Nine o’clock Sunday, Feb. 22 marked the end of an era. Saddened viewers watched as the famous high heeled shoes clicked across the television screen for the last time. No, they were not Judy Garland’s ruby red slippers. They were the Manolo Blahnik’s that hiked up Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon.
Six seasons ago, these four ladies came from HBO to our hearts on Sex and the City. The setting was New York City, where life and love was the topic for brunch in the coffee shop many a morning. These women stuck to us with their relatable tales and relationship woes.
They showed us their faults, which Carrie (Parker) decoded as, “So many roads. So many detours. So many choices. So many mistakes.”
They loved and lost, but did it all with much style and grace. The show has turned the sappy, sad spinster into the independent, intelligent individual.
Carrie toasted the women as they gallivant Manhattan, “Here’s to us without men!”
The writers contradict what Disney has tried to drill into our heads since we were so young, and taught us Prince Charming does not equal fulfillment. The women have shown us there is such a thing as being single and happy.
This visionary show has changed attitudes, turned heads and created outrageous fashion. The women demonstrate that life is a journey to finding ourselves.
Carrie once asked in her column, “As we speed along this endless road to the destination called, ‘who we hope to be’, I can’t help but whine ‘are we there yet?'”
Fans are disappointed, but understand the decision to end the show.
“I am sad it is ending, but I also think they should quit while they are ahead. It’s a really good show, but if they keep going they will risk overdoing it,” senior Margaret Stevenson said.
Some students feel the show is leaving audiences wanting more.
“As disappointing as it is, I think it will be better for everyone to still want more, in comparison to Friends where I think everyone has had enough,” junior Jillian Racki said.
One of the favorite aspects of the show does not have to deal with sex or New York City, but the real issues the four women face on a daily basis. However, it is the strong willed attitudes that have attracted so many.
“After all, computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot,” Carrie said.
The characters take on rent, abortion, STD’s, divorce, adoption, breast cancer, openly gay relationships, death, and countless other encounters that make the show more realistic.
The topics “open people’s eyes to see that the issues are not so taboo and that people still need to deal with them,” sophomore Alex Moser said.
The true to life story lines are what attract and keep many viewers.
“These things in life happen, and it’s interesting to see because there are people out there dealing with the same thing. If it was just perfect, it wouldn’t be worth watching,” Racki said, noting her enjoyment of the realism.
Although a great risk, some students agreed the show benefited from the tough topics.
“They knew they had a strong and loyal audience, and using that they were able to discuss these issues that affect many women daily. Those who have experienced the issues in real life felt that they weren’t alone, and those of us who haven’t experienced it gain an understanding of them,” junior Sara Jonas said.
The take-charge lifestyles these four brave women exhibited have made them role models. They emphasize the attitude to grin and bear whatever life throws their way.
“As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, woulda, shoulda, buckle up, and just keep going,” Carrie said, illustrating this attitude.
From Carrie’s “Hello Lover!” shoe attitude to her off-beat hats, the fashion of Sex is not one to be reckoned with.
Junior Julie Woodhull loves the fashion.
“That’s what makes it exciting! What’s going to be the next thing? What’s the new fad? Is it the flower or the horseshoe necklace?” she said.
The unique couture is what attracted the show for many viewers.
“‘Carrie Bradshaw’ has come a long way from that tank top and tutu in the first episodes. In fact, Sarah Jessica Parker alone has worn $2,700,000 in clothing and accessories, including shoes and handbags, and by contract, has been able to keep all of what she has worn,” Professor Kenn Venit said.
Each individual has their own style that enhances their character, but the colorful outfits weren’t always practical.
“The portrayal of the lifestyles, a.k.a. closets of Monolos, is completely unrealistic,” Jonas said.
Others felt there was too much emphasis based on looks.
“On the negative side, I thought that Carrie and her friends are supposed to be liberated, independent, successful Manhattanites. Yet, they are mostly obsessed with fashion and dating. I hope that when the young women in my classes venture forth in the world, their ambitions go beyond that,” Professor Paul Janensch said.
The show has questioned relationships on many levels.
“To be in a couple, do you have to put your single self on the shelf? In a relationship, when does the art of compromise become compromising?” Carrie said,
The show has led viewers to believe that being single is no longer a burden, but an opportunity.
“The show makes you realize that there are other single people out there,” Woodhull said.
The show has glamorized the single life.
According to Jonas, “The show definitely puts a positive spin on being single. There was always a negative stigma attached to being single, but the show demonstrated that there is no reason for that. You can have a successful career, great friendships and a great time without a ring attached to your finger.”
“If you are single, there is one thing that you should always take out with you on a Saturday night- your friends,” Carrie said.
To these four successful beauties, friendships are the most important relationships. Junior John Vandish said he enjoyed “how the women get together and talk, and how they are so emotional and so happy around each other. They always are out to have a good time and have their own careers. They find love, and they have each other, which seems to be all that they need.”
The close bond between the women seemed to draw a lot of comfort. The friendships seemed to be a main theme of the show.
“It deals with being there for each other. It’s about coming out of yourself and putting yourself on the line to be a good friend. There is more to life than just love relationships. Your whole life you try to find a love relationship with the perfect man, and you forget that your relationship with the people around you is just as important because they get you through it. When everything else was wrong, the friends were still there,” Racki said.
The typical Sunday morning brunches sparked varied topics of conversation.Professor Janensch enjoyed the coffeehouse chats.
“I think the show tells us a lot about female friendship; something we males find a bit mysterious. I believe that women form much stronger bonds with women than men form with men. For me, the best part of the show are when Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha get together to discuss the most intimate details of their personal lives, something men never do. But do real life women talk about sex in such frank terms? My hunch is that they do,” he said.
Professor Janensch’s observations just emphasize one of Carrie’s famous quotes: “Maybe men and women aren’t from different planets as pop culture would have us believe. Maybe we live a lot closer to each other. Perhaps, dare I even say it, in the same zip code?”
The writers on this show have spoken to a new generation that enforces independence, friendships, fun, fashion and sex. The ideas are philosophical and accurate to the daily routine.
The show questions life from a feminine point of view, something that hasn’t been done well since The Golden Girls. Miranda’s cynicism, Carrie’s drama, Charlotte’s innocence and Samantha’s devilish ways will be missed by fans everywhere.
Carrie has left us with so many pearls of wisdom that she could be considered a prophetic feminist. She has become a voice of our generation and her words will be quoted for years to come.
“Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn’t fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change,” she said. “So do cities. People come into your life and they go. But, it’s comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you’re lucky, a plane ride away.
