First off, I want to apologize for what I'm about to write in regard to "Sex and the City" (1998-2004). I understand that the show generated a very large, loyal fan base, and seeing as I did not watch it in its entirety, my expertise isn't truly complete. Therefore, I can only be pseudo-confident when I claim that "Sex and the City" is to the fashion industry as "Mein Kampf" (1925) was to the Nazis: inaccurate, yet absurdly effective propaganda.
Like I said, my knowledge of the show is limited. I've seen both movies, and I watched a few episodes of the first season in preparation for this column. But from what I've gathered, "Sex and the City" is the largest piece of fugly fashion advertising in the history of media. It convinced an entire generation of women that you can run around with satellite-shaped hats, adult tutus, and giant flowers pinned to your boobs, and yet you'll still get laid.
The only thing that comes close to this level of fashion manipulation is Lady Gaga, but even she admits that in order to find her costumes sexy, you have to redefine your idea of sexiness. On the other hand, "Sex and the City" never questions Carrie Bradshaw's sex appeal. True love and a lasting marriage may be impossible ideals in the show, but getting hit on while wearing army fatigues and stilettos is not.
To be fair, New York is the fashion capital of America, so it's possible that the men there are simply conditioned to contraceptive-inducing fashion. But "Sex and the City" didn't just air in New York. It led nearly every woman with an HBO subscription to believe that there was a positive correlation between sex and fashion, regardless of geographical location.
For example, in "Sex and the City 2" (2010), when the four women venture to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Carrie Bradshaw — played by Sarah Jessica Parker — wows a former flame by wearing a "J'adore Dior"-emblazoned crew-neck T-shirt and the equivalent of a purple picnic blanket as a skirt. Apparently, that's what fashionable women wear when they visit the Middle East. And that's also apparently what former boyfriends fantasize about their ex-girlfriends wearing when they're reunited.
We can trace these oxymoronic moments all the way back to the first season, when Carrie goes on her first date with the enigmatic "Mr. Big," wearing furry, pink Dolce & Gabbana sandals and a feather boa. This man, undeterred by her likeness to a flamingo, goes on to marry Carrie in the first "Sex and the City" film (2008).
Now, it's not that designer brands like Dolce & Gabbana never make anything sexy. In fact, their Fall/Winter 2010/2011 line seems to suggest that women's suits don't require pants, but should rather be paired with shiny, spandex underwear — like a more chic Tom Cruise in "Risky Business" (1983).
But the fact stands that the one time I wore a piece from the well-respected Italian line, it resulted in nothing even close to a marriage proposal. I only attracted the sexual interest of a friend's male dinner guest, which my friend rationalized by explaining, "Joe just likes girls who dress weird."
It may not have been very eloquent, but that statement made a lot of sense. Either Sarah Jessica Parker's sexiness is so exuberant that her clothing is irrelevant, or New York is just full of men who like women who "dress weird." Therefore, assuming you like sex as much as Carrie does, I would suggest saving any fashion forward outfits for your next trip to the Big Apple.
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Ashley Wood is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Ashley.Wood@tufts.edu.
