With the Sex and the City sequel coming out within the next 2 weeks, it's only natural for me to follow EW's lead and write up an entry about it! In the last month I have re-watched the entire series and the first movie to get ready for seeing the new movie. As always, it ended with me crying into my iPhone as I update my status to say "I wish I lived in NYC like Carrie!" There are so many reason why I think Sex and the City reaches out to so many women, but I've broken them down into 3 categories so they'll be easier for me to talk about.First thing is the fashion! I know this is like a broken record to say, but Carrie Bradshaw is certainly a fashion icon. So many women watch her and secretly think "I wish I could pull that off!" Now, I will admit that many times during the TV series I would cock my head to the side and go "WTF is she wearing?" But there were just as many times I wanted to steal her outfit as there were times I couldn't actually understand what Carrie was wearing.
With the flashy colors, amazing shoes, over-sized bling, and dramatic and intersting hair styles, it's not hard to understand why women would be attracted to it. Not only is it fun to see but sometimes it's a free tutorials for some ladies on how to accessorize or be more bold in their own unique style. With that being said, here are Carrie's 5 most awesome outfits from the series and 5 most WTF outfits, according to me.
FIRST, The Worst!
I'm not sure what our gal was thinking in ANY of these, and some are worse than others... but ALL of these are pretty outrageous. I don't know why she just HAS to put some kind of weird wrap on her head some times. Other times... I just can't stand that fur coat and her crazy bun ...or a bare mid-drift with a belt (wtf?). Those gold boots are my least favorite thing she has ever donned, even including that first picture with all the weird tie-dye colors. It's ok Carrie, I love you anyways.
NEXT, The Best!
Now these are all my personal favorite, even though Carrie has worn many more amazing outfits on the show. Most of these speak for themselves, but I have to comment on that newspaper dress. I think a lot of people didn't like that one, but I just LOVE it. I think it's just the way Sarah Jessica Parker wears it, it just hugs her perfectly. So memorable! That first one doesn't really seem to stand out, but I LOVE the way it fits her, like I do the newspaper dress. Every time I watch the episode where she's hailing a cab in that, I just love the physicality and the way it moves on her. Of course, any outfit in season 6 is amazing, but also, that suit she wears to Vogue is HOT as hell, too!
The next category of why this show reaches out to so many women is it allows us to live vicariously through the NYC gals. I can't tell you how many times I've been watching the show and have teared up just because their lives are so amazing. I know, I know! There is no way that real women can live the lifestyles the same way these 4 women do,
ESPECIALLY in New York City... but it doesn't matter! It's the amazing power and control each woman has over her life, the interesting activities the women do in their spare time, how smart each is within their own field, and how fabulous everything is around them because it's New York. Even if it's not a woman who really cares about the big city and shopping all the time, etc, etc... I bet they can still find an episode of this show where they say, "Yeah... that would be pretty cool."We get to live the life of a sexy NYC socialite without leaving our living rooms. We get to explore our sexuality and boundaries through learning from THEIR mistakes instead of making our own. We get to party in NYC and get into the exclusive parties because Carrie takes us in with her press pass. It's the little piece of NYC that I can turn on whenever I want to tie me over until the next time I can afford a ticket that actually takes me out there.
The last and most important part is that it's SO relatable. When it all comes down to it, a show cannot last 6 years+ and have a huge following if there isn't more to it than just pretty colors and sexy parties. Not only does this show get you attached to the characters, but most every woman I know who watches the show can see themselves within one of the main ladies, if not in all of them. I think there is a little Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte, and Carrie in all of us, even if we favor one. I, myself, am very much like Miranda. If you talk to a few of my friends, I think that they would agree. Haha!
I think every single group of girl friends who watches this show is able to say which of them is what character. "Oh I think I'm mostly like Charlotte," "No way, you're Carrie!" "Well, you're a Samantha," "She's right, you're SO Samantha!" These ladies have become categories to describe different types of women! They are iconic because they are so human.
And beyond all the SatC-ideology, the show makes you really love these girls with all their flaws. They struggle through life making mistake after mistake, just like you, and you love them for it. There are moments within the series that make me cry every single time, without fail, and it's not because of their outfit or the fact that they just left an unbelievable shoe store with a new pair in their hands. It always has to do with the characters' struggles or experiences and how I can relate or understand what they are going through.
The Sequel: Excited or Scared?
And now to talk about the 2nd coming of Sex and the City, the movie sequel. Many might ask if it is really necessary, and honestly, that a legitimate question. It's a question I have been asking myself lately. Can we ever have too many beautiful outfits and exciting experiences in NYC? Probably not. But could we ruin the beautiful story that's already been put in place up to this point? I think the answer is an ever resounding YES.
I'm excited about this movie, and DUH I'm going to go see it when it comes out, more than likely at midnight, BUT... I have some very real fears about it. After the teaser trailer I was ecstatic, but seeing the full-length trailer has made me double back. Here is what I'm worried about.
Carrie has fought for over a decade to get with Big and finally settle down. She's made some pretty ridiculous mistakes over and over again. She has struggled through some of the worst stuff I've ever witnessed in a relationship to get to where her and Big are now. She's in her mid-40s. It's time for Carrie to be a mature and responsible wife and take a nice sigh of relief that they are FINALLY happily married, are in love, continuing their own careers, and living together in a great place. INSTEAD... what does the trailer show us? Carrie is BORED. And who does she run into half way across the world? AIDEN. Alluding to an affair... or Carrie messing around on Big.... WHAT?WHY does the main focus of this movie have to be Carrie's relationship AGAIN. It's already been done for every single season of this series, and the last movie where it was FINALLY TIED UP. Are they REALLY going to UNTIE it and try to fray the ends? Can we not move on to something ELSE and show us that Carrie CAN learn from her mistakes and CAN be happy instead of getting bored with life without drama. DOES. NOT. WANT.
Something I NEVER want them to do is turn Aiden in to a douche bag who would be with a married woman. Carrie may have done that to him, but there is no way I can believe that Aiden would be ok with doing it back to Big. If they assassinate his character like that just for a new twist for a new movie, I will be VERY upset. It doesn't feel organic as though the story would continue this way naturally. It feels like they are fishing for more drama in order to perpetuate this series, regardless of how well the other movie summed the story up. There is no reason to have a sequel if all they are going to do is ruin things.
With all that being said, I am going to go into the movie with an open mind. The other story lines will be very fun to watch, and hopefully, Carrie's storyline is not going to go the route the trailers seem to show it going. Hopefully they are just trying to scare us and actually have something better planned. And if it does go that way, at least I am prepared.
If any of you guys have a different opinion of what you think the movie is or just a comment about something I said, please feel free to voice it! Comments welcome! I would love to hear.
I. Love. This. Post. I'm so excited to see this movie! I want to watch some of the episodes with you before I see it! sigh. :)
ReplyDeleteAudree! I love love love this post! I've been waiting for you to blog about SATC.
ReplyDeleteA few things:
1. I am SO a Carrie ;) I think she was the first character I felt like I truly identified with, as a young adult.
2. I've had the identification conversation with multiple friends, and I agree with you, that there's a little Charlotte/Carrie/Miranda/Samantha in all of us. That's what makes the show. That's what's had me watching all these years, buying the DVDs, rewatching, etc.
3. I'm also a little nervous about the movie. SUPER excited, but still nervous. I loved Aiden... I think we all loved Aiden... but I DO NOT want Carrie to cheat. I will lose faith in her character, and again... DO NOT WANT.
Thanks again for this! Let's go see the midnight premiere together!
Yes let's!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd if they make Carrie cheat then I will lose faith in the writers... because omg their fault! DUMB.
Guess we'll have to wait and see. :)
People may think that men look down on this show and men may pretend to, but underneath there is so much to like about this show for men (and real people, too) in addition to all of what you say. I saw that HBO dropped the price of the TV DVDs (down to $15 a season), so I have been watching just about nothing else but this show on DVD for six days or so. I am now wrapping up season four.
ReplyDeleteI saw many of these episodes when they were first on HBO. My friend Ken Willingham would come over every Tuesday night, and we would watch them--maybe a little self-conscious--but laughing all the way because of the great writing and the great acting and because of how the show always pushes things and is never content to present anything in a standard, ordinary way. Everything has an edge. When I watch these shows again now, I can hear in my head the laughter of my friend, who isn't here anymore, at certain lines and situations--like the funky spunk episode, which Ken loved. He would go home and tell his wife when she got home from work all about Charlotte (who was his favorite) and about Carrie and Miranda (who were my favorites) while we were both, like the rest of our gender, totally intimidated by Samantha. Who would have thought that these 94 episodes would so often and so clearly remind me of the sound of his laughter and how he could take such immediate and total pleasure in just about anything.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the reasons you give for liking this show, I think there are others. I think the show is about friendship as much as it is about sex and NYC. One of my favorite moments is at the end of the episode where Charlotte marries Trey. The church is full. Trey is in a kilt (wtf?). The organ music is playing. Everyone is waiting. And Charlotte calls Carrie over at the back of the church at that precise moment to tell her best friend what she can only tell her best friend at that moment--that Trey can't get it up. And after a second or two to get used to that, Carrie says, "Sweetie, if you want, we can just walk away from here right now. We can go out that door, get a cab, and everybody in this church can just get over it." I also like the scene when Carrie is thinking about seeing the newly married (to Natasha) Big. Samantha sees Big at a restaurant, and she says about Carrie, who has just left the table, "That is my best friend, and you had better be very careful before you hurt her again." Even Big has to gulp over such a warning. The fierce human loyalty in that show is inspiring.
But when you really think about it, really, really think about it--the show is also about writing. It shows how a writer thinks. Every episode circles around the question that Carrie types on her Mac, a different question for each episode--and each scene in the episode is a way of working further through that question in a totally honest and smart way. The show affirms in a very cinematic way what writing really is--finding a discovery about something that is sharp and pungent and worth passing along to someone else. The voice-over narration is so beautifully written. Has any movie or TV show ever captured the restless, inquiring brain of a writer as well as that one?
ReplyDeleteNow, having said all that, I also think that the story lines sort of culminated with the first movie. It's hard to know how they could stir up something worthwhile in a sequel, but I don't think a failed sequel would tarnish the show, which is a true cultural classic. But if anyone could make a good sequel, I think that these writers could. Only about four episodes per season (starting with season three) have commentary on them, but Michael Patrick King's commentary is amazing at how planned and collaborative everything about that series was--even down to individual shots. He'll say something like, "This quick shot of Carrie's foot coming in her apartment door and bumping up against a box shows how Aiden's stuff is getting in her space, and it paves the way for their later argument." You have to admire how deeply thought out those shows were. Maybe they can pull off a good sequel. But what a great and human series they created.
Awe, Dr. Hopp this is one of the best comments ever! Should go into the Comments Hall of Fame. I love your perspective on the show!
ReplyDeleteI must say that after my obstinate refusal to see myself as Charlotte, I can't stop seeing her in everything I think/do. Thank you Audree and Stacy for mocking my gasp at the maternity store. lol
ReplyDeleteYou can't choose your ideology. It already is set in your DNA! :)
ReplyDeleteDr. Hopp = EPIC comment.
ReplyDeleteLove this additional perspective.
Caty, you're Charlotte with Samantha's hair... :)
ReplyDeleteHaving watched this show from start to finish, including the movie, which I only finished about an hour ago, in the last month, I'm still swimming around in it. I haven't exactly peeled myself off of the NYC sidewalk yet. Still pretending I live there.
Yes, I absolutely connected on your three main ways it connects to us: fashion, totally HOTT! even the obviously see through stuff she sports, love it! Even Charlotte, she's so gorgeous and her smile....ahh! They all carry themselves so well. I lived vicariously the entire time, thank God for most of it, as I would hate to make some of Carrie's mistakes...wait...I am Carrie, I've done that...shiiit...And of course we can all see pieces of ourselves in every character at some point in the series.
But mostly I did connect to the ideas of friendships being your actual true love, and to the idea of working through questions as a writer. I LOVED the idea of labels presented in the movie. It's so current, exactly where our culture is heading. Screw labels, on sex, on relationships, morality...etc. Our need to identify our lives and put ourselves into these boxes only makes it that more dramatic when we bust out of it in the end. Even Charlotte, the most boxy of all of the characters, went through a divorce, married a Hairy Jew, changed her religion, and adopted a Chinese baby! If Charlotte can't even have a normal label, there's no hope for the rest of us.
Can't wait to see it tomorrow! Scared, but trying to trust in these writers! It's been such a fun ride!