Sex and the City Gives Bad Advice

The iconic and successful HBO series Sex and the City (SATC) changed the way women approach life, love and fashion.

Like most women, I am a huge fan and constantly try to choose among my friends which one of us is Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, or Miranda. It’s fun to go out with your girlfriends and talk about men and sex, and after the show ended, guys knew that we talked like them too.

Although SATC is an awesome show and revolutionized people’s attitudes about love and sex, the show is like that girlfriend who gives really, really, really bad advice about relationships.

Every person has a friend that gives bad advice about love. Not because they want to, but because they don’t know any better. This person is the friend who tells you that a guy is going to call you even though it’s been three months. This person is also the friend that tells you that kissing is not cheating. This friend is also deluded enough to tell you to re-date a complete idiot or jerk because he or she is just playing hard to get.

I know I sound like a hypocrite but I am still realistic enough to realize the majority of sexual escapades and relationships in that show are completely factious. Unfortunately, most women will continue to believe SATC has all the answers to their lack luster love lives, dating ruts, and endless ideas that women can change men.

For example, the series heroine, Carrie Bradshaw has a torrid on/off romance with Mr. Big. There’s nothing uncommon about this however, here’s where it gets tricky. Carrie and Big’s relationship lasted for ten years. During this time, Big gets married to a young model whom he cheats on with Carrie. Carrie gets in engaged to Adian and breaks up with him twice and then she eventually runs off to Paris with a Russian artist. Like most cheesy loves stories, Big follows her to Paris and brings her back home to the Big Apple.

In the feature film Carrie and Big plan to move in together and wed. However, Big gets cold feet on their wedding day and stands her up at the altar. After months of being apart (for obvious reasons) they randomly see each other in the apartment he bought for them and while disregarding logic fall into each other’s arms and get married at the courthouse. The moral of the story is: if you wait half your life, the man of your dreams will eventually come around.

Even though I enjoyed every minute of the Carrie and Big saga, this is the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard. In real life, this romance would have been over in six months, two years max. Most people would agree that no one is worth all that work.

Another example of really bad advice is Miranda, the redheaded cynical Harvard lawyer love story. Miranda has a one night stand with Steve, a bartender. Like Carrie and Big, the two have an on/off relationship. During their third go round, Miranda gets knocked up with Steve’s baby. The two eventually get married and live somewhat happily ever after until Steve cheats on her in the movie. After therapy they get back together. The moral of this story is: It’s okay to date and marry beneath social status and never mind adultery, when love is involved.

This story is a load of crap. Not only is Miranda dating under her caste, but also she allows her cheating husband to return to her with complete forgiveness. I have three syllables for that: Bo-lo-gna!

The truth is, women cannot change men and waiting for a man to change will take an eternity. Woman should listen to their instincts more often when it comes to men and not a television show that seems to have all the answer. Fairy tales do come true, however women need to weigh the pros and cons and determine if their happy ending is really worth the fuss. SATC is fiction, not a version of the truth.