Have you ever seen the show How I Met Your Mother? It is one of the funniest shows on tv. It is about five friends as they struggle with the ups and downs of adult life. They deal with work problems, relationship problems, friend problems, and anything else you can possibly think of.
They live in New York and go to the same bar pretty much every night. One of the friends’ name is Barney. Barney is played by Neil Patrick Harris and he is the typical Neil Patrick Harris role. He is a womanizer who can’t have enough sex and always gets the girl. In my opinion, he is the most sexist character in all of television. But, the funny thing is that none of the other main characters ever say anything to him about it, or tell him off for it. They all just assume its Barney being Barney and its fine.
But, it’s not fine. Every single girl that Barney picks up in the bar, or on the street, or at work, or wherever else he meets them, is portrayed as a dumb girl who would fall for any pick up line in the book. They are never smart enough to see that this is just some random guys who wants to have sex. Or if they are able to see that, they are just as sex hungry as he is.
In one episode, Barney even gives another character a tour of his apartment. He highlights all of the things about his apartment that make women want to leave once he is done with them. He talks about how he only had one towel in the bathroom, one pillow on the bed, no food in the fridge, no coffee, and a huge collection of porn that is prominently displayed on his wall like a collection of books. Barney is very forward about all of these little things that make women leave him after he hooks up with them.
The funny thing is, that there are two main characters who are women and never say anything to Barney about what he is doing being wrong. Part of the reason for that is that they are portrayed as “one of the guys”. They are always with the group drinking beer and doing guy stuff. Therefore, through the “male gaze” they are not really women. I know, I know, that’s not exactly true, but you get the idea. They have a sort of male persona that makes them okay with how Barney behaves.
Throughout the episodes, Barney is openly sexist and even has “The Bro Code”, which is his Declaration of Independence that he always follows and makes his friends follow as well. It is the most demeaning book on the face of the planet, even if it isn’t real. At points, Barney’s sexism and outright lack of sensitivity for the entire female species is funny. But, other times, the writers of How I Met Your Mother take it way too far and need to stop.
I would think about focusing on either one particular episode to illustrate these points, or focus on one character and how these ideas are developed throughout several episodes.
ReplyDeleteAnd in terms of the "male gaze" and the two female characters- aren't they idealized in another way? While they're not on a pedestal, they're certainly also viewed through certain codes of male desire.
Questions:
ReplyDeleteIs my main idea very apparent, or do I need to be more specific?
Do you think that pictures or video would be better visuals?
I never was a fan of "How I met your Mother", but after reading your blog post, I was very intrigued! Your comments on Neil Patrick Harris' character are well shown. I would definately love to watch some episodes after the tests are done!
ReplyDeleteI think your main idea is very apparent, as you clearly state your thesis that Barney is one of the most sexist characters in all of television, and then backing up your statement with specific and relevant examples of how he is sexist.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would change the 5th paragraph a little bit. The discussion of the two main women characters strays a bit from your topic of how Barney is sexist and his views of women.