Monday, December 5

The trouble with Sex & the City

Okay, I'll admit it. I have watched every single Sex and the City episode. Twice. Or more. But lately I am troubled by a feeling that what lies beneath the good dialogue, is something very shallow. It's true that many episodes made me laugh and sometimes even cry. The strong friendships are what hooked me. The sense that women united are powerful. I recognized something in the coffeshop scenes and clever narration that still brings a smile to my face. The problem is that there seems to be a correllation between the popularity of the program and it being acceptable for women to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes, handbags and other unimportant items. When did this become normal? I know that ultimately it is my fault for even caring about such b.s. but I do, and I am dismayed.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes - exactly
I don't have your depth of viewing experience but my end reaction is somewhat similar. I thought the show was hip, sexy and interesting to watch but it left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied in the same way that internet porn does. Maybe Sex in the City is a kinda consumerist porn - you can shop all ya want and never mind the real world where such choices are really choices to disconnect from all the other ways (healthier?) in which you could support yourself or your community...

Anonymous said...

PS - whats with the censorship? can this be done whereby people post comments without review? Seems like just being able to post and run would open things up to the possibility of a real dialogue occuring?

highdesertsultan said...

now you can rent handbags on-line.

highdesertsultan said...

do you want to approve all new comments, i haven't seen this before.

cassondra said...

Who am I to approve all comments? No detective worth their salt (or whatever) would stand for censorship. I've been playing with the settings and think the correction has been made.

Anonymous said...

yay :-)

cassondra said...

The sad thing is, that there aren't that many programs with the "I am woman--hear me roar" sort of message that a good Sex and the City episode has...I guess that is why I rent television rather than subscribe to it. An oddity, especially now that network television is in the mix. And, I can shamelessly say that I have rented two seasons worth of Arrested Development. The female characters are as unlikeable as the male characters...typical television equality.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE Sex & the City. I know they talk about shoes and clothes and everything is out of hand but that's what is soooo great about it. Life is soooooooo crazy that it is really nice to not think so deeply about every little thing. I will say that their apartments are unreal. I mean everything is so perfect to the last little detail. I can't say much about the shoe thing since I am a shoe addict....I can't spend as much as they do but I looooooooovvvvvve shoes. I say love it for what it is...girlfriends, sex issues and a whole lot of pop culture for people other than just 2o year olds.
xoxox Love it!!

Anonymous said...

umm...I think the above "anonymous" is Tres. am i right or am i right? I love it!!!

Anonymous said...

I am guilty of the sex and the city craze I think it is because I see a piece of me in every one of them. I love Samanthas unedited honesty and am definately guilty of the same pleasure. I think Charlottes sweet romantic hopefulness is so honest and I definately tend to daydream about my own hopes of romance. Cynthia is such a cynic (as am I) and she has a sweet heart after you get past her b.s. which I think is very definitive of me. Carrie I think is least like me except for her ability to use her girls for a sounding board for her choas of life. The rest of the shopping and stylish ways are really not my thing in all factuality though sometimes I do like to pretend to have an ounce of fashion. I will continue to watch these 4 crazy girls and their journey of life and then when I get done I will call all my girls and reflect on how thankful I am for the Samanthas, Carries, Cynthias,and Charlottes in this crazy world.