Sexism and the City

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  • Posted By: Liz99 @ 06/07/2008 2:31:57 PM

    I just heard the move bashed on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me basically implying only gay men or straight ones who were emasculated would go to see this film. I don't get it. I'm actually not a SATC fan but this bashing is completely out of proportion to the film. It's only a movie, not a test of your masculinity, guys.

  • Posted By: Liz99 @ 06/07/2008 2:30:13 PM

    I just heard the move bashed on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me basically implying only gay men or straight ones who were emasculated would go to see this film. I don't get it. I'm actually not a SATC fan but this bashing is completely out of proportion to the film. It's only a movie, not a test of your masculinity, guys.

  • Posted By: StarLink @ 06/07/2008 2:30:10 PM

    This was a great movie

  • Posted By: StarLink @ 06/07/2008 2:29:38 PM

    This was a great movie

  • Posted By: pennibrown @ 06/06/2008 12:35:55 PM

    I was with you all the way until you compared Carrie to Hillary Clinton. I don't think Carrie and Hillary would like each other, let alone share a meal. Could your male-vision be clumping all women in the same shoe box?

  • Posted By: Deb63 @ 06/05/2008 7:26:10 PM

    I saw the movie "Sex in the City" and I thought it was great! I would go see it again. My guess is that the men who do like the movie are control freaks and mamas boys.

  • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 06/05/2008 6:21:57 PM

    I happen to be a guy who likes action and horror movies. I wouldn't go see Sex and the City because it doesn't interest me and if I saw it, would give it a low rating.

    That isn't a sexist viewpoint, is it?

    Oh well, move on. It's a movie for crying out loud. People are upset because other people don't like the movies they like? How childish.

  • Posted By: scottie252 @ 06/05/2008 4:59:20 PM

    absolutely agree! I know girls who can only wish that their boyfriends didn't have to be dragged kicking and screaming to this movie. what a big fuss they make. My guy firends are clueless about the phenomenon that is Sex and the City, but still feel the need to bash...and to remain clueless. They don't understand why women are lining up to see the movie...Sex and the City is a movie about women for women. we don't need them to understand, as much as we hope for their gender enlightenment, but we do need them to give up the eye-rolling and vehement opposition.

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 06/04/2008 11:41:55 AM

    Cry me a river. This is a useless bunch of whining that serves no useful purpose other to invent straw[men],if you will ,targets in order to go off on some weird idelogical tangent banging around inside of Ramins head. He[her,it?] mentions ''Citizen Kane'',but does not bother to mention other blockbuster favorites of the period. Here are some of them.

    ''Little Women''[with a nearly all-female cast headed up up Katherine Hepburn]

    ''How Green Was My Valley''[ Strong female lead roles]

    ''Mrs Miniver''[ Greer Garson hauls home an Oscar for her role as the mother who holds the family together in a time of war].

    ''The Good Earth''[Based on female writer Pearl S.Bucks masterpiece about China].

    ''Meet John Doe''[Barbara Stanwyck steals the show as the conniving reporter who exploits everyman Gary Cooper].

    ''Casablanca''[Ingrid Bergman is introduced to American audiences in one of the greatest love stories ever brought to the big screen. One of the most genderbased democratic films ever made,it had thrills,Bogie, and Nazis for the guys,and romance for the women].

    While Ramin whines,it pays to observe that all of these women were hailed for ''being their own woman'',''going outside the mold'',''dominating the screen'',and creating lasting legacies in drama,comedy,and suspense roles. And at a time when ''sexism''was demonstrably more prevelant in this nation. Indeed,not one of the cast members of ''Sex in the City''could hold a pale candle to the likes of Stanwyck,Ball,Garson,Bergman,Hepburn,[and Audrey],DeHaveland,or Leigh.





    • Posted By: irwind @ 06/05/2008 4:37:46 PM

      I must disagree here, in that Cynthia Nixon is a very fine actress; 'Warm Springs' would attest to that.

  • Posted By: Micky Marsh @ 06/04/2008 11:10:31 AM

    Sex and the city should be banned from television.

  • Posted By: microdon2 @ 06/04/2008 11:25:33 AM

    By the way, I used to watch "Sex in the City" in the beginning and enjoyed it, then it got lame when SJP started procuding the show, and suddenly she was too cool to look the fool (a typical mistake of rising comedy stars - see Eddie Murphy's career). I do have to say that, overall, men are held in pretty low esteem on the show, being not-as-smart and more simple-minded as the women, who are FAR more complicated and thought-out. So, sexist, and, also, not a great draw for a male audience. btw - is that how you gals NORMALLY think of us men?

    • Posted By: jfloyd @ 06/05/2008 4:18:55 PM

      That's certainly not how I think of men, and I've never lacked for male companionship ;-) I love men, even if some of them are not bright, or jerks - some women are too. I think generalizations are sexist, but I do think the way SATC portrays men and women is sexist and one-dimensional. Remind me again why so many women loved this show?

    • Posted By: librarygirl @ 06/04/2008 11:38:40 AM

      truth hurts, but yes and you guys have done nothing to disprove it

      • Posted By: chaz493 @ 06/04/2008 11:48:47 AM

        Responses like that are what causes our conempt for this movie/show. Be proud to be a woman, be strong that great and kudos to you. But being arrogant and self absorbed, dismissing the whole male populous as imbeciles will get you absolutely nowhere and ulitmately cause a rise in sexism. Good job

  • Posted By: lackadaze @ 06/05/2008 3:39:30 PM

    THANK YOU! This is exactly what I thought when I read some reviews of the movie. I read one that complained that the male characters are only used as pawns - which seemed odd to me, because that's how it is with every other movie, if you replace male characters with female ones.

  • Posted By: lackadaze @ 06/05/2008 3:37:50 PM

    THANK YOU! This is exactly what I thought after reading some reviews of the movie.

  • Posted By: thewooz @ 06/04/2008 1:42:48 PM

    Frankly, in my limited viewings of the TV show I've found it a bit degrading to women in the first place all on its' own, without any help from male critics.

    Presuming that is actually the case for a moment, isn't it bizarre to wide-brush male critics of it as sexist? Are male critics of pornography inherently sexist, since there are in fact women do not find it belittling or objectifing, and even find it empowering?

    An artistic work's credibility and value (or the degree to which it is found degrading) are not determined by the vehemence, gender, or race of the work's supportors (even if its' supporters are the ones degraded). Public support is typically fleeting anyway- you don't see allot of Germans calling "Mein Kampf" a great work of literature these days- which they once would have. Honestly, will SITC be a major feminist landmark in 25 years? Which is not to compare SITC to Mein Kampf, simply to make the point that who supports a work in no way determines its' value in an objective sense. MC Hammer cannot be compared with Motzart. Saying so does not make me racist.

    • Posted By: msideas @ 06/04/2008 1:51:02 PM

      "Saying so does not make me racist."
      ...but it does make you uneducated, thewooz. For future reference, Mozart is spelled without the 't'. If you are going to pretend to have a message worth paying attention to, try to not look like a fool. It will go far for your credibility. Great job on spelling MC Hammer correctly, though!

      • Posted By: thewooz @ 06/04/2008 2:20:08 PM

        I also (while typing quickly on my lunch break) typed "SITC" instead of SATC. I did however (since this apparently a scored event in which personal worth or intellegence are judged by typing skill and level commitment of editorial time? This is now a run on sentence. Tough.) successfully drop "vehemence" and "Mein Kampf"- to my credit I suppose? I'll just let you play judge on that one.

        Having now read your posting (and resisting all urges to attack it on the same spelling/grammar level) I suppose I can only ask you check "homey76"'s comment "I agree..." below. The ARTICLE I thought we were discussing here (rather than the movie... anyway) claims male critics don't like the movie because they're sexist. That seems to imply that it is impossible the movie might just actually stink. I honestly haven't seen it and am in no position to comment on it- nor have I. It just seems silly to think that since one group likes a work of art, those of another group who dislike the work must by definition dislike the group supporting it.

        • Posted By: msideas @ 06/04/2008 2:38:50 PM

          I'm checked. It was rude.
          You're right - the topic of these postings is the article, which questions if sexism is the reason for the passionately aggressive criticism. The author quoted a few actual critics (as opposed to people like us that just want to share), but where I suspect sexism creeping is in places like the imdb message board, where the author described posters jumping the gun on the movie even being released, and tearing it to shreds. I feel like the basis for a lot of criticism, is that SATC is a chick flick. At that point, people assume they can write it off as shallow or without cinematic value. That is where I identify sexism. A point I tried to make in my post, is that the measure of a good movie can be based on its ability to fulfill its purpose. Did Indiana Jones look sexy while reciting cheesy lines? Yes. Did I demand anything more of a blockbuster, action film? Absolutely not, and I loved the film for it. But I feel a movie, with a female target audience, has a hurdle to jump, simply because the acknowledgement of chick flick as a legitimate genre, has long been resisted.

          • Posted By: ghostmasseur @ 06/05/2008 2:47:16 PM

            msideas,

            Anyone who uses the imdb.com ratings as a basis for whether they will see a film or not is a fool. Although I have particiapted in some imdb.com boards, I ignore the ratings since the people who vote are not people whose opinion's I respect. They are, of course, entitled to their opinions but that does not mean that I will have any use for them. also the imdb rating system is so horrifically flawed that it makes exit polling seem like accurate high science.

            As for film critics, they are fairly useless too. Very few of them have the basic qualifications to make intelligent judgements or cinematic reviews (same with most theatre critics). Does that automatically make them sexist? No. Might they be sexist? Yes.

        • Posted By: thewooz @ 06/04/2008 2:31:52 PM

          Actually robinc913 says it better. But whatever- back to work...

          • Posted By: zbbrox @ 06/05/2008 8:30:48 AM

            I don't think guys write off "chick flicks" particularly more than women write off "dumb action movies". We're making broad generalizations about the tastes and attitudes of millions of people here. Critics, for instance, certainly don't treat your average "chick flick" as harshly as they treat your average Adam Sandler movie, or slasher film. Please also be advised that there is a broad and narrow meaning for "chick flick"--one which encompasses very good movies (like Shakespeare in Love, almost universally praised), and one that is mostly filled with bad-to-middling ones (straight-up Hugh-Grant-Julia-Roberts cliche romantic comedy stuff). SATC falls squarely into the latter--much more so than the show did, honestly.

            • Posted By: hammerman @ 06/05/2008 12:07:57 PM

              In response .. First off ,I am a man !! No really I am !! I love sex,sex movies,sex talk .. I joke of sex and often make ruude and obscene comments to fellow men .. But, I am sensitive to a womans needs . sometimes you have to put yourself in the womans shoes,to understand her feelings !! What makes her happy,sad and how to and where to touch her special places,both physically and emotionaly. The movie was great and brought a ter to my eyes . no surprise --I am Italian ..

  • Posted By: irwind @ 06/05/2008 2:40:51 PM

    I loved 'Sex...' as a TV show, as well as other 'girl' stuff like 'Gilmore Girls'. Great writing is great writing! There's so little of it. And yes, I'm a straight man. They laughed at me at work, when I told them I plan on seeing the movie. I mean can I identify anyore with Iron Man or the Hulk. (P.s. I'm also an Obamaniac who did a 180 and now loves Hillary too, and pray they become an unbeatable team!!)

  • Posted By: CaptainADD @ 06/04/2008 4:04:56 PM

    As someone on another fourm put it:
    "The reason that men hate Sex/City is that IT is sexist towards men. And it is responsible for thousands of unhappy women who are looking for "Mr. Right", or do not have the money to wear those clothes, or have those apartments, or those frickin shoes they always talk about, or have tight bodies from having personal trainers.It recreates and reinforces the ridiculous standards and stereotypes that woman are supposed to adhere to."

    In summation, Sex and the City is resposible for thousands upon thousands of women's pain and suffering.





    It recreates and reinforces the ridiculous standards and stereotypes that woman are supposed to adhere to.

    In summation, Sex and the City is resposible for thousands upon thousands of women's pain and suffering.

    • Posted By: sjpersonal @ 06/05/2008 2:28:34 PM

      Any woman that needs a movie about fictional people to define who they are, are just sad individuals. This is a movie, this is entertainment Period!

    • Posted By: msideas @ 06/04/2008 5:15:46 PM

      "In summation, Sex and the City is responsible for thousands upon thousands of women's pain and suffering."
      Seriously, Captain ADD. Say that out loud once, so you can hear how ludicrous that is.

  • Posted By: findllg @ 06/05/2008 11:58:23 AM

    Oh, all the angry women need to relax. Lots of women enjoy watching these four because although we may not be just like any of them, we are a little like all of them. I have 3 children, work a full time job and my favorite downtime was pouring a nice glass of wine, slipping into my pajamas and throwing myself into Carrie's world for an hour. Its a nice little getaway before I have to wake up and jump back into my busy life. Dont be so offended by people being sexist. Life is too short to be so defensive!

    • Posted By: sjpersonal @ 06/05/2008 2:25:27 PM

      Thanks, people need to relax sometimes. Everything is not an "ISSUE"

  • Posted By: toughluck @ 06/05/2008 1:07:49 PM

    I would like to bring the author's attention to the fact that quite a few female critics also panned th movie on rottentomatoes. I guess their voice just doesn't count though huh?

  • Posted By: beemerbabe113 @ 06/05/2008 11:57:00 AM

    first off let's remember that it's just a movie, a form of entertainment!!! yes it's entertainment that's aimed at women but it's still good entertainment. why is everyone so surprised that once again women in hollywood as well as the rest of the world are being thought of as second class. citizens, it's happened throughout the years, and as long as men are in positios of power it will continue to occur. sure the women of sex are over the top...but it's supposed to be that way. The important thing in all of this is the "FRIENDSHIPS" these women have with each other!!! through the good and the bad, it's not about the pricey shoes or extravagant dresses. it's about the bound that these women have been able to maintain, and as most women, if they're honest will admit it, we all have a support group of friends that we rely upon to amke it through the trials and problems of everyday life. no we don't wear designer dressess and exspensive shoes, but we do rely on our friends to get us through. most men and obviously some women have missed the entire point to this really fun and entertaining movie.

  • Posted By: bronemesis @ 06/05/2008 10:11:33 AM

    Let's narrow the demographics even further. This film is about white women and their white problems/successes. Yes, the series was based on a white woman and her contemporaries and that fact alone isolates it from '"all" women. This is not to say that "Sex and the City" is not universal to all women (which it isn't), but it may said that it truly speaks to one female demographic and hopes (unlikely) that others will relate to it. So in conclusion, "Sex and the City" was successful and it hit it's target audience, so does the Tyler Perry movies. Both are considered average type movies, but they do cater to their audiences. Isn't that what it's all about?

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