wordsmithlind

The way the women of Sex and the City exhibit power and independence is through sex (which is the last bastion of freedom) and shopping.  According to the show, this is how women deal with things.  They go out and find someone for the night, and then they go and find a pair of shoes to make themselves feel better.  When Samantha was dealing with her own personal desire to have sex with her neighbor, she fought these urges by buying a Mercedes full of designer goods.  

The closest thing to a statement or a message that I saw in the movie was when Miranda was out shopping for a Halloween costume.  She looks at the costumes and says, “Witch or sexy kitten…”  For this a good point is actually made.  Why are the choices for women when it comes to Halloween costumes mostly “sexy” followed by a noun or profession?  In addition, why do women, when creating their own costumes follow this same formula? (For reference, go to any major university in the US the weekend of Halloween and take a look around.  And for that matter, why do many men cross dress for Halloween?  A topic for a different season.)

The worst is when someone says, “me and my friends are just like Sex and the City.  She is like Carrie, I am like blagh, blah blah…”  No, you are not.  Just like no friend group is like Seinfeld or Friends.  They are all sitcoms, the characters are not real; they are characters, that is it.  Yes some people have some of the same characteristics as Carrie, Samantha, Jerry, Joey, or Monica, but no one ever exactly resembles a character from a sitcom, they are all too eccentric.

Sex and the City does not represent freedom and independence, it does nothing more than reinforce cultural, gender, and sexual stereotypes.  The quicker this is realized the faster society can move on and really work towards liberation.  Oh, and by the way, nothing on TV is revolutionary; it is all for profit seeking potential consumers and social groups to sell to.  Sex and the City found a niche that had yet to be touched, and now many people are rich while others are left seeking unattainable lifestyles.

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