The hairstyle coincided with a period of time during which the sitcom was averaging 25 million viewers per episode, exposing itself to millions of viewers per week. McMillan agreed that the style "goes down in history as 'the Rachel' because people saw Jen on their TV every week and they were obsessed with her, and with Friends".
The hairstyle became famous during the sitcom's peak popularity, attracting millions of viewers each week.  Rachel's style was so popular that it is now considered a cultural phenomenon.