search, Inc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305190532/http://www.chacha.com/gallery/1276/top-16-female-tv-characters-of-all-time/7695 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 24, 2015 }} According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood professionals voted Rachel the 29th best female character in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/50-best-female-characters-entertainment-industry-survey-results-951483/item/juno-juno-50-favorite-female-characters-951484|title=Hollywood's 50 Favorite Female Characters|date=December 9, 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=July 25, 2017}} In 2019, Harper's Bazaar ranked Rachel the third most influential "female character who changed our TV screens". Author Olivia Blair wrote that Rachel "promote ideals of female independence, unashamedly discuss sex and female pleasure, educate the men in their lives on how to treat women throughout the ten seasons."{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/entertainment/g26747458/best-female-tv-characters/|title=16 female characters who changed our TV screens|last=Blair|first=Olivia|date=March 8, 2019|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|access-date=July 10, 2019}} Writing for Entertainmentwise, Georgina Littlejohn believes Rachel inspired the character Penny in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, noting that the characters, both waitresses, are "blonde, cute, funny, likeable girls-next-door". Several baby name books and websites commonly associate the name "Rachel" with the character.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNJX65OvHfkC&q=rachel+green+friends&pg=PT370|title=5-Star Baby Name Advisor|last=Lansky|first=Bruce|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2011|isbn=9781451620238|location=United States|access-date=2015-10-25}}{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/oneinamillionbab0000moss|url-access=registration|title=The One-in-a-million Baby Name Book: The BabyNames.com Guide to Choosing the Best Name for Your New Arrival|last=Moss|first=Jennifer|publisher=Penguin|year=2008|isbn=9780399534300|location=United Kingdom|page=[https://archive.org/details/oneinamillionbab0000moss/page/463 463]|access-date=2015-10-25}}{{cite web|url=http://nameberry.com/babyname/Rachel |title=Rachel |website=Nameberry.com |access-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324081844/http://nameberry.com/babyname/Rachel |archive-date=March 24, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/rachel |title=Rachel |date=April 9, 2015 |website=The Baby Name Wizard |publisher=CMI Marketing, Inc |access-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415001312/http://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/rachel |archive-date=April 15, 2015 }}

Both Rachel and Aniston became fashion icons due to their combined influence on womenswear during the 1990s,{{cite web|url=http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/rachel-green-style/ |title=Style Icon: Rachel Green |date=June 10, 2012 |access-date=April 9, 2015 |website=Budget Fashion Blog |publisher=Speak LLC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414160209/http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/rachel-green-style/ |archive-date=April 14, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.luckyshops.com/article/style-icon-rachel-green |title=Style Icon: Rachel Green |year=2013 |website=LuckyShops |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419221834/http://www.luckyshops.com/article/style-icon-rachel-green |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 12, 2015 }} particularly among British women.{{cite web|url=http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/friends-iconic-fashion-beauty-hair-wedding-moments# |title=The 50 most iconic fashion and beauty moments in Friends |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=Stylist |date=May 8, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417094059/http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/friends-iconic-fashion-beauty-hair-wedding-moments |archive-date=April 17, 2015 }} Vogue's Edward Barsamian credits Rachel with inspiring "the cool New York look". According to Stylist, Rachel "revived [a] love of denim shirts and dungarees", while Mahogany Clayton of StyleBlazer believes that the character "managed to dominate every fashion trend that passed by her radar in the most stylish ways possible".{{cite web |url=http://styleblazer.com/367814/rachel-green-changed-fashion-forever/ |title=15 Fashion Lessons We Learned From Rachel Green on 'Friends' |date=February 11, 2015 |access-date=April 12, 2015 |website=StyleBlazer |last=Clayton |first=Mahogany |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419012932/http://styleblazer.com/367814/rachel-green-changed-fashion-forever/ |archive-date=April 19, 2015 }} Hailing her as the "Fash Queen", Heat magazine observed the character's influence on plaid skirts, denim and overalls.{{cite web|url=http://www.heatworld.com/2015/02/7-style-lessons-90s-friends-babe-rachel-green-taught-us |title=8 style lessons 90s Friends' babe Rachel Green taught us |last=Kerry |first=Ellen |date=February 10, 2015 |website=Heatworld |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217005343/http://lifestyle.one/heat/celebrity/style/8-style-lessons-90s-friends-babe-rachel-green-taught-us/ |archive-date=February 17, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 10, 2015 }} Citing every costume the character wore during the first season of Friends, BuzzFeed determined that Rachel popularized the mullet dress.{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/bricesander/all-90-outfits-rachel-green-wore-on-friends-sea-wn2y#.grvqQXMeb |title=Here Are All 90 Outfits Rachel Green Wore On The First Season Of "Friends" |date=September 3, 2014 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=BuzzFeed |last=Sander |first=Brice |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317232050/http://www.buzzfeed.com/bricesander/all-90-outfits-rachel-green-wore-on-friends-sea-wn2y |archive-date=March 17, 2015 }} TV Guide published a list of "The 17 Ways Rachel from Friends Changed '90s Fashion".{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/galleries/ways-rachel-from-friends-changed-90s-fashion/photo/a043fe00-c986-4ab7-ad89-21f850200f5e/ |title=The 17 Ways Rachel from Friends Changed '90s Fashion |access-date=September 18, 2015 |website=TV Guide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026163530/http://www.tvguide.com/galleries/ways-rachel-from-friends-changed-90s-fashion/photo/a043fe00-c986-4ab7-ad89-21f850200f5e/ |archive-date=October 26, 2015 }} Rachel is often considered to be one of television's best dressed characters.{{cite web |url=http://hellogiggles.com/the-best-dressed-female-sitcom-characters-of-all-time/2/#read |title=The Best-Dressed Female Sitcom Characters of All Time |last=McAleer |first=Molly |date=March 6, 2012 |website=HelloGiggles |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530042957/http://hellogiggles.com/the-best-dressed-female-sitcom-characters-of-all-time/2#read }} Elle included Rachel in the magazine's "50 Best Dressed Women on TV" list.{{cite web|url=http://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/g8649/best-dressed-tv-characters-ever/?slide=2 |title=The 50 Best Dressed Women on TV – Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green in Friends |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=Elle |last=Chernikoff |first=Leah |date=August 22, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404114130/http://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/g8649/best-dressed-tv-characters-ever/?slide=2 |archive-date=April 4, 2015 }} PopSugar ranked Friends 15th on the website's list of "50 TV Shows That Changed the Way We Dress", citing Rachel's "impressive" wardrobe.{{cite web|url=http://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Most-Stylish-TV-Shows-All-Time-34766572?stream_view=1#photo-10 |title=50 TV Shows That Changed the Way We Dress |date=May 18, 2014 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=PopSugar |last=Miller |first=Randy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402130931/http://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Most-Stylish-TV-Shows-All-Time-34766572?stream_view=1 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} InStyle ranked Friends the 36th most fashionable television show of all time, praising Rachel, Monica and Phoebe's costumes.{{cite web|url=http://www.instyle.com/fashion/most-fashionable-tv-shows-all-time#268369 |title=The Most Fashionable TV Shows of All Time – Friends |access-date=March 24, 2014 |website=InStyle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216044708/http://www.instyle.com/fashion/most-fashionable-tv-shows-all-time |archive-date=February 16, 2015 }} StyleCaster ranked Rachel among "The 50 Most Stylish TV Characters Of All Time" at number 28.{{cite web|url=http://stylecaster.com/the-most-stylish-tv-characters-of-all-time/ |title=The 50 Most Stylish TV Characters Of All Time: A Ranked Guide |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=StyleCaster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133415/http://stylecaster.com/the-most-stylish-tv-characters-of-all-time/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Cosmopolitan magazine compiled a list of "16 things Rachel Green wore to work that we'd totally wear today",{{cite web|url=http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/fashion/style/g3717/rachel-greens-best-ever-workwear/?slide=1 |title=16 things Rachel Green wore to work that we'd totally wear today |access-date=April 2, 2015 |website=Cosmopolitan |date=September 22, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403103755/http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/fashion/style/g3717/rachel-greens-best-ever-workwear/?slide=1 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} while Virgin Media ranked the character among television's sexiest. Brides magazine ranked Rachel's wedding dress among "The Best TV Wedding Dresses", with contributor Jane Frankfort commending the dress with "set[ting] the tone for the following 10 years together and the many milestones our favorite friends will bring".{{cite web|url=http://www.brides.com/celebrity-wedding/2014/06/best-tv-wedding-dresses#slide=2 |title=The Best TV Wedding Dresses |last=Frankfort |first=Lauren |date=June 13, 2014 |website=Brides |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105174018/http://www.brides.com/gallery/best-tv-wedding-dresses |archive-date=January 5, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 16, 2015 }}

Like her character, Aniston became the show's breakout star. Karen Thomas of USA Today dubbed Aniston "our favorite Friend".{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-11-14-aniston-main_x.htm |title=Aniston remains our favorite Friend |last=Thomas |first=Karen |date=November 14, 2005 |website=USA Today |access-date=April 8, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723231115/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-11-14-aniston-main_x.htm |archive-date=July 23, 2015 }} According to Turner Classic Movies, Aniston ultimately became "One of the most popular television actresses of her era".{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/358262%7C0/Jennifer-Aniston/ |title=Jennifer Aniston |website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=April 30, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509070517/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/358262%7C0/Jennifer-Aniston/ |archive-date=May 9, 2016 }} According to Jennifer Aniston: From Friends to Films author Kim Etingoff, the actress' own fame "outshone" those of her co-stars, becoming the first cast member to "rise to prominence"; the actress continues to experience the most post-Friends success.{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/tv/ss/who-s-had-the-best-post-friends-career-slideshow/photo-jennifer-aniston-photo-1344299629.html |title=Who's Had the Best Post-'Friends' Career? |last=Nemetz |first=Dave |website=Yahoo! TV |date=September 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417012428/https://www.yahoo.com/tv/ss/who-s-had-the-best-post-friends-career-slideshow/photo-jennifer-aniston-photo-1344299629.html |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=April 8, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-matt-leblanc-friends-cast-now/story?id=9648807&singlePage=true |title='Friends' Through Thick and Thin |last=Fisher |first=Luchina |date=January 25, 2010 |website=ABC News |access-date=April 8, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416094333/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-matt-leblanc-friends-cast-now/story?id=9648807&singlePage=true |archive-date=April 16, 2015 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8266442/Friends-where-are-they-now.html |title=Friends: where are they now? |date=January 18, 2011 |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416024547/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8266442/Friends-where-are-they-now.html |archive-date=April 16, 2015 }} Aniston's performance in Friends led to a successful film career.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQ1e2Wg3t5wC&pg=PA1 |title=Celebrity Readers: Famous Actresses |publisher=Remedia Publications |isbn=9781596396456 |location=United States |access-date=2015-10-25 }} According to The Inquisitr News, Rachel is "the role that would end up launching [Aniston's] success", while Bradford Evans of Splitsider believes "that Jennifer Aniston likely wouldn't have become a major movie star without Friends".{{cite web|url=http://splitsider.com/2011/03/the-lost-roles-of-friends/ |title=Splitsider |last=Evans |first=Bradford |date=March 10, 2011 |website=Splitsider |access-date=March 28, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134912/http://splitsider.com/2011/03/the-lost-roles-of-friends/ |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} While ranking Aniston the most attractive sitcom star of the 1990s, Josh Robertson of Complex magazine wrote that "With the haircut, the TV fame, and a true gift for comedy ... combined, Aniston became a big star", replacing Cox as the show's "established hottie". According to Steve Charnock of Yahoo! Movies, Aniston is "the series' only main cast member to become a bona fide movie star since the end of the show".{{cite web|url=https://uk.yahoo.com/movies/the-friends-cast-who-had-the-most-successful-film-98140975826.html |title=The Friends Cast: Who Had The Most Successful Film Career? |last=Charnock |first=Steve |date=January 25, 2015 |website=Yahoo! Movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217000727/https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/post/122264040456 |archive-date=February 17, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 8, 2015 }} While agreeing that Aniston's film career has been successful, several critics believe that the actress' filmography remains limited to playing Rachel-like roles in romantic comedies,{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-blog/10257350/Can-Jennifer-Aniston-ever-really-lose-Rachel-from-Friends.html |title=Can Jennifer Aniston ever really lose Rachel from Friends? |last=Billson |first=Anne |date=February 12, 2015 |website=The Daily Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619214559/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150313/jsp/t2/story_8294.jsp |archive-date=June 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 8, 2015 }} save for some exceptions.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2002475/all-the-times-jennifer-aniston-tried-to-kill-rachel-green/ |title=All The Times Jennifer Aniston Tried To Kill Rachel Green |last=Bell |first=Amanda |date=November 25, 2014 |publisher=MTV |access-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321002117/http://www.mtv.com/news/2002475/all-the-times-jennifer-aniston-tried-to-kill-rachel-green/ |archive-date=March 21, 2015 }} Ryan Gilbey of The Guardian noted that "Consequently, many of Aniston's movie roles ... have been Rachel in all but name." Andrew Collins of Radio Times agreed, writing that Aniston "seems trapped, perpetually playing variations of Rachel". According to TV Guide, Aniston is "usually called upon to play a variation of her neurotic and adorable Friends character". Aniston cites Rachel as one of three roles for which she is most grateful, to whom she "owe[s] everything".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jennifer-aniston-wanderlust-walk-of-fame-friends-293808 |title=Jennifer Aniston on Moving on From Friends, What it Would Take for Her to Return to TV (Q&A) |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=February 22, 2012 |access-date=April 11, 2015 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323021456/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jennifer-aniston-wanderlust-walk-of-fame-friends-293808 |archive-date=March 23, 2015 }} On being typecast in the aftermath of Rachel, Aniston admits that at times it "gives you more of a challenge, to shape people's perceptions of you".{{cite web|url=http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/2015/01/jennifer-aniston-friends-was-a-curse#image-3 |title=Jennifer Aniston: 'Friends Was a Blessing And A Curse' |last=Lumsden |first=Lottie |date=January 30, 2015 |website=Grazia Daily |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417142342/http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/2015/01/jennifer-aniston-friends-was-a-curse |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 11, 2015 }} as audiences struggle "to lose the Rachel tag that has made her one of the world's most recognisable faces".{{cite web|url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/interviews/jennifer_aniston.html |title=Just good Friends |website=TalkTalk |pages=1–2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417120738/http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/interviews/jennifer_aniston.html |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 11, 2015 }}

{{main|Rachel haircut}}

Named after the character,{{cite web|url=http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/hair/tips/g185/most-popular-hairstyles/?slide=11 |title=14 Most Popular Celebrity Hairstyles of All Time – Jennifer Aniston |access-date=April 25, 2015 |website=Good Housekeeping |date=July 17, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124214/http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/hair/tips/g185/most-popular-hairstyles/?slide=11 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }} the "Rachel" refers to a bouncy layered{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/thecut/2013/09/50-most-iconic-hairstyles-of-all-time/slideshow/3/ |title=The 50 Most Iconic Hairstyles of All Time – Jennifer Aniston — The Rachel (1994) |access-date=April 27, 2015 |website=New York |last=Wong |first=Aaron |date=October 2, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315024523/http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/09/50-most-iconic-hairstyles-of-all-time/slideshow/3/ |archive-date=March 15, 2015 }} shag inspired by the way in which Aniston wore her hair on Friends between 1994 and 1996, during the first and second seasons of the series.{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History |last=Sherrow |first=Victoria |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=9780313331459 |location=United States |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofha0000sher/page/38 38]–39 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofha0000sher |url-access=registration |access-date=2015-10-25 }} The "Rachel" debuted in the show's 20th episode, "The One with the Evil Orthodontist".{{cite web|url=http://www.self.com/looks/hair/2015/01/jennifer-aniston-hair-friends/ |title=Relive Every Rachel Green Hair Moment From Friends |last=Barnes |first=Zahra |date=January 1, 2015 |website=Self |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516102847/http://www.self.com/beauty/hair/2015/01/jennifer-aniston-hair-friends |archive-date=May 16, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 14, 2015 }} Aniston believes that her hair stylist, Chris McMillan, created the haircut while he was under the influence of marijuana.{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/news/jennifer-anistons-stylist-was-stoned-when-he-gave-her-the-rachel-cut-2013105 |last=Takeda |first=Allison |title=Jennifer Aniston's Stylist Was Stoned When He Gave Her the 'Rachel' Cut |work=Us Weekly |date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=May 30, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606215448/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/news/jennifer-anistons-stylist-was-stoned-when-he-gave-her-the-rachel-cut-2013105 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 }} The "Rachel" immediately became popular among women, launching an international hair trend.{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/jennifer_aniston/biography |title=Jennifer Aniston Biography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228141006/http://www.people.com/people/jennifer_aniston/biography |archive-date=February 28, 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2009 |work=People }} The popularity of the "Rachel" coincided with the popularity of Friends during the mid-to-late-1990s.{{cite web|url=http://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/hair/the-30-most-iconic-hair-styles#gallery-23 |title=The 30 most iconic hair styles – The Rachel |access-date=April 27, 2015 |website=Stylist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512002429/http://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/hair/the-30-most-iconic-hair-styles |archive-date=May 12, 2015 }} Marie Claire estimates that 11 million women donned the hairstyle throughout the decade,{{cite web|url=http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/hair/g916/most-popular-hair/?slide=1 |title=10 Most Popular Haircuts of All Time – Jennifer Aniston's 'Rachel' Cut |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=Marie Claire |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134507/http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/hair/g916/most-popular-hair/?slide=1 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} while the Daily Express determined that the hairstyle was most popular among British women,{{cite news |first=Elisa |last=Roche |newspaper=Daily Express |title=JENNIFER ANISTON'S A CUT ABOVE FOR 11 MILLION WOMEN |url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/177204/Jennifer-Aniston-s-a-cut-above-for-11-million-women |date=May 26, 2010 |access-date=January 19, 2011}} who went to hair salons "clutching magazine pictures of Aniston" and asking hairdressers to give them the look.{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/kojak-farrah-rachel-and-bert-tvs-greatest-hairstyles-20141124-11jw17.html |title=Kojak, Farrah, Rachel and Bert: TV's greatest hairstyles |date=November 30, 2014 |access-date=April 10, 2015 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |last=Galvin |first=Nick |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102061113/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/kojak-farrah-rachel-and-bert-tvs-greatest-hairstyles-20141124-11jw17.html |archive-date=January 2, 2015 }}

File:Rachel Green Rachel haircut.jpg". The hairstyle would go on to become one of the most popular of all time.]]

According to Vanity Fair, the hairstyle's "widespread popularity ... in the show's very first year cemented the sitcom early on as heavily influential when it came to style".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2014/09/how-friends-influenced-90s-fashion#1 |title=7 Ways Friends Influenced 90s Fashion |access-date=September 18, 2015 |magazine=Vanity Fair |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916050331/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2014/09/how-friends-influenced-90s-fashion |archive-date=September 16, 2015 }} The "Rachel" remains one of the most popular hairstyles in history, and became the most popular hairstyle in the United States since actress Farrah Fawcett's.{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500650.html |title=Rachel Haircut |website=Encyclopedia.com |publisher=HighBeam Research, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621230544/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500650.html |archive-date=June 21, 2016 |url-status=dead |quote=Dubbed the 'Rachel', after the name of her character, Rachel Green, on NBC's long-running hit sitcom Friends, the popular hairstyle helped Aniston emerge as the breakout star of the show's ensemble cast. |access-date=March 24, 2015 }} Hair stylists credit its appeal and popularity to its medium length and volume, combined with its tendency to frame the face flatteringly. Hairdresser Mark Woolley described it as "a cut that flatters almost everyone, designed to make women look beautiful". The "Rachel" is often ranked among the greatest and most iconic hairstyles of all time,{{cite web|url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/celebrity/hair/2012/07/100-iconic-celebrity-hairstyles/viewgallery/813647 |title=The 100 most iconic hairstyles. Ever. |last=Cox |first=Rebecca |date=February 10, 2014 |website=Glamour |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310134801/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/celebrity/hair/2012/07/100-iconic-celebrity-hairstyles |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 24, 2015 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/styletrends/Rachel+haircut-178.html |title='Rachel' haircut named most influential hairstyle |access-date=April 5, 2015 |website=FemaleFirst |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411061205/http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/styletrends/Rachel%2Bhaircut-178.html |archive-date=April 11, 2015 }}{{Cite book|title = Television Dialogue: The Sitcom Friends Vs. Natural Conversation|last = Quaglio|first = Paolo|publisher = John Benjamins Publishing|year = 2009|isbn = 9789027223104|location = Netherlands|page = 12|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TBq8ezZQopAC&q=rachel+green+friends&pg=PT25|access-date = 2015-10-25}} with Redbook placing it at number four and Time ranking it ninth.{{cite web|url=http://www.redbookmag.com/beauty/hair/g533/best-celebrity-hairstyles/?slide=31 |title=75 Most Iconic Hairstyles of All Time – Medium |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=Redbook |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403024930/http://www.redbookmag.com/beauty/hair/g533/best-celebrity-hairstyles/?slide=31 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }}{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2116825_2116824_2116814,00.html |title=The 10 Most Iconic Hairstyles |date=June 8, 2012 |access-date=April 3, 2015 |magazine=Time |last=Berry |first=Allison |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412204342/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C2116825_2116824_2116814%2C00.html |archive-date=April 12, 2015 }} The Huffington Post determined that the hairstyle is one of "The Most Famous TV Hairstyles Of All Time".{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/10/famous-tv-hairstyles_n_5939708.html |title=Behold, The Most Famous TV Hairstyles Of All Time |date=October 10, 2014 |access-date=March 24, 2015 |work=The Huffington Post |last=Oliver |first=Dana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809104631/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/10/famous-tv-hairstyles_n_5939708.html |archive-date=August 9, 2015 }} US Weekly ranked the "Rachel" the 17th most iconic hairstyle.{{cite web |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/pictures/25-most-iconic-hairstyles-of-all-time-2013254/30053 |title=25 Most Iconic Hairstyles of All Time |access-date=March 24, 2015 |work=Us Weekly |date=April 26, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325163953/http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/pictures/25-most-iconic-hairstyles-of-all-time-2013254/30053 |archive-date=March 25, 2015 }} Glamour magazine ranked the "Rachel" fourth on the magazine's list of "The 100 Best Hairstyles of All Time".{{cite web|url=http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2012/05/the-100-best-hairstyles-of-all-time/4 |title=The 100 Best Hairstyles of All Time (a.k.a. the Hair Hall of Fame) |last=Shapouri |first=Beth |website=Glamour |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322222424/http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2012/05/the-100-best-hairstyles-of-all-time/4 |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 24, 2015 }} The magazine also cited it among "The very best hair to have graced the small screen",{{cite web|url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/celebrity/hair/2013/06/best-hair-hairstyles-tv-shows-game-of-thrones-mad-men-gossip-girl/viewgallery/426124 |title=The very best hair to have graced the small screen |last=Powell |first=Hannah Lyons |date=June 25, 2013 |website=Glamour |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711142440/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/beauty/celebrity/hair/2013/06/best-hair-hairstyles-tv-shows-game-of-thrones-mad-men-gossip-girl/viewgallery/426124 |archive-date=July 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 24, 2015 }} while ranking it the most memorable hairstyle in television history.{{cite web|url=http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2011/09/the-top-20-most-memorable-tv-hairstyles/20 |title=The Top 20 Most Memorable TV Hairstyles – Memorable TV Hairstyle #1: Rachel Green on Friends |website=Glamour |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090007/http://www.glamour.com/lipstick/2011/09/the-top-20-most-memorable-tv-hairstyles/20 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 24, 2015 }} The Sydney Morning Herald ranked it the second greatest television hairstyle, while Metro ranked the "Rachel" the character's second-best hairstyle.{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/18/friends-20th-anniversary-the-definitive-ranking-of-rachel-green-hairstyles-4870911/ |title=Friends 20th anniversary: The definitive ranking of Rachel Green hairstyles |date=September 18, 2014 |access-date=April 2, 2015 |website=Metro |last=Stewart |first=Ella |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403134452/http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/18/friends-20th-anniversary-the-definitive-ranking-of-rachel-green-hairstyles-4870911/ |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} Ranked sixth on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "25 Fashion Moments That Changed Entertainment", the haircut was declared the most "desired" hairstyle of the Clinton era.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/gallery/pop-culture-fashion-moments/2487508_6-rachel-1995 |title=25 Fashion Moments That Changed Entertainment – 6. The Rachel, 1995 |date=February 18, 2016 |access-date=February 20, 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220230438/http://www.ew.com/gallery/pop-culture-fashion-moments/2487508_6-rachel-1995 |archive-date=February 20, 2016 }}

Zahra Barnes of Self joked that Rachel's hair has always been the "true star of the show". Lauding the "Rachel" as one of television's greatest hairstyles, Sarah Carrillo of Elle magazine believed that its popularity "helped make Friends the phenomenon it was".{{cite web|url=http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p-best-worst-tv-hairstyles/p45522/page2 |title=The Best and Worst TV Character Hairstyles – Best: Rachel Green from "Friends" |access-date=March 24, 2015 |website=Elle |last=Carrillo |first=Sarah |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183020/http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p-best-worst-tv-hairstyles/p45522/page2 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }} Opining that Friends spawned few memorable catchphrases in comparison to its contemporaries, Tom Jicha of The Baltimore Sun attributes much of the show's legacy to the hairstyle, calling it the show's "only cultural trend". Josh Robertson of Complex magazine felt that "With the haircut, the TV fame, and a true gift for comedy ... combined, Aniston became a big star", replacing Courteney Cox.{{cite web|url=http://ca.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/10/the-25-hottest-sitcom-stars-of-the-90s/jennifer-aniston |title=The 25 Hottest Sitcom Stars of the '90s |last=Robertson |first=Josh |date=October 18, 2012 |website=Complex |access-date=April 14, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723234956/http://ca.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/10/the-25-hottest-sitcom-stars-of-the-90s/jennifer-aniston |archive-date=July 23, 2015 }} Hannah Lyons Powell of Glamour agreed that the hairstyle made Aniston "the definitive hair icon of the '90s and the proud owner of arguably the most infamous and influential hairstyle of all time". According to Jim Vorel of Paste magazine, "'the Rachel' hairstyle became the decade's defining 'do, calling it "the definition of influence".{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/08/the-90-best-tv-shows-of-the-1990s.html |title=The 90 Best TV Shows of the 1990s |date=August 25, 2014 |access-date=April 14, 2015 |website=Paste |last=Vorel |first=Jim |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410182233/http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/08/the-90-best-tv-shows-of-the-1990s.html |archive-date=April 10, 2015 }} However, Rebecca Cox of Glamour is grateful that the hairstyle remained in the 1990s.

In the second-season episode "The One with the Lesbian Wedding", Rachel references the popularity of her haircut when she complains that her own overbearing mother is trying to reinvent her life after hers, lamenting, "Couldn't she just copy my haircut?" Despite her association with the cut, Aniston disliked the hairstyle.{{cite news|last=Oldenburg |first=Ann |title=Jennifer Aniston tells 'Allure' she hated her Rachel hair |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/01/jennifer-aniston-tells-allure-she-hated-her-rachel-hair--/1 |access-date=January 19, 2011 |newspaper=USA Today |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121013752/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/01/jennifer-aniston-tells-allure-she-hated-her-rachel-hair--/1 |archive-date=January 21, 2011 }} She found maintaining the hairstyle without McMillan's help difficult,{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-opens-beauty-regimen/story?id=23704477 |title=Jennifer Aniston: I Wash My Hair Every Three Days |work=Good Morning America |date=May 14, 2014 |access-date=February 13, 2015 |last=Messer |first=Lesley |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214052748/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/jennifer-aniston-opens-beauty-regimen/story?id=23704477 |archive-date=February 14, 2015 }} stating "I'd curse Chris every time I had to blowdry. It took three brushes—it was like doing surgery!"{{cite news|url=http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/hair/a7749/hair-majesty-jennifer-aniston/ |title=Hair Majesty: Jennifer Aniston |work=Marie Claire |date=June 13, 2013 |access-date=February 13, 2015 |last=Chao |first=Ming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214045616/http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/hair/a7749/hair-majesty-jennifer-aniston/ |archive-date=February 14, 2015 }} and that she would rather shave her head than have to wear it for the rest of her life.{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/448586/jennifer-aniston-on-getting-the-rachel-haircut-again-i-d-rather-shave-my-head |title=Jennifer Aniston on Getting 'The Rachel' Haircut Again: I'd Rather Shave My Head! |work=E! |date=August 13, 2013 |access-date=February 13, 2015 |last=Burton |first=Cinya |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214035634/http://www.eonline.com/news/448586/jennifer-aniston-on-getting-the-rachel-haircut-again-i-d-rather-shave-my-head |archive-date=February 14, 2015 }} Since Aniston, several other celebrities have worn variations of the "Rachel", among them actresses Cameron Diaz,{{cite web|url=http://www.thefrisky.com/photos/10-celebs-who-rocked-the-rachel/rachel-haircut-g5-jpg/ |title=10 Celebs Who Rocked 'The Rachel' |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Frisky |publisher=SpinMedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025195243/http://www.thefrisky.com/photos/10-celebs-who-rocked-the-rachel/rachel-haircut-g5-jpg/ |archive-date=October 25, 2015 }} Rachel McAdams,{{cite web|url=http://www.thefrisky.com/photos/10-celebs-who-rocked-the-rachel/rachel-haircut-g9-jpg/ |title=10 Celebs Who Rocked 'The Rachel' |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Frisky |publisher=SpinMedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025195258/http://www.thefrisky.com/photos/10-celebs-who-rocked-the-rachel/rachel-haircut-g9-jpg/ |archive-date=October 25, 2015 }} Emma Watson,{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html#slide3 |title=The Rachels |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080935/http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }} Reese Witherspoon,{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html#slide11 |title=The Rachels – Looking Up to Her Big Sister |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080935/http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }} Julia Roberts,{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html#slide7 |title=The Rachels – Thank You For Being on Friends |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080935/http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }} comedian Tina Fey,{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html#slide8 |title=The Rachels – A Hollywood Split End |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080935/http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }} model Tyra Banks,{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html#slide9 |title=The Rachels – Tyra's Unbeweavable Transformations |access-date=April 28, 2015 |website=The Daily Beast |date=January 18, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080935/http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2011/01/18/the-rachels.html |archive-date=May 18, 2015 }} and singer Lily Allen.

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