Rotten Little Girls

For example,

1) Not all men are crazy! The main cast members of Sex and the City (SATC) are constantly dating the most dysfunctional and insane men. Remember shoe fetish guy? The guy who took a shower after sex because of Catholic guilt? The list of crazies that the women run into is pretty extensive and the depiction of men is not very realistic.

2) Why do these women choose $400 shoes over paying the rent? Viewers are constantly hit over the head with blatant consumerism. Demand for Manolo Blahniks increased after the show was released merely because they were Carrie’s shoe of choice. You know, because accumulating more crap is good for the economy and all.

3) Maybe I’m the only one who finds this odd, but how do these women have NO friends or lovers of color? I know it’s the Upper East Side, but come on! Okay, so there are a couple of episodes where one of the women dates a black man but these relationships are weighed down by Hollywood’s favorite interracial couple stereotypes (for example: the white woman might be with the black man because he has a big penis; the black man’s sister is upset that he’s dating a white woman so she gets between their relationship).

4) Every SATC episode sends conflicting messages to women: “Be strong! Be independent! You are incomplete without men!” The message of women’s sexual liberation & independence is pretty heavy-handed throughout the entire show. Yet, the show is focused on the women’s relationships with men. Pick a side, HBO, and stick to it.

5) Considering the show is often centered around women eating together in a café, you’d think there’d be a broader range of body shapes instead of skinny, skinnier, and then Miranda…the “fat” one. Right. I know it’s Hollywood, but stop shoving this tripe down our throats!

6) Where are the lesbian woman? Gay men are a regular “accessory” on the show; the women bring them to parties or clubs when they don’t have a “normal” date. However, there are only a few episodes that feature gay women. During these episodes (surprise, surprise), these lesbian women are depicted as either incapable of being friends with straight women or they’re throwing plates in fits of jealous rage.

7) The women talk about men all day long. What about politics or some other interesting topic? I would find that to be compelling, but apparently it’s not marketable. Miranda’s character does complain about all the conversations centering around men but she’s basically as guilty of it as the rest of the women. The show never really deviates from their time-tested formula: four women discuss men and how stupid/amazing/good in bed they are.

8) The whole premise is just so darn unrealistic. Sex columnist in B-rate daily newspaper spends all her money on expensive shoes, restaurants, and Hamptons timeshares while being friends with other skinny, surprisingly wealthy white women – all the while encountering no people of color, no lesbian women or transgendered people. Yet these women manage to sleep with every mentally deranged man in New York City & the surrounding areas.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you have anything to add to this list? Are there any shows out there with more realistic depictions of people or would that be expecting the impossible from Hollywood?