Friday, January 29, 2010

Sex and the City - a backhanded assault

So I find myself meditating on the phenomenon that is Sex and the City. Whereas I love the Carrie Bradshaw character I feel women are too carried away by the adorable charm that drapes perfectly over her proliferating idiocy. Why, after almost a decade of its existence do I choose now to comment on this slice of Americana? Because I am bored and boredom stimulates my need-to-offer a critique on popular culture.

I will admit to being a fan of the "sisterhood" idea that the show promotes, even though it is widely known that women are their own worst enemies. But what I am not a fan of is these women's misperceptions, interactions and expectations of themselves in relationship to men. Their lack of self-esteem is so thinly camouflaged with success, fashion or sex and their low sense of self-worth is best exemplified in Carrie's choice of a suitable mate. The very idea that a Mr. Big is worth more than an Aidan paints this woman with a "sand castle in the sky" hue. In this Carrie reality women are prone to putting emotion over reason and cents over common sense.

But by far the most damaging effect of this poor assessment of the female psyche is Carrie’s depiction of that age old belief that if a woman loves a bad boy long enough she can "CHANGE" him. It may take ten years, make you the “other woman” and cost you the love of a better man but it is more important to “CONQUER” the one that got away than being with the one who loves you. [When I speak of love I speak of acts not feelings.]

You want to know why good guys finish last? Coz this is what good girls are watching. I hope that the female's self perception is not too coloured but what straight men "want" from women or how gay men "see" women?


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