Why I Am Addicted to Sex and the City

I got into the Sex and the City craze late in the game, after the show had already gone off the air and regular cable started showing it (edited) in syndication. We don't have HBO at home, and I have a distinct feeling that even if we had, I wouldn't have been allowed to watch it. So it wasn't until my roommates and I started watching the reruns at one A.M. over ice cream that I became completely absorbed in the show. Some people who know me were surprised; I don't have a passion for shoes, I'm not into the dating scene, I've declared disdain for Sarah Jessica Parker on multiple occasions, and I'm fairly conservative about some things. So what's the appeal for me?

Well, obviously I am interested in investigating the female psyche. Most women are. We also like to pick men apart and complain about how there aren't any good ones anymore. This they do on the show. Brownie points for them.

But more than that, the women of the show reflect my changing ideas of the world and of romance. In turns, all of us are a little bit of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha (although we're Samantha the least, because she's the least realistic character). I'll explain why.

Carrie Bradshaw is the main character of Sex and the City, the narrator you hear on the voice-overs throughout the show. Carrie is a writer (which is one reason why I like her) who has a quirky, witty, intelligent opinion on pretty much everything. I like her for her quips and ready comebacks. On the whole, we all have days where we're a lot like Carrie. She can't decide whether she is an optimist or a pessimist. She knows the facts- she writes them and sends them out to the other single gals of New York City; this makes her lean toward pessimism. However, she cannot escape her hopeful, romantic nature that makes her try again after each painful breakup.

Carrie is also the voice of our own doubts and fears. She appeals to the audience because she asks honest, tough questions and seeks out the answers. We watch the events of the show through Carrie's eyes, making us examine our own lives in light of her musings.

Carrie is also easily accessible. She's very laid back and she has a great sense of humor. Unless you're Mr. Big and you've angered her, you're likely going to find Carrie to be fun, sweet, and a good friend.

Charlotte York is probably my favorite character on the show. All about class and style and propriety, Charlotte provides her traditional and conservative perspective in the confusion of the changing world. The others poke fun at Charlotte's ways (Miranda refers to her as Pollyanna), but you can tell that they find her endearing. While offering the rules of etiquette in awkward situations or going overboard on social occasions like baby showers, Charlotte's sensibilities often lend humor or stability to the situations.

Charlotte wants desperately to be married and have kids and achieve the traditional feminine success. She dates to seek out a potential husband; she marries to produce the children she desperately wants. Yet, while she pursues these goals with single-minded intensity, she still gets derailed. Charlotte's sorrows are the hardest to watch for me. I felt like I went through her rough marriage and divorce with her. Yet, she was still able to move on and stay hopeful for everyone else in spite of it, making her all the more...well, precious.

Charlotte represents the little girl in each of us who grew up in a hostile world, but still hung on to those simple, early dreams we had. She's the part of us that gets giddy after a good date and whispers "could he be the one?" It endears her to the audience and makes her universally charming.

Of all the characters, I am most like Miranda. Miranda Hobbes is a lawyer and the resident cynic and skeptic of the bunch. She is the strongest character, never showing a sign of weakness and never tolerating a weakness from anyone else. Miranda's a judgmental girl, but years of being single in Manhattan will apparently do that to you. She always has a ready opinion, and she is always forthcoming with her advice in any given situation. She doesn't let friends settle for less than they deserve, which redeems her from being so harsh sometimes. She's wonderfully sarcastic and fiercely independent.

When Charlotte is likely to applaud a good sign in a man and think he might be "the one," Miranda is likely to make fun of him and mistrust his motives. She represents the side of every woman who has been hurt one too many times and has built up defenses to keep it from happening again. She is hesitant to believe in any relationship or in any man, but she believes in her friends and always roots for their best interest. And she's proof that even the most skeptical of us can still be swept off our feet and find somebody special.

Samantha Jones is the character who set out in the first season to "have sex like a man." She feels that she is as successful as a man, as powerful as a man, and as smart as a man, and therefore she will use men the way they use women- merely as sexual objects. Samantha wants to have it all. She has complete control over her life and she makes it fabulous.

Samantha is the most unrealistic character in my opinion because I've never seen someone who was able to make that work in real life. I've known loose women and women who don't want to be attached to a guy, but they always come off as sluts when they sleep around. I suppose it's the power factor; Samantha has the means to support herself, and she's only using men to satisfy herself, not for compensation. That's what keeps her from being a hooker I suppose.

Still, you have to admire Samantha's absolute confidence in herself. She doesn't take any crap from anyone, and she lives her life the way she wants to live it, regardless. She's also often the funniest character on the show, providing her completely hedonistic view on every situation.

She represents the modern woman and the way we all try to live our lives. She's an extreme example of what a woman has to be to succeed in a place like New York- confident, ruthless, fabulous, and in control. And, although I'm happy in my conservative Charlotte-isms, I do wish I had Samantha's balls sometimes.