Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell.Carrie and Big break up for a second time in Season 2 when he leaves for an extended business stay in Paris and shows little enthusiasm in maintaining a long-distance relationship.In Season 3, Carrie begins dating Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), an up-and-coming Manhattan furniture designer who is more traditional and patient than her previous boyfriends.In the final season, Carrie meets Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a famous artist who introduces her to a different, more cosmopolitan lifestyle and is more romantically engaged than Big.Horrified, she dashes into the street and trips in front of a taxi, carrying Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), an attractive, old-money, Scottish-American cardiologist with pedigree, a Park Avenue apartment and country estate in Connecticut.Not long into the marriage, on a weekend trip to the MacDougal country estate, Charlotte, frustrated by Trey's lack of sexual attention, kisses the hunky gardener, and is caught by a relative.Believing Harry to be her future, Charlotte converts to Judaism and this sees her struggle with losing her Christian faith and ideologies including Christmas and Easter.Early in the series, Samantha declares that she has given up on traditional relationships and instead chooses to have sex "like a man", purely for physical gratification without emotional attachment.Although they briefly reconcile after Richard apologizes and showers her with expensive gifts, Samantha's jealousy and inability to trust him ultimately cause her to end the relationship.When Samantha is diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoes chemotherapy, Smith stands by her side, even shaving his head in solidarity when she loses her hair.Charlotte, in her quest for a husband, dates an investment banker with anger management issues, a photographer who encourages her to wear menswear, a bad kisser, and a man who calls out names during climax.She also dates a series of men, including a phone sex enthusiast, a fake ER doctor, a man who doesn't swallow his food, and a police detective.After her breakups with Big and Aidan, Carrie dates a man who still lives at home, teaches a class at the Learning Annex on how to meet men, gets mugged, and tries to apologize to Natasha.Samantha flirts with a priest, has nude photos taken, attempts a relationship with a lesbian, and sleeps with various partners, including a man who engages in baby talk, a wrestling coach, and a farmer.[5] In 2013, The New York Times credited Sex and the City and its costume designer Patricia Field with "starting crazes for nameplate necklaces, Manolo Blahnik shoes, flower corsages, and visible bra straps.""[20] The article also noted fan accounts on Instagram, such as "Every Outfit on Sex and the City" and "Carrie Dragshaw," as evidence of the show's continued popular appeal and influence on fashion.Pop culture expert Ashli L. Dykes notes that "... [the] fear that men will no longer find a woman attractive if she reveals her true self is in contrast to the relationships among the four main female characters..."[23] Academic critics, however, are divided on whether Sex and the City is anti-feminist, feminist, or post-feminist.Press contends that Carrie's shame when sharing this story with her boyfriend serves to "undermine" the hard-won freedoms that allowed her choice, presenting "multiple critical perspectives toward the act."[26] Press also argued that while the show is often lauded as a champion of progressive feminism, its characters adhere to traditional views of female gender roles, focusing heavily on appearance, glamour, and consumerism."[28] In a 2010 retrospective on the previous two decades of pop culture, ABC News named Carrie one of the ten worst characters of the past twenty years, describing her as a "snippy, self-righteous Manhattan snob" and citing her actions in Sex and the City 2 as evidence that she was beyond personal growth or redemption.[29] Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker, reflecting on the show a decade after it ended, argued that Bradshaw was "the unacknowledged first female anti-hero on television," who began as a "happy, curious explorer, out companionably smoking with modellizers," but from the second season on, she "spun out, becoming anxious, obsessive, and, despite her charm, wildly self-centered."Nussbaum also asserted that the show's reputation has "shrunk and faded" over time, largely due to disappointment that the series "gave in" to the limits of romantic comedy in its later seasons.In addressing why the show is now "so often portrayed as a set of empty, static cartoons, an embarrassment to womankind," Nussbaum suggested: "It's a classic misunderstanding, I think, stemming from an unexamined hierarchy: the assumption that anything stylized (or formulaic, or pleasurable, or funny, or feminine, or explicit about sex rather than about violence, or made collaboratively) must be inferior."': Sex and the City's problematic legacy," highlighted the lack of non-white series regulars and "racial insensitivities" in the show, such as Carrie's reference to "ghetto gold" and Samantha's wearing of an afro wig to cover her baldness from chemotherapy.[42] Two digital CDs (the albums from Irma Records) contain tracks used in the show's actual soundtrack: A feature film based on Sex and the City, written, produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King, was released in May 2008.The four lead actresses reprised their roles, along with Chris Noth, Evan Handler, David Eigenberg, Jason Lewis, Mario Cantone, and Willie Garson.The film stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, and Chris Noth, all reprising their roles, along with Evan Handler, David Eigenberg, Jason Lewis, Mario Cantone, and Willie Garson."[49] It was reported that Kim Cattrall did not want to be involved in the film after learning of storylines where Mr. Big dies of a heart attack and Samantha receives sexting and nude pictures from Miranda's teenage son Brady.[58][59] In January 2021, the revival, titled And Just Like That..., was officially confirmed by HBO Max, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis returning.The show also prominently featured Jimmy Choo and the Dior Saddle Bag, further elevating their presence in pop culture and reinforcing the perception of luxury brands as aspirational items.