“Sex and the City” and feminism are like two parallel lines; they never intersect. A true feminist recognizes when she is taken advantage of because of her sex.

At first glance, “Sex and the City” appears to be a television show about successful career women enjoying their sexuality. They achieve equal status with men regarding the dating scene while maintaining close friendships with each other and groaning closets filled with trendy clothes and shoes. They spend their leisure time during the day eating sumptuous meals at restaurants and nights taking the subway home alone in stilettos after running around in New York with their dates. A closer look at these women shows that not only do they advocate a double standard favorable to men but a lower standard for women.

Let’s take a look at the origin of the double standard. According to Phyllis Rose in her book, “Parallel Lives,” which was created to protect the “passing on of property from a man to his rightful children” (Rose 299). A  woman can tell who her children are while a man must depend on the law “to make sure his children are his” (299). However, Keith Thomas argues in his article “The Double Standard”, that the double standard existed because women too were property whose worth was lessened when another person shared the husband’s possession.

Carrie enforces the double standard. Big betrays Carrie and marries a younger woman. Realizing he has made a mistake, Big gets a divorce. Carrie forgives him and they eventually marry. When a man marries a divorced woman, she may be referred to as “used goods.” When Carrie marries a divorced man who has betrayed her, he’s considered a “good catch.”

If one follows Carrie to the “Sex and the City” movies, he sees that she learns that she can have extramarital sex with impunity. Betrayal has its benefits. Miranda, Carrie’s friend who is a lawyer, could argue that Big’s betrayal was a subconscious vindictive win for Carrie, that it entitled her to have a “quid pro quo,” legalese for something in return for something. The viewer learns that lower standards eventually become no standards.

“Sex and the City” delivers the message that if you give a woman enough rope, she’ll hang herself. Feminism argues that fair treatment for women will benefit the greater good.

References:

Rose, Phyllis. Parallel Lives. New York: Vantage Books. 1983.

Thomas, Keith. “The Double Standard.” Journal of the History of Ideas 20 (1959): 195 - 216.