Every time I flip on Sex and the City, I’m always amazed at how some aspect from any episode will resonate with me, even now that I’m married. It might be easy to judge the show and assume it’s just about the sex lives of single women in NYC, but it’s not at all. Those who have watched the whole series, like me, feel such a connection to Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha because the show is all about relationships. With men, of course, but also relationships with girlfriends.
In a way, Sex and the City is like the older sister to HBO’s Girls. I love Girls and think Lena Dunham is a genius for finally bringing the trials of females in their early 20’s to television, although I still don’t quite, exactly relate. I guess it’s probably because the 20-somethings today are an entirely different breed than when I was in my early 20’s. I went to high school just before every sophomore had a cell phone. I was in college when I heard about Facebook. And I still haven’t gotten up the nerve to take a selfie to post on Instagram yet. As I creep closer to 30, I feel like everything “the kids” are doing nowadays seems just a bit crazier than what I was doing back then too, which sounds like something I’d have rolled my eyes at my grandparents for saying back when I was doing crazy stuff at that age, but it’s true.
Considering this, I find it so incredible that Sex and the City is still so relatable because when I was watching it, much like when I watch Girls now, the characters were not even close to my age. Yet, just today, I felt this surge of fondness as Big pulled Carrie back into his arms and playfully begged her to stay just a little while longer because I remember that stage of my relationship with Brian. When we used to live in our own apartments and would drag out saying our goodbyes to each other after a date and finally part.
Once you’re committed to someone and you live with them and see them day in and day out, that newness and novelty fades and that “spark” that used to feel so chemical and urgent is dulled. I like to think (hope?) that we’ve graduated beyond that stage to some deeper level of committed-ness with its own package of benefits, like absolute security and deeper intimacy, but it’s still nice to remember back to the silly, passionate, mad beginning once in a while. And I think that’s one of my favorite reasons to still watch the show today.
Married with Style 