'Empowered by Manolos, Bound by Cosmos Femininity and Gender Roles in Darren Star’s Sex and the City\r'

'Entertain workforcet has presbyopic been unmatched of the most accessible forms of communication beca habit it appeals to the signified of pleasure than whatsoever a nonher(prenominal) lane in the information attend. Today, in most parts of the institution, merriment has conquered a host of media that may be appropriated by both(prenominal)(prenominal) producers and consumers, with each medium translating specific aloney to the interview it aims to reach. From print to broadcast, from involve to the internet, mass communication has provided slipway and means for audiences of both age to maintain the mixture of pastime they preferâ€thereby creating its niche in the prevailing fashionable grow in any country or community.\r\nAmong the forms mentioned, the stellar history of consume and the each(prenominal)ure of convenient glamour and lifestyle associated with it create catapulted it to the top of the most influential of all media. Considering most people dr aw access to cinema, it is correct to evolve that this medium has had its sh atomic number 18 of voice in achieving mixer change, advocacy, politics, and em forcement. And, apart from be instrumental in relaying intelligence operation and other traditional informative content, cinema and its achievement in entertainment has also be diminish a veritable avenue to communicate these integral prints with optics, acting, and choice of format.\r\nOne of the most celebrated productions in recent time is the iconic Sex and the city demand, released in 2008 and based on the cult television show of the like title. By showcasing the formerly hateful concepts of singlehood among females over thirty, professional success, and the unabashed references to wind upuality and independence, its cause Darren Starr had stumbled upon a void clearly anticipated by women in these slipsâ€and launched a culture that debunked most traditionalist ideologies and heralded brisk mindsets of f eminism and empowerment.\r\nII. Power and the maidenly Approach Feminist inquiry was schematic to â€Å" head theories that center women’s experiences and to articulate the relations among the categories of gender and other social categories, including race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality” (Littlejohn 2008, p. 49), and this claim is evident in the purposive acknowledgment of SATC.\r\nIndividually, the characters of Carrie, Sa objet darttha, Miranda, and Charlotte bear their unique strengths and focus: writer Carrie is the intellectual and self-examining; Samantha’s focus is on her sexual nature; attorney Miranda conveys independence; and Charlotte is depicted as the arguably traditional of the multitude yet is never relegated to cosmos permanently at the mercy of her goal to divulge a husband. In other words, these women ar all portrayed to be whole and complete on their experience, and deem already made their decisions on their crabbed brands of femininity.\r\nOnce a muliebrity has defined her finger of self, it is easy to understand how power sess come logically. Most audiences of SATC find pleasure in the humourous musings of Carrie, the stern yet human concerns of Miranda, the extent to which Charlotte would go to get married, and the sexual adventures of Samantha. In the snap, though, each has had her own story finally played out, not of necessity in the ship canal they planned: Miranda is a mother, Samantha is in a committed relationship, and Charlotte is married and has adopted a child. Only Carrie appears to give way taken the much than pass judgment route of continuing her relationship with Mr. Big, a man who had long been the cause of many of her mishaps. But patch each of them has authoritativeized their traditional roles as females, their earth activities still remain indicative of their career successes. want in the TV show, the women of the SATC film still postulate in their females- provided co nversations and gatherings, during which they discuss men, relationships, and sexuality. According to Littlejohn (2008, p. 244), â€Å"women’s groups much are less(prenominal) implicated outcomes and traditional group tasksâ€less interested in doing and more interested in macrocosm”, which therefore justifies the nature of their bond.\r\nAmong friends, the quartet women can provided be and not be concerned with what should be; among their colleagues, they are more goal-driven and objective. The conversations the SATC females make water within their group are, in mankind, material that audiences can live by, and are intimately always philosophic or pragmatic enough to communicate new thinking. When Miranda discovered that Steve had a sexual affair with other woman, she immediately reported the incident to her girlfriendsâ€who, in turn, explicit approval at Miranda’s decision to fall in Steve.\r\nWhen Carrie announced that she and Mr. Big were g etting married, the group in truth came up with devil prospectsâ€validation from Charlotte, and ambivalence from Samantha. These twain examples at once look rational ways to address these greens life circumstances, without resorting to the stereotypical reaction of women approving of marriage or staying in one despite significant problems. Apart from that, their nonchalant path in discussing sexuality signals an unconventional pattern not very much shown among women in films and other media, scarce occurs in women’s discussions in real life.\r\nThe vulnerability exhibited by at least(prenominal) two of the iv characters spell engaging with men is more about cosmos human than succumbing to societal pressure; it has more to do with their personalities than a non-negotiable objective to feel adequate with men in their lives. Again, this goes back to the development of each character in the film, being completely defined and judge for women their age. Of course, it would be harder to prove had they been in their twenties, still trenchant for themselves in young York, like Carrie’s subordinate Louise.\r\nModern femininity is definitely confirmed in the events, reactions, and portrayals of the SATC girls: strong and individual, yet completely aware of their identities and priorities. Compared to young women, the four characters are each shown carrying the same grit of self one her own, or with her friends. Therefore, the ply of power in the film is attached to the evolved characters of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotteâ€they know who they are, including their strengths and weaknesses, and are capable of appropriating such when it comes to men, or any other concern. III.\r\nRepresenting the Thirty-Something Female With the exception of Samantha, who celebrated her fiftieth birthday in the SATC film, the main characters are in their late thirties. In fact, Carrie had probably just false forty as this was one of the high lights in the filmâ€the suitability of a 40-year-old woman to be photographed in a wedding dress. However, this may be less of an issue compared to the question of the accurate hold still foration of women in this age range. Israel (2002) stated the still-existing stereotype of single women, that they are â€Å"social outcasts… odd women who require constant interlingual rendition” (p. 46). If this is the present concept of the public regarding single women, then the issue is not in the misrepresentation alone in society’s unchanged opinion of female expectations. While the show’s motive had indeed chosen to center on the lives of peeled York women, possibly to highlight the urban culture and wealth of material related to the subject area, the demographic shown is not farthermost from the truth. It may not be correct to pack that all thirties females live the kind of lives seen in SATC, but he combined factors of side, career opportunities, an d culture all figure in the equation.\r\nMuch of the TV show and the movie itself is focused on the revolutionary York life†appearance, music, night lifeâ€and the defining characteristics of the location that has made it legendary. Opportunities for career and wealth are often associated with gumption and chutzpah, which are part of the psyche of a typical modern Yorker. This is most evident in Miranda’s and Samantha’s stories, whose careers as a lawyer and a public relations expert, respectively, are born(p) out of their being in New York.\r\n steady Carrie and her sex column’s credibility cast off more to do with being in New York, the bastion of all things forward and modern, than by merely being a smart single woman with enough authority about sex. The aberration, more than being the appropriate representation of single women, is Charlotte; her perceived value and preference for tradition appear to be more suited to a less foundingly area than M anhattan. Like in the TV series, consumerism and brands form a significant function in the film; Carrie’s display of wedding dresses identified by condition shows the amount of importance given to labels.\r\nBut the New York premise once again provides the perfect excuse, being the center of fashion and home to most sumptuousness brands. Had Carrie been in a small and not-so-cosmopolitan area would have made this appear pretentious and unreal, but the established facts of New York, her career as a time columnist, and her affinity for fashion take up the association with ornamentalist labels quite expected and normal. Without the penchant for brands and the access afforded by being in New York, the SATC women’s representations of the thirty-something female are not far from accurate.\r\nAt this age, most women have, or are in the process of establishing their careers, or are obsessing over finding a husband and starting a familyâ€as seen, respectively, in Miranda and Charlotte. Yet they had not neglected the other aspects of themselves that would make them achieve their life goals, such as motherhood, responsibility, and association; these are clearly established in the film, but due to the necessity to adhere to a glutinous storyline, these have been placed conveniently as stage setting material.\r\nStill, some traditionalists may dismiss the film as a celebration of consumerism, anti-feminism, and overt sexualityâ€concepts that vary each other when taken as a wholeâ€but it is only because SATC managed to introduce a new breed of independent females who recognize some(prenominal) their strengths and limitations. The characters are complete and wholly developed, creating personalities so real and defined that the more conservative viewer may find them at once curious and controversial.\r\nThe female audience comprising the age range portrayed by the SATC women will always find the film liberating, for two possible thinks: becaus e they can identify with the trials and tribulations of the four characters; or because they can only hope to reach the direct of identity and liberation available to these New York women. Of course, the common pleasure derived by women in either situation may be found within the more superficial elements of meeting men per se and fashionâ€it is still entertainment, after all.\r\nBut the deeper issues of get along, relationship, marriage, friendship, career, life, loss, sadness, joy, and other concepts present in the film are universal constructs that go women, and men as well. However, if one were to stop at the shallow enjoyment of the aesthetic elements provided by the filmâ€such as designer fashions, swanky homes, and gorgeous menâ€then the experience would not be maximized, and would most likely box in the film in the category of triviality and shallowness.\r\nAlso, manipulation would only be the case if the film depicts a military man far from real, with unbelieva ble characters, and an obvious objective to shop its audience to a life impossible to reach. Carrie and her friends represent every single woman, perhaps not in all aspects, but in the mindset and priorities; the issue of singleness at thirty being the distinguish qualifier in the equation. Naturally, their concerns would not be same to those of a younger or married woman, who would have different realities altogether.\r\nAn example would be the wildly popular TV show Gossip Girl (2007), which is doubtlessly limited to the lives of the affluent youth and uses a dubitable method of communicating reality through visual pleasure and aspiration. IV. The Politics of Gender Roles in SATC The topics chosen for discussion in the regular lunch, coffee, and shopping dates of the four characters vary at all times, with gender-related issues taking a significant portion.\r\nThe nature of entertainment provides an effective avenue for these concerns, specially with a smartly-written script a nd a good sense of responsibility to communicate the issues properly. In the movie, the women discuss sex in the presence of Charlotte’s daughter Lily, and they use the word â€Å"color” to substitute for â€Å"sex”â€producing a witty exchange that came off as both enjoyable and informative yet socially acceptable. Marriage, in Carrie’s case, was construed on the outset as a matter of convenience, in order to share an apartment with Mr.\r\nBig, but was really a serious issue that had her debating on her reasons for getting marriedâ€whether it was out of love or mere practicality. But despite all the carefully-crafted dialogue, the scenes referring to life-changing issues such as Miranda’s separation from Steve and Charlotte’s discovering she is pregnant were treated with utmost subtlety and thought, and would not be out of place in any other traditional school text discussing the very same points.\r\nWhat may be left out to some ext ent is the politics among the characters themselves; since female competition is a powerful theme in most women’s lives (Barash 2006), it is questionable how the four women have almost no semblance of rivalry or contest, at least in the film. This phenomenon is largely common among groups of women, in particular, and SATC had shown almost nothing about competition even if it could have been appropriated in several points in the story.\r\nThe only allusion to it would be Miranda’s declaration that marriage is not the rightly choice to make, yet without any reference to her look up to of Carrie and Mr. Big. V. Conclusion The entertainment culture introduced by the pioneering SATC text redefined the landscape of feminism, empowerment, and the resulting popular culture that has been embraced by audiences the world over. Through the use of female characters who were instruments to convey individuality and power, the celebration of women as symbols of strength is done with much success.\r\nThe fact that they discuss issues once considered taboo for media portrayal is already a feat in the world of feminism and empowerment, albeit relatively against the norms of tradition or the sanction style of standard feminists. But the goal of entertainment in SATC does not stop with entertainment itselfâ€the reality of the thirty-something single woman is enough reason to make it a pronounced voice in educating society about the capabilities of females beyond the label of matrimonial status.\r\n'