SATC 2: The Dilemna

Let me preface by saying, that like so many women in New York and across the globe, I will be flocking to the Sex and the City 2 premiere tomorrow, fashioned like a true Sex and the City groupie, with a gang of my best girlfriends. No, I’m not ashamed to admit this. Sex and the City has consistently served as a forum for solidifying and indulging in your best female friendships since season one! Whether for the fashion, the relationships, the girl talk, or yes, the sex – the show has united hordes of women wanting to celebrate their womanhood and friendships. And let's face it, whether you loved or hated the show, you really can’t be mad at that.

You can however, be intrigued – and I certainly am. Why is it that Sex and the City not only draws countless throngs of women, but draws these women from all backgrounds and ethnicities, even if they aren’t represented in a substantial and meaningful way in the series/films.

It’s probably best to point out here that among the group of friends that I am celebrating the movie premiere weekend with, not one of us is of the same racial background. Believe me when I tell you that we talk as candidly as the film's characters about our hopes, dreams, relationships, and yes, even our sex lives. What I’ve found is that the cultural differences, and what we all bring to the table regarding our views on men, sexuality, gender roles, and relationships provides an even more colorful picture of the complexities and facets of womanhood than even the best Sex and the City episode! Granted, our script might not be as punchy, clever, or well-written, but you get my point.

Suffice it to say that I’m someone who grew up immersed in considerable diversity and I generally have a very inclusive attitude about people, which my friend circles tend to emulate. My mother told me when I was very young that no one was better than me because they had more money, and that I wasn’t better than anyone else because of the color of my skin.

Which brings me directly to my only real "issues" with Sex and the City. After stripping down the “fun-girls-night-out-live-vicariously-through-Carrie” elements that I admittedly engage in, two issues remain: the problem of class and the problem of race. While considering the transformative and trend-setting elements of the series and the first movie in regard to topics, the exploration of relationships, and all things fashion; it’s sobering to realize that the show really only represents a very small sub-group or niche of women, all of the same socio-economic class, and all of the same race. The question must then be asked, "how is it that a series that focuses solely on one segment of one demographic can attract and captivate followers of all classes and all races?" Could the explanation possibly be, that at the end of the day, despite our commitment to diversity in our daily lives, we just want to escape to a more glamorous, more heightened sense of life, void of the responsibility of representing diversity? Do women essentially give Sex and the City a "pass" because it's just so damn fabulously indulgent?

For a show that has been a true trend-setter in virtually every other area, and has evolved considerably on many levels, why has it not evolved in the way of multi-culturalism? Sadly, maybe, just maybe, what we are seeing here, is a golden, but missed, opportunity for an intriguing and iconic series/movie, to bring a truly authentic, genuine representation of mixed-race friendships to the silver screen.

Having said all of that, I’m still immensely excited to go see Sex and the City 2. My friends and I will be dressed to the nines in beautiful, chic dresses, wearing killer shoes and sipping cocktails well into the night. But as I look around at our group, there will be a little part of me that knows no matter how hard we try, we’ll never be exactly like “Carrie and the Girls.” But we will be distinctly “us” and that isn’t in any way second-rate. In fact, that alone makes real friendships much better than the stuff of movies.