“How I Met Your Mother”
is one of my all time favorite sitcoms. (It will NEVER take the place in my
heart that “Friends” has, but I still really really like it.) Barney Stinson
(Neil Patrick Harris), the womanizing, narcissistic (yet surprisingly
insecure), rich bachelor is definitely the character that I laugh with the
most. Though he degrades women, plays tricks on them, and ends up sleeping with
over 200 of them, I can’t help but love this guy! I feel like I should be
throwing my remote at his beautiful, flawless face every time it pops up on my
TV, but no, I adore him. It seems that a lot of viewers also can’t get enough
of Barney, his trickery, and his famous one-liners( aka… “legen…wait for
it…DARY”). But it also appears that there are viewers who despise his antics
and the way he treats women.
First, I
want to put his character in the frames of reference of our class readings,
most notably, the Ward (1995) reading. Barney is a walking, talking, womanizing
Ward (1995) Sexual Male Role (in my opinion, anyway). (I am also aware that
Barney has some “breakthrough” moments where he seems to have a heart and care
about women, but this rare. So I am speaking to his general, most recurring
character traits.) Barney always, and only, values women on their appearance,
never wanting to get to know them - and often leaving one girl for another more
attractive one…because heaven forbid he misses an opportunity with a hotter
girl! He considers his success and manliness in terms of his sexuality and how
many girls he gets. He uses sooooo many tricks! (i.e, his Playbook of different
tricks he uses to get girls). And finally, he is always the one to make the
first move at bar, using his many, many different pick-up lines. All of these
characteristics mirror Ward’s (1995) male sexual role.
I also
want to talk about the possible effects of Barney’s character on viewers. I
think many young men may identify with him, or at least aspire to. Barney shows
young men how to get girls - I mean, literally - there are several episodes
when Barney is teaching other guys how to do what he does…he also has a
Playbook with step-by-step instructions for each of his tricks! He thinks of
himself as a God, and the other characters like Ted and Marshall often applaud
him for his ‘accomplishments’, possibly allowing male viewers to see him as a
role model. You can even buy a copy of his “Playbook” and “The Bro Code”.
Here’s a link to an article I read titled “5 things we can learn from the
AWESOME Barney Stinson”.
This shows that male
viewers are looking to learn from Barney.
-A generation of budding ‘Barneys’
running around could be scary… just saying.
As for women viewers, I have heard mixed reviews. Like
me, I think many people think Barney is charismatic, funny, and attractive - we
know that he’s a womanizer, but we love him anyway. For others, Barney is
simply disgusting. This article titled “The Problem with Barney Stinson” calls
him “a feminist’s nightmare”. Though some women don’t like him, they might also
be learning from him, like men do. However, what they might be learning is all
the ways men can trick and deceive you, and what to steer clear of in a man.
I also wonder if the exaggerated nature of his character
is used in a way to show just how gross he is, if anything, mocking his antics,
rather than encouraging them. -(kind of like Jonathon’s Anchorman example…) Furthermore,
while Barney’s friends do often congratulate, encourage, and envy his
successes, they also show no fear in telling him that he is scum. For example,
in the episode where he sleeps with his 200th woman, his friends are
disgusted and say that 200 is TOO MANY. This can contribute to the idea that
the show is mocking Barney’s scum-ness. But then again… Barney’s friends almost
end up helping him get that 200th in the end. Confusing and
contradictory, huh?
In all, I’m not sure what the general consensus is about
Barney - especially the differences between men and women.
What do you guys think? Do you love him, hate him, hate
to love him, love to hate him?
Knapen, S. (2009, August
21). Learn from the AWESOME Barney Stinson | Living a successful
college
life. StudySuccessful. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from http://studysuccessful.com/5-things-we-can-learn-from-the-awesome-barney-stinson/
T, L. (2011, September
25). The Problem with Barney Stinson | Lady T: Funny Feminist. Lady
T:
Funny Feminist | Looking at comedy, media, and literature from one feminist's
perspective. Retrieved July 19, 2012, from http://funnyfeminist.com/2011/09/25/the-problem-with-barney-stinson/
Ward, L. M. (1995). Talking about sex: Common themes about sexuality in the prime-time television
programs children and adolescents view most. Journal of Youth and Adolescence
