Friday, June 6, 2008
I had to watch a “Sex and the City” show for another class and I was surprised that instead of showing women in a light of power (which I thought the show was about) it showed these women still perplexed about dating the opposite gender (maybe not so unusual) but also letting it take up all their time. The whole show was about how to either think like a man sexually or how to get a man. And of course the language was explicit – which draws your interest away from changing the channel. I would say the realistic part was when these women got together for lunch and talked about their lives. “Many women share their personal feelings, experiences, fears and problems in order to know and be known by each other. In addition women talk about their lives and activities” (P.214). The audience was able to see the strong friendship ties that had developed between these women while they safely chatted about their lives and other things of interest to them. The group of friends showed the need to support one another in what might be a fun but yet difficult time in their lives. But honestly with a following as this show had couldn’t it have brought in some more positive attributes of a group of women friends supporting each other while living in a big city such as New York. I did not learn about any one of these women’s careers except the main character Carrie – who was a journalist and the narrator. I don’t remember hearing anything about long term goals. However I did learn about their taste in fashion and men. The way women are portrayed in the media is very important to the culture that’s watching and often reflects the history of its time period too. “The Media often represents girls and women as young, thin, beautiful, passive dependent and often incompetent” (p.259). I would say Sex and the City represented all of the above in just one episode. This show gives the impression that dating is the only interest in a single women’s world in our time period. Although I know this episode mimicked its title almost exactly, what’s wrong with showing women in a more positive light? Maybe my opinion only but I think Sex and the City might have set women back 100 years. No wonder America is not ready for a woman president with what the media is projecting.
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4 comments:
Reply to Alex
Linda said...
Interesting topic. I wonder if Hilary would have been more popular if she did not automatically carry around the ordeal of Bill Clinton's last couple of years of presidency. I totally agree instead of focusing on issues of what she would do as president the media loved to focus on her mannerisms, clothes and hair. The worst for me was when she was said to be too manly but then was labeled too much of an emotional woman. She could not win the media over. Maybe America was not ready for a woman president but Hilary may have broke the ice for the future.
Linda said...
In Response to Terry's blog:
I felt for this woman. I also know of someone who was battered and does not want to leave her husband. When the husband is on medication he is fine but when he feels better he does not take the medication and starts the cycle. THis woman had to deal with the embarrassment of a jealous rage involving an innocent co-worker. But when the husband got under control with medication the wife went back. I think its difficult for the woman to leave. A lot has to do with self esteem. "Domestic violence is a problem that cuts across all economic lines and knows no boundary of race, religion, occupation, or age.http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/battered.html
I disagreed. I started watching this show from the first season before people got excited about watching four females discussing their sexual activities. There was no other show on TV at the time that could give women this view. After the first season, everyone was hooked, just like the men were hooked to The Sopranos. I believe this show revolutionized the perception that women also think like men when it comes to relations and sex (Our inner masculine side). How independent women can play and treat men the same way they do. Having to watch up to the third season, I realized - it had become a little to commercialize for my taste. Seeing develop the four characters from the beginning of the season to the movie, makes me happy that it took a TV show to give women an outlet to show what really happens in our brains when it comes to interaction, relationships and social behavior. They have all the stereotypes: The Career driven, the fairy tale believer, the go getter and the realistic. Most of the women could at least sympathize with one of these characters or perhaps all of them this is why this show was so successful with women and men.
I agree. Sex in the City isn't the best example of an empowered woman is it? It attempts to show a sense of empowerment by the constant discussion on and around sex. Do you really think men do this whenever they get together? The sex act doesn't make these woman look more in control of there lives, actually just the opposite. Where's the real empowerment here in their careers, education, etc. Instead, they are constantly on the roam and chasing after sex. Again, women are so much more than sex whether initiating it or not.
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