Upon reading Dustin Kidd’s article Harry Potter and the Functions of Popular Culture, and then speaking of the levels of popular culture (such as creating norms, maintain boundaries, developing rituals, innovation and social change) during class, I couldn’t help but think of the popular television series Sex & the City. After reading my colleague Elona’s post on Jersey Shore and thinking of how the characters actions influence and affect the youth of today, again, my mind wandered to the girls of Sex & the City. Beginning in 1998 and running until 2004, the series followed the lives of four best friends Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Throughout the show, characters got married, had children, worked, traveled, and partied (to name a few), however, the most prevalent theme on the show lies in the title – sex. Sex & the City opened new doors for women and sexuality. It has been argued that the show is an example of the progress in women’s rights (as the characters frankly talk of their sexual exploits) and that is has positively raised awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and safe sex. However, the real issue lies not in the characters promiscuity (really, they are all adults and can make their own decisions), but rather the young audience that view the series. According to a 2008 study by the American Journal of Pediatrics, “Teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content (90th percentile) were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure (10th percentile)”. Sitcoms such as Sex & the City glamorize sex and belittle important issues such (the obvious) sex, promiscuity and, most frightfully, abortions (please see link below). Also in 2008, ABC covered a story on a girl who believes that Sex & the City caused her to have sex at 14. Has Sex & the City developed norms, boundaries, rituals, innovation and social change? The answers to all are yes. Cosmopolitans are one of the most popular drinks to be ordered, women compare their relationships to those of the Carrie & Co., the term ‘Mr. Big’ and calling someone a ‘Samantha’ are understood without explanation, fashion has been influenced tremendously and women are not afraid to be open about their sexuality, and as Samantha would put it ‘have sex like a man’. However, can the show be deemed a positive popular culture innovation? Does it really push the boundaries of women’s rights and promote healthy sexuality? What do you think?
- K
- K
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Kathleen, find my response to your blog here:
ReplyDeletehttp://marica-christianityandpopularculture.blogspot.com/2011/01/response-to-kathleens-blog-sex-city.html
Hi Kathleen;
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic! As you know I love television and I really love SATC so I thought I would weigh in on this (I hope that's okay).
I think you're absolutely right about the cultural effects of the show. It walks a fine balance between emancipation and subordination. And I shudder at the idea of young girls making choices they'll later regret because of pressures brought on by a television series.
That being said, I disagree with much of the media alarm around the show. I think that a close examination the plot structure of SATC reveals that it's actually a fairly traditional and even pretty conservative narrative being promoted (I think this also applies to Two and A Half Men, which your colleague Marcia commented on in her blog post, linked above).
Part of how we can think about suggested morality of a show is not so much by thinking about whether or not the characters act immorally, but rather how these immoral acts are interpreted and negotiated from the perspective of the plot.
As the protagonist, Carrie is the figure that we are supposed to most closely identify with--Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte represent more exaggerated elements of Carrie's own personality and self-consciousness (in fact, often when you see conflicts between two of these women it mirrors an internal struggle that Carrie is experiencing). While Carrie certainly is promiscuous and makes mistakes along the way, the overall plot is one in which we are cheering for her to get the guy and find true love. We're looking for a story of redemption in the end--we are told by the show that despite all of the mistakes, the many, many men in the end she will be rewarded for her persistence (which is a very Christocentric trope). Despite breakups and divorces the show ultimately reinforces the idea that marriage is ideal, specifically one that is deemed to be genuine, in which the characters are 'true to themselves'.
Scholars of evangelical Christianity talk about interiority as one of the marks of Christian subjecthood. For Protestants there's this idea that only they are able to know if they are 'truly saved'. This is done through constant introspection and confession. Carrie's girlfriends, again as reflections of her own inner self-consciousness, serve as a the venue in which she is able to confess and atone for her 'sins'. As do we, the audience. Through the medium of television, this Protestant self-evaluation is extended to the audience. Carrie is redeemed because we say so, because we continue to tune in, week after week. Even when Carrie does something that we might morally consider 'wrong' (such as when she and Big have an affair while he's married to Natasha; or when she and Big go to that party and they accuse her of 'fraternizing with the help') as witnesses to her agonizing about her actions we're able to forgive her, because we know that she's genuinely sorry.
And so Carrie teaches us that we too should examine and evaluate ourselves as moral beings. That when we do wrong we should confess our sins and that if we are truly sorry we will be forgiven. Ultimately, we will be rewarded for our persistent and steadfastness, redeemed by the power of true love.