As popular and as successful as The Big Bang Theory was during its 12 seasons, there were plenty of moments that fans of the series didn't find appealing. Some weren't thrilled with the "geeky" stereotypes among the men (grown men who read comic books and can't speak to women) and others didn't appreciate how Penny was slut-shamed for being a young 20-year-old with an active dating life.
But it wasn't just Penny who was judged for dating different men in a short span of time. As much as the characters joke around about not being able to pick up the opposite sex, there were plenty of insults thrown their way when they did.
When Leonard Spent The Night With A Donor
When the gang is asked to be apart of a university fundraiser, Leonard meets Mrs. Latham. Mrs. Latham was a university heavy-hitter and donated a ton of money to the physics department in the past. She appeared to really hit it off with Leonard and wanted to speak more about his line of work. But when they were at dinner, Leonard got a feeling that this was more than a meeting... it was a date.
The following night, Leonard gave in to his primal urges and spent the night with Mrs. Latham after she told him she was "that good." The following morning as Leonard was approaching his apartment door, Penny saw him making the walk of shame and said "Good morning, slut!". The laugh track ensued and it was a funny moment in the series, but this action perpetuates that anyone who spends the night with someone they aren't dating is a "slut."
Penny Knows How To End 'Em
When Sheldon allows a graduate student named Ramona to assist him with his research, her nagging becomes too much to bear. Sheldon could no longer read comic books or play with his friends because she was pressuring him to be better than the day before. Sheldon ran to Penny for advice when he realized he couldn't get rid of Ramona and asked her how to end the relationship since Penny has ended so many before.
As always, Penny is unenthused at Sheldon's implication that she hops around from man to man. But Sheldon continued saying that he sees plenty of men leave Penny's apartment without ever coming back. This did not mean that Penny slept with all of them, however. And even if she did, it's her right.
When Penny Judged Leonard & Dr. Plimpton
As much as the gang rags on Penny for being promiscuous, Leonard is just as free. Among the men in the group, Leonard attracted more women than any of them. In one episode, Leonard spends the night with Sheldon's friend who was visiting from out of town, Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton.
The following morning, it was clear to Penny that Leonard had already slept with Elizabeth even though they recently broke up. Penny made Leonard feel bad about sleeping with Elizabeth because she thought it was too soon after their breakup. She even made it a point to say that she hasn't been with anyone. What's worse is that Penny called Elizabeth Dr. Slut-Bunny.
Raj Dating Two Women At Once
When Raj and Lucy broke up, he slowly moved on to a woman named Emily that he met online (with Amy's help). But when he started talking to Emily, Lucy had a change of heart. This meant that Raj was casually dating two women.
This was a first for Raj (and for in the group) but instead of ing Raj for broadening his horizons, he was judged for it. Howard made fun of him whenever he mentioned two women, as did Leonard. Raj ended up feeling so bad about it that he came clean about it to both women. However, there was nothing wrong with Raj dating two women casually while being honest with both of them.
Penny's "Checkered" Past
Everyone in the group ignores Sheldon's rude comments from time to time because they know he doesn't know any better. For a self-proclaimed genius, there are a ton of social instances that Sheldon is clueless about.
In one episode, Sheldon goes to Penny for advice and she's confused as to why he went to her. Sheldon replied "Because it’s also about reputation. And somehow, you managed to hold your head high despite your checkered past." When Penny asks Sheldon to clarify what he meant, he continued saying "It’s a figure of speech referring to how sexually promiscuous you were." It doesn't matter how long Leonard and Penny are together, her past as a single, independent woman will always come up as negative.
Penny Was Judged Far Harsher Than Raj Was
It was poor judgment for both parties when Raj and Penny "slept" together. Their group is incredibly tight and sleeping together could have ruined the group's dynamic (not to mention betray Leonard). When everyone found out that Raj and Penny were intimate, Penny was judged frontways and sideways for doing such a thing to Leonard.
But Raj? He was scolded at lunch and that was about it. Raj went on bragging about their night together while Penny was made to feel ashamed for making a one-time mistake.
When Sheldon Moved Into Penny's Apartment
When Sheldon and Amy finally decided to live together as an experiment, Sheldon was both nervous and excited. He had never lived with a woman before and it's been years since he's lived in another apartment. But while he and Amy are saying their goodbyes to Sheldon and Penny, Leonard says "Enjoy your mission to boldly go where no man has gone before."
In response, Sheldon says "It's Penny's bedroom, plenty of men have gone more." Penny took the remark in jest, of course, but it's another instance where Penny should need to justify dating different men as a single woman, in a consensual fashion.
Howard's Bachelor Party
Before Howard got married, he had a conventional bachelor party with his closest friends. As the drinks started flowing, the secrets started pouring out. Raj told the group that Howard lost his virginity to his cousin, spent the night with a hooker in Las Vegas, went home with a woman dressed as Sailor Moon at Comic-Con, and had a threesome with a Raj! As shocking as these moments were for his friends to hear, they were very on par with Howard as a single man.
When Bernadette heard about Howard's past, she made him feel bad about the decisions he made and almost called off the wedding. However, all of these moments happened before Howard even knew Bernadette; let alone when they were dating. Howard's past is a little embarrassing but he shouldn't have been made fun of for it.
Bernadette As A Sexy Scientist
In one episode, Bernadette is proud to announce to Amy and Penny that she was named one of the Top 50 Sexiest Scientists in California. Penny is thrilled for Bernadette but Amy was anything but excited for her friend. Amy implied that it was embarrassing to their field of study to be recognized for their looks instead of their work.
Amy found the nomination sexist and meaningless. However, it was something Bernadette was really proud of and didn't see the harm in being seen as both sexy and smart. While Amy didn't call Bernadette a derogatory name, she did imply that it was inappropriate to be seen as sexy as a woman in science.
When Sheldon Counted How Many Men Penny Had Slept With
Before Penny and Amy were best friends, Penny tagged along on Amy and Sheldon's first dinner date to ease the tension. To make light of the evening, Amy and Sheldon talked about Penny's personal life for a conversation. Penny told Amy she's dated a "few" men, to witch Sheldon disputed and said the actual number was 171.
When Penny asked for clarification, Sheldon said he saw "17 different suitors" in three years, and if he did his math correctly about how many People have dated since the age of 14, this would mean she was with 193 different men in her young life. Penny was astounded by the number and was offended he would think this way about her. Sheldon didn't realize he was shaming Penny but that didn't mean that he didn't do it.