Sex and the City is one of the most popular HBO shows, and it aired from 1998 until 2004. Set in New York City, the show followed the lives of four women – Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda and became well known for its groundbreaking representation of women on TV.

The show introduced many topics concerning the lives of women in their 30s and 40s living in urban environments. Its legacy lies in its portrayal of female friendship, approach to sexuality, reproductive health, embodiment, women’s empowerment, and independence. It is thought to be one of the critical post-feminist TV shows.

On the one hand, because of its broad and significant cultural impact, Sex and the City has influenced many other shows that represent women’s experiences. Lena Dunham’s show Girls is perceived as a millennial response to Sex and the City, and another contemporary show that uses the ‘four main characters storyline’ is the Spanish television series Valeria, developed by María López Castaño for Netflix.

On the other hand, since its airing, Sex and The City has faced severe criticism and has been called anti-feminist and gender-conforming.

Ruby Grant and Meredith Nash point out many disadvantages of the show – for example, it is focused mainly on the experience of white cis women. Still, they underline its importance as a post-feminist show because of ‘the ability of SATC women to transgress societal norms’ (Grant & Nash, 2017).

Although the show is burdened by the fashion and beauty standards of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the ideology of liberal capitalism, and at times suffers from gendered norms, Sex and The City is one of the first shows ever to dive into the authenticity of the female experience of women in their 30s and 40s and should be considered progressive because of this.

It is crucial not to deprive it of its significance and revolutionary character when it comes to women’s portrayal. We can use it, as Adriaens and Van Bauwel (2011) point out, ‘as a forum for a renewed post-feminist debate’ and we should take into account that it has ‘a potential breeding ground for emancipatory discourses and at the same time extends and stabilizes a hegemonic consumption culture’. Because of this, Sex and the City should indeed be seen as a feminist show, but one with faults that should be openly addressed and discussed.

References:

Adriaens, F., Van Bauwel, S. (2011). Sex and the City: A Postfeminist Point of View? Or How Popular Culture Functions as a Channel for Feminist Discourse. The Journal of Popular Culture. 47. 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00869.x.

Grant, R., Nash, M. (2017). From Sex and the City to Girls: Paving the Way for ‘Post? Feminism’. In: Nash, M., Whelehan, I. (eds) Reading Lena Dunham’s Girls. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52971-4_5

Author: Marina Zec, 33839036