Earlier this year I decided to watch <em>Sex and the City</em> from start to finish, as I'd never seen the HBO series in its entirety, or in the order in which it was created. Somewhere along the way I had to take a break because when <em>Sex and the City</em> is life (except for the whole being white and wealthy thing) it's just not as entertaining. But once I finished the series I had a few different thoughts: (1) "The characters are so relatable, I almost forget they're all white and wealthy" -- except for when they go into stereotypical blaccents; (2) "This show was so good, I wish I was old enough to appreciate it when it first aired; (3) "There's no way a show like this could survive critics today;" and (4) "I'm think I'm a Miranda-Carrie mixed breed of a woman."
[caption id="attachment_744646" align="alignnone" width="1068"]<a href="http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sex-and-the-city.jpg"><img src="http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sex-and-the-city.jpg" alt="" width="1068" height="600" class="size-full wp-image-744646" /></a> **File Photos**<br />* SEX & THE CITY: THE COCKTAILS<br />SEX AND THE CITY fans can celebrate the release of the long awaited movie this weekend - by drinking cocktails inspired by their favourite character from the hit show.<br />Mixologists at Hollywood's trendy Boulevard Lounge have shaken and stirred up some special recipes to reflect the characteristics of the fabulous foursome, now they are back in our lives.<br />Fans of Sarah Jessica's Carrie Bradshaw can sip on a Carrie - a classic citrus-infused Cosmopolitan, the drink the journalist is never seen dead without.<br />Girls who prefer Kim Cattrall's man-eater Samantha Jones can order up a Tropical Sunrise; which is as firey and hot as the bed-hopping character who inspired it.<br />If flame-haired Miranda Hobbes is more your kind of girl; throw back a Firefly - the drink that's perfectly colour-coordinated to match TV's sexiest red-head.<br />To complete the set is the Baby Blue, stirred up especially for Kristin Davies character Charlotte York. Like Charlotte - this cocktail is sweet; fluffy and sugar-coated.<br />To mark the release of the movie; bartenders at the Boulevard Lounge will be offering these cocktails for one weekend only.<br />And in case you can't make it to the Hollywood hotspot - here's how you can mix up your own:<br />The Carrie - Classic Cosmo<br />1 oz. Vodka<br />1/2 oz. Lime Juice<br />1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice<br />1/2 oz. Triple Sec<br />Shake over ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a lime twist<br />The Samantha - Tropical Sunrise<br />1 oz. Bacardi Rum<br />1 oz. Malibu Rum<br />2 oz. Pineapple juice<br />1 oz. Triple Sec<br />The Miranda - Firefly<br />1 oz. Peach Vodka<br />4 oz. Orange Cranberry<br />1 oz. Malibu Rum<br />The Charlotte - Baby Blue<br />1 oz. Blue Curacao Liqueur<br />1 oz. Bailey's<br />1 oz. Vanilla Vodka<br />(JMA&IG/WN)<br />(l-r) Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall<br />Sex and the City (HBO) 1998-2004<br />Season 2 - 1999<br />Featuring: **File Photos**<br />When: 02 Jan 1999<br />Credit: WENN.com<br />**WENN does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright or License in the attached material. Fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material you expressly agree to indemnify and to hold WENN and its directors, shareholders and employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), or any causes of action or allegation against WENN arising out of or connected in any way with publication of the material.**[/caption]
Point four was just a bonus; what I'm more concerned with are points 1-3, on the dawn of this news that <em>Sex and the City 3</em> is happening. You've no doubt heard the rumors of a third sequel for some time now, and even though everyone from Sarah Jessica Parker to your neighbor down the hall has at some point expressed the opinion that a trilogy is probably not a good idea, <a href="http://radaronline.com/celebrity-news/sex-and-the-city-filming-summer-movie-three-sarah-jessica-parker-script-drama/">Radar Online</a> is reporting that it's a done deal. And that's why I'm playing over various episodes -- and future plot lines -- in my head thinking, why are you doing this to yourselves?
Now just to be completely transparent, I'll watch this sequel because I'll watch pretty much anything that brings me overwhelming feelings of nostalgia (<em>Fuller House</em> I'm looking at you), but that doesn't mean I'll be happy it. In fact, part of me wishes this trilogy was almost like one of those Shrek no. 187 straight-to-DVD releases -- a Netflix series even -- that way it could sort of fly under the radar and we wouldn't have to really talk about it. Not because I'm ashamed to be a fan, but because I know the day after the film hits theaters there will be no less than 1,243 thinkpieces (one of which will probably be on this very site) about how inappropriate, non-complex, superficial, and trite Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte are in their middle age. And though I don't doubt that those pieces will be 100% accurate, it's just not the type of discussion I want to have around this beloved series which, at one point in time, people could immerse themselves in for the relatabillity and escapism of it, rather than the political correctness -- or lack thereof.
As Suzannah Weiss already accurately pointed out in this foreshadowing prequel thinkpiece on <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2016/12/134033/sex-the-city-third-movie">Refinery 29</a>:
<blockquote>"[A]ttitudes that were cutting-edge in the late '90s and early '00s seem outdated when you <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2016/12/133507/sex-and-the-city-being-single-in-nyc#slide">watch the show in 2016</a>. All the main characters are straight, cis, <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2016/07/117151/sex-and-the-city-racism">white</a>, financially well-off women. Even though they have thriving careers, they spend surprisingly little time working, especially given how much spare income the main character has for shoes. Most of the plotlines revolve around men.
"When the show first came out, it was revolutionary just to watch women discuss their sex lives and desires frankly on TV. But the way they discuss it is problematic now."</blockquote>
Although Weiss says she'd be "excited to see <em>Sex and the City</em> get a modern, intersectional feminist makeover," I have to disagree. Samantha's carefree sexuality and Miranda's independent woman plot line were about as feminist as <em>Sex and the City</em> ever was, to change that would be to change the legacy of the series and the core identities of its characters. Why doesn't someone (other than Lena Dunham) simply create a show that will actually represent dating struggles of millennial women who aren't all white, wealthy, hetero, and unhappily single. That way <em>Sex and the City</em> can just be left alone, like it should've been in 2004. (Oh wait, <em>Insecure...)</em>
Yes, looking back on <em>Sex and the City</em> now, it may be hard to look away from its broken narratives, but trying to bring back 50-something-year-old women as modern-day representatives of their former, man-crazy, sometimes-desperate, over-sexed selves will not fix it. Chalk it up to the '90s and let's just cherish the reruns for what they were instead of what they aren't like we do with every other show.
<em>Photo: WENN</em>
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