Comments on: Fat Suit Sighting: How I Met Your Mother

By: Rebecca Lamey

Rebecca Lamey — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:55:02 +0000

I like the show but I hated this episode. I’d like to know how the hell Barney lost all the weight at the end in about five minutes.

By: illini13

illini13 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:18:13 +0000

Isn’t it statistically true that people in happy, stable relationships tend to gain weight? I believe I read that in Men’s Health or Women’s Health.

By: KC

KC — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:43:24 +0000

What bothered me most was when Marshall and Lily were saying that they had put on weight when they settled into a relationship. I can’t remember the exact line, but I remembered the episode before their wedding that I loved so much because Lily was so nervous that she lost weight and her dress didn’t fit.

I know that stressed and nervous is the exact opposite of being comfortable and happy, but I loved that episode because it really seemed to acknowledge that people are different and deal with life situations in different ways… even if both those ways involve food. It was funny and not judgey and wonderful. I hate that now “everyone” puts on weight in a relationship.

By: Elizebeth Turnquist

Elizebeth Turnquist — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:09:12 +0000

The fat gut didn’t bother me but the fat suit was an issue. I find it unsettling anytime fat as portrayed as something people can gain or loose really quickly.

He goes from being a really skinny guy to being a really fat guy and back to a really skinny guy, with seemingly no effort. I contend that, for most of us, weight is not that fluid.

By: M

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:10:49 +0000

I actually didn’t find this use of a fat suit offensive.
1. As other people said, I was happy it was on him rather than Robin
2. They didn’t make any claims about all fat people eating a lot, they specifically had him binging on comfort food and gaining weight. Most people do gain weight if they eat like that. The majority of fat people don’t eat like that, but I think it’s probably a safe bet to say that the majority of people who binge like that are overweight.
3. The point was that Barney and Robin had changed a lot from their usual selves – and it was particularly notable for Barney because he is such a vain character.

By: Syd

Syd — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:53:48 +0000

I was pretty disappointed because I like the show. However, I am glad they didn’t put the fat suit on Robin! They just limited her to unwashed gray hair.

By: Becky

Becky — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:57:58 +0000

Ugh. I giggled at “relationship gut” because I took it as gentle teasing at someone as vain as Barney putting on a couple pounds. But then they broke out the fat suit and started in with the fat jokes. My husband and I made it through about 5 minutes of that before changing the channel over to Gossip Girl in disgust.

By: Toni

Toni — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:42:21 +0000

I knew there was a reason I stopped DVR’ing this show a few weeks ago. It’s REALLY gone downhill this season, and this proves it. No longer worth watching. Which is sad, because it used to be so awesome.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:33:46 +0000

I saw Neil Patrick Harris on the tonight show last week, and he was lamenting the fact that when he flirted in the fat suit, he got at best no response. I found it sad that he thought that was funny, and felt no empathy for people who can’t take off the suit at the end of the day. You can see the clip on Hulu.com, search for Neil Patrick Harris.

By: Entangled

Entangled — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15:18 +0000

I didn’t find the fat suit thing as offensive as I thought I might, but it was incredibly stupid. Fat jokes and fat suit jokes are the epitome of cheap humor and usually (though with the occasional huge lapse) HIMYM is much funnier than that. It didn’t come off as cruelly as this sort of stuff often does, but it was disappointing nonetheless.