21st Century Femaledom and Fashion (Sex and the City)

Member Name: Starshine_lady

Product:	Sex and the City
Date:	07/11/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An insight into the issues faced by and options available to women in the 21st century.

Disadvantages: Extensive symbols of cultural wealth which many female viewers cannot attain to.

Sex and the City is arguably the most iconic and culturally symbolic TV series of our decade. Centred around the lives of close-knit friends Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes the programme zooms in on the preoccupations of these independent female city dwellers.

Whilst the programme showcases each character generously and enables them to shine, Carrie Bradshaw is undoubtedly the female protagonist around which the programme revolves. Her sole cameo appearance in the title sequence where she can be seen waltzing through Manhattan underlines this. She also heavily contributes to the audio track with her voiceovers often reading excerpts from her 'New York Star' column, where she reflects on the ups and downs of being a 35+ year old woman dating in the big apple.

An avid watcher of the series may find themselves endeared to Carrie; she is likeable, attractive- but not so much to be a threat, a quality which many women find agreeable. She also has an earnest character whilst making mistakes like the rest of us.
Indeed the series documents the many mistakes that the characters make alongside their trials and tribulations.

Samantha Jones is a promiscuous PR executive whose extensive sexscapades bring both nudity and an element of adult humour to the table. Some of her characteristics would be described as overtly 'male' with undertones of reverse misogyny as she runs through a string of conquests including a lesbian lover throughout the series. On the other hand these actions could be denoted as overtly 'feminist'. Some could counter that women like her are allowing themselves to be exploited and are using the label of feminism to do so. Miranda is a quirky Lawyer who adds dry humour and straight talk to the mix whilst the most conservative of the four is Charlotte who gives up work to become a 'home-maker' and who is trying desperately to conceive after numerous failed attempts.

Much of the success of SATC has and can be attributed to the candy coated visuals provided by the wardrobe of the cast courtesy of the New York fashion industry. The assortment of both chic and couture styles circulated in the programme are colossal and have globally transformed the public image of brands such as Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo which were heavily showcased throughout the 6 series, exposing them to a wider and intrigued audience. This is not without its problems however as it may be seen that women from lower socio-economic groups in western society who watch SATC are being indoctrinated lifestyles and markers of affluence that they can strive for but simply cannot attain to.

The Programme is multi-dimensional in that under the attractive cultural symbols of wealth and fluffy lattes, it touches on issues which lie at the very cores of our existence as women in the 21st century. Career choices, motherhood, sexuality and friendship are issues which have always faced women, but the show demonstrates just how extensive our options have become and how this affects our subsequent actions in ways which were just not possible for our mothers and grandmothers.

Summary: A vivid exploration into the societal markers female identity complemented by glossy visuals.