For several decades, film and movies have been used express different perspective in both the contemporary and traditional society. Sex and city is a series film with four girls as the main characters. The movie was aired from 1998 to 2004, and it received several awards among them are Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award. The main characters were Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes, and Samantha Jones. This research paper aims at studying the role of film in expressing different perspective of the society such as fashion, gender, age, and history as reflected in Sex and City movie.
Sex and City movie has brought an element of fashion throughout its six seasons. The characters' fashions and clothing made several item in their wardrobe popular. When looking at Carrie Bradshaw, the outfits she wore were concerning the moment in time she was experiencing. In case she was down emotionally, the outfit would reflect the moods. Similarly, if she were in a happy mood, the outfit would express the same. Her bold accessories, heels, fur coat, and tutu became a pin to her fashion and in due course defined the period concerning fashion. The designer of sex and city movie character capitalized in mixing both the traditional ideas with the modern ideas in fashion to create a different product. They believed there was great relationship between the actor, character and the choice of wardrobe.
Fashion in this movie came out as bold as well as innovative and creative. Changes in fashion especially the way the four girls are changing their dress bring about the notion of seduction. For instance, Charlottes semi-concealed her breasts, as well as the display of her arms and shoulders, projected hesitant sexual alerts that proclaim both her cravings and modesty. One of the significant elements of costumes used by the main characters shows a connection between the body and the dress. The four main characters have erogenous zones that they consistently revealed. Carrie’s always showed her legs while Miranda showed her upper arms. Samantha, who has the most clear-cut model of erotic display, shows her plunging necklines which the emphasis on her cleavage and breasts. Her clothes consciously alert the viewers of her sexual availability and her physical assets. Samantha guiding principle in fashion is to adopt the male approach to sexual activity. Similar to Carrie, her fashion changes depending on the occasion. For instance, if she is having a dinner with a rich person she wears clothes that resemble the one worn by strippers. As the series progress, characters fashion evolve, but Samantha remains the same throughout the season.
Besides attracting fashion in accessories and items of clothing, fashion in sex and the city is much deeper in the show with several storyline having being developed from fashion-specific perspectives. For example, ‘the real me’ episode looks into the ‘magnificent’ sartorial festival which is the catwalk show, emphasizing the overwhelming seductive ability of the fashion industry, from fantastic shoes and champagne to the misfortunes and cattiness that hang about beneath its elegant appearance. Sex and City movie is more than the expression of fashion fantasies. Instead, it can be regarded as the explicit television incarnation of an appealing lifestyle. In addition to often stunning costly clothes, the viewers are tantalized by the entire way of life that involves spending leisure time in extremely expensive places.
Throughout the episodes of sex and the city, different aspects of gender are discovered. Sex and city have received critics of having celebrated post-feminism. The idea feminism is no longer applicable to women’s lives since the structural gender disparities have significantly withered away. The privileges and choice that were only enjoyed by men are now available to women. Regardless one pursues an outdated feminine trajectory like Charlotte or searches for happiness and meaning separately of heterosexual monogamy like Samantha; it is just a matter of choice, and it is available to all women. The essence is what is reflected in the movie. The characters are liberated to pursue their endeavors of their own through countless fashion shows and exclusive parties.
When looking closely at the marriage perspective in the show, gender stereotype is present despite the movie portraying the advancement in the independence of women. The show still reveals that men are superior in the world. Sex and the city reflect the morals and standards of postmodern American society. From the actions and presentations of its characters, the show can be referred to as feminist text but in the real sense, it reflects the patriarchal society. Regardless how successful the women were, their desire for men has fundamentally driven the storyline. Sex and the city is a product of patriarchal and capitalistic culture.
When looking at fashion and age, it refers to the exploration of the connection between clothing and age. It is believed as people age, their fashion changes. In the sex and city, the fashions of the characters have changed over the seasons. Moreover, the clothes and accessories used by characters despite being revealing of body parts, there are mature and in line with the age of the characters. The choice of fashion was to capture both the young viewers and the elderly viewers. It was an element of incorporating the modern fashion with the traditional fashion. The series changed the notion that women above a certain age should not wear a certain type of clothes such as tutus.
Looking at the history of America fashion, Sex and the City has had a major influence on the growth of media influence of the fashion of the viewers. The fashions displayed by the characters became a choice of most of the women and led to many fashion journalists writing about them. The Americans have become more comfortable in trying out the new fashions they come up with. It was from a motivational talk from Carrie Bradshaw that is a confidence-boosting quote and it advises people to hold up and make the best of what they have.
In conclusion, fashion, gender, age, and history have dominated the sex and city series. Fashion in the film leads to a major shift in the American culture. The movies changed the perceptions of women on age and fashion and encouraged them to come out confident with their outfits. However, even though the movie was created to show the strength of women, it has shown the elements of patriarchal society with the women have great desires towards men. The movie was able to change not only the independence of women but also encouraged women to take part even those projects that have been termed as ‘men projects’.
Bibliography
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Kuruc, Katarina. "Fashion As Communication: A Semiotic Analysis Of Fashion On ‘Sex And The City’". Semiotica 2008 (171), 2008. doi:10.1515/semi.2008.074.
