SEX & THE CITY (A premise)

From Sex and the City The Movie.

So, I used to think I’d seen plenty of New York through sitcoms such as Mad About You, Seinfeld, and of course, Friends, and my favorite movies set in the Big Apple like You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, and Godzilla. I’ve got wide range of taste, here.

Boy, was I wrong. Not about Godzilla, (duh!) but about my idea of New York as a character in itself for telling a story. You see, up until the beginning of this year did I start watching Sex and the City with the sole purpose of finding out what the big fuss was all about. At first, I guess it was okay, I mean, I had literally not seen anything like it and even if I was 14 years behind the whole excitement I found it refreshing. I was actually 13 when the show aired for the first time, so maybe it would’ve been a little inappropriate for me to watch it back then. But then I got older and never really wondered about the series, either.

My curiosity got the best of me after I sat through the painful to watch Sex and the City pt. 2, and that’s the funny part I guess, since it was pretty much a flop for the franchise. The script was no good, the acting was less than commendable, and it basically made me cringe at the whole nonsense of the story. I think I laughed only once the entire 146 minutes of the film.

And yet, here I am, ready to praise the series that spawned that sad excuse of a movie that baited me into the Carrie and Big drama which spanned on and off for six seasons. Of course, SATC isn’t just about Carrie Bradshaw, the sex columnist and narrator throughout the series, it includes the stories of her closest friends Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

There is already so much that has been said of SATC everywhere since it aired in 1998, but I too wish to discuss it, because I have no outlet whatsoever. I don’t know anyone personally who has actually watched the show. Ever. This probably has to do with the fact that sex is still (although not admittedly) a taboo subject in my country. Maybe not in the grand scheme of things, but I just know it would be an uncomfortable conversation with my friends for example, and don’t misunderstand me, please, it’s not like I want to talk about it all the time, it’s just that I admire the blunt frankness with which the subject is dealt when the girls of the show discuss any aspect of it.

Anyway, the fact that I watched the six seasons in 2 weeks caused a few raised eyebrows and joking remarks when I told people. So when I was actually hooked and a self- proclaimed fan I unwillingly accepted it as my guilty pleasure. But not anymore, because that stains it with the color of shame, and I don’t feel ashamed of the fact that I genuinely love the show and everything about it.

Beyond the puns intended and the play on words in Carrie’s voice over, SATC is more than just the detailing of the characters’ sex lives; it is also the story of four independent, successful women who are in search of their happiness on their own terms. Whether it may be through love, sex (these two not the same), shoes (love and shoes are, however, almost the same), professional success, friendship, or family. It is a not so subtle feminist message that shows the empowerment of modern women and all that it entails.

For now, I’ll leave this post up until here, because, like I said before, there is so much I’d like to talk about it, but would make for a very long one. This is a premise of more posts to come about SATC and the girls, for my own guiltless pleasure. So, let’s toast with Cosmos and drink in all that fashion, lovers, broken hearts and Manhattan streets this show has to offer, because I swear on Chanel this will be fun.