Sex and the City is known for starting, reporting on or snarking at existing social trends: Magnolia cupcakes, scrunchies, Manolo Blahniks, Cosmopolitans, cowardly/jealous/non-committed/abusive boyfriends, pink tutus, “he’s not that into you” and freelance writing. But, when it started it wasn’t about any of that. It wasn’t about your favorite boyfriend, the naughtiest sex scene, or the character you love the most. When it started, Sex and the City surrounded four women: free-spirited writer Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), sarcastic lawyer Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), innocent art lover Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and sexually adventurous Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
It revolutionized TV because it addressed sex in a refreshingly candid manner. But, it also addressed the difficulties women experienced, and the cruelty we undergo in the name of relationships, love and the “ideal” mate. On a weekly basis each woman struggled to find herself in the city while dealing, to a lesser extent, with her weekly lovers. I never quite understood why the women stayed with the men that they did for so long including Charlotte’s boyfriend who cursed while orgasming, the hideous “spunk” man who called Sam a tease for not blowing him, Big who rarely committed to Carrie, and the men who dated Miranda when they thought she wasn’t a lawyer. It was raw and honest. It showed the women as slightly desperate for taking such treatment without questioning it. It was real. TV had not seen that previously.
It definitely touched me from start to finish. When Sex and the City first hit HBO’s airwaves, I was a young professional living in a major metropolitan area. Everything about the show immediately resonated with me. Although no one ever asked me which Sex and the City female I most identified with, I already knew: Carrie. As an English major who saw herself as her group’s social center, there was no question. Hell, at the time, I even had an oversexed friend, a religious good girl and an almost Harvard lawyer as my wing women.
When the show ended, it still continued to follow me. I taught a freshman writing course using excerpts of Candice Bushnell’s original Sex and the City novella. (Note: The novella and TV series are TOTALLY different). When visiting New York, my graduate school friends and I attempted to recreate the Sex and the City experience. Although we didn’t go out for Cosmos (a drink I have yet to sample), we recreated mocktails at home. While we didn’t make it to Magnolia bakery, we enjoyed Crumbs’ delectable treats.
Yes, some things in Sex and the City are blatantly ridiculous. The Baryshnikov slap was not a slap. Carrie’s relationship breakups and hookups would not have happened in reality. Would Big really have committed to her? Would Carrie really have cheated on good guy Aidan? Would initially awesome Berger really become such an insecure mess? Probably not. And was “he’s just not into you” all that new a concept? No.
All the same, I loved Sex and the City because it reflected various stages of my life. As it grew, I grew with it. While Christian Louboutin might’ve replaced Manolo Blahnik as the moment’s shoe designer, Carrie and the girls will always hold a place in my heart. Sure people who haven’t seen it belittle it because it superficially looks like it’s about clothes, sex and drinking. But, why? Why is female sexuality such a joke? Personally, I’m grateful to Sex and the City for shining a flashlight into the dark spots women are expected to undergo without complaining when dating.
So, for people who loved Sex and the City or never understood the trend, join us for a week of awesome articles here and on Flicks that detail our like (or dislike) of the show, our favorite quotes, debate over Big, consider the movies, flashback to Sarah Jessica Parker’s first show Square Pegs and more!
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Aug 27, 2012 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
