Representation in the Media

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How I Met Your Mother is a show in which the main character tells his kids the story of how he came to meet their mother. The characters navigate through love, their careers, and other challenges while living in New York City. This show deals with a variety of characters with different personalities. While some are fully career-oriented and deal with commitment issues, others are more in-touch with their emotions. This show tends to deal with the stereotypical views of men and women.

This show tends to navigate through traditional gender roles. Characters such as Barney Stitson, who is a playboy obsessed with the seduction of women, reinforce the behavior of stereotypical “playboy” men. He is often depicted as someone who only lusts after women, never making an effort to connect with anyone. Barney is seen objectifying women, only caring about how many he can conquer multiple times throughout the series. This reinforces the stereotype that men are oftentimes seeking women out of lust, never caring about making meaningful connections, only worried about who their next conquest will be.

Representation of women is also a big element in the show. In television women are often portrayed as characters who focus on love and their families above all else. They usually have the desire to get married and have children, with a clear view of how they want their future to be. However, in the series, the character Robin Scherbatsky is portrayed as a woman who
tends to put her career above everything even if it ends up hurting her relationships. She is always clear on the fact that she does not wish to get married and have children, even though that is the life most women might dream of. This type of character helps get rid of stereotypes in television and it reflects a huge number of women out in the world today. Women who are like Robin and do not have any desire to get married, even though that is what society once deemed as a woman’s biggest role in life.

While this show does tend to depict gender stereotypes, it also deals with the journeys of the characters and their growth as people. This show represents how women don't need to conform to society norms and that they do not need to adjust their beliefs and wants just to conform to society.