feministhemes.com

The other day I was sitting in a TV-related class and a fellow student began discussing her enjoyment of Sex and the City. I am not a fan of the show and I made my feelings about it clear (admittedly, the language I used was rather harsh, hence me not repeating it here, but I was mad because she said harsh things about Seinfeld, suggesting that all of America was silly for even watching it, and well… it bugged me). Anyway…

So I said I didn’t like the show and she said, “Wow, that was really aggressive, and kind of anti-feminist.”

I understood the aggressive (I was), but the anti-feminist thing really caught me off-guard.

“I don’t think Sex and the City is necessarily a feminist show,” I countered.

“I think it is,” she responded. Fair enough. But then she explained her reason for believing so: “Because the entire show revolves around Carrie’s job.”

I’m not a fan of Sex and the City. Although I think it had its moments, the materialism played out in the show and surrounding it here in the real world made me really uncomfortable. Not to mention the fact that all four of these liberated women ended up in happy little heterosexual relationships at the end of the series. Love isn’t a bad thing, but for a show that celebrated independence it seemed a little unnecessary.

However, even though I’m not a fan of the show, I can understand how it could be argued that the show was incredibly feminist, but I don’t think the focus on Carrie’s job is really good support.

Then I began thinking; what makes a show feminist? How many “negative” elements must there be to rule out the good (if that’s even possible)?

So I ask of the readers of feministhemes.com, what are your favorite “feminist” shows? Have you ever felt bad for not liking a show because of it’s noble and laudable ideals? And are there any shows you gave up on because you felt women were being marginalized in a way that made you uncomfortable? Lastly, what are your thoughts on Sex and the City? Am I not giving it a fair chance? I’d love to hear your thoughts.