By Amelia Boag McGlynn
And just like that, hit HBO show ‘Sex and the City’ has experienced a booming resurgence in cultural relevance over the last few years. Thanks to apps like Twitter and TikTok, the youth have ensured that the sage words of wisdom from New York’s four favourite women stays fresh on everyone’s lips, with countless trends, gifs and viral moments credited to the
show being circulated on the regular.
Carrie Bradshaw describes herself in the show’s pilot as a “sexual anthropologist”, a bold statement for women of any era; whether in 90s New York or navigating the tumultuous landscape of 2020s politics. And I couldn’t help but wonder… is this the answer we desperately need in our rising time of conservatism?
After the social division of Covid and its lockdowns, followed by the mass, cult-like rise of political individuals like Trump and Farage, it is safe to say that conservatism is on the up. Whilst some may assume I am speaking about the popularity of the Tory party, this is just one small aspect of the conservative, right-wing values that have begun to sink deeper into the folds of our social fabric. ‘Woke’ has become a dirty word; flags line our streets as symbols of hatred rather than unity, and the previous ‘Land of the Free’ is seemingly inching closer to a dictatorship with each (likely censored) head- line. Typically, the youth are the trailblazers of radical and liberal ideology. The crazy kids of yore pioneered social change in fights for rights, development, and acceptance in a way that would now be sneered at on a good day, or, as we are watching happen now, lead to arrest for the act of simply peacefully protesting. Instead, we are getting youth Reform UK candidates, young men falling right-wing pipelines, ‘incel’ culture, and young women setting aside their hard-fought (and recent) right to earn their own living in favour for becoming ‘tradwives’. Frankly, I’m horrified at my generation’s failure to fullfill our role as the fighting force of social justice, but of course, it is not just Gen Z falling into problematic ideology – conservatism is experiencing a boost across all ages. It is a terrifying time but media like ‘Sex and the City’ shine a hopeful light on the necessary conversations we need to be having to help illuminate a path towards openness, education and most importantly: critical, thoughtful dialogue in our communities.
One of the striking impressions that I took from SATC was just that – the conversations. Of course, they are scripted, rehearsed, and performed, but there is something unbelievably natural about their flow of speech. I tip my hat to the talented actors and writers who brought these topics to life through vibrant characters and skilled writing, but I also choose to believe that my obsession with these chats over cocktails and café menus comes from something other than their acting prowess. Their dialogue is brutally honest, where no topic is off limits, and the girls do not hold back when discussing their intimate lives. Their details are graphic, and the responses vary from comfort, support, advice, and the sharing of equally intimate experiences. They embrace the uncomfortable moments of their peers and turn them into deeply thoughtful discussions. There is no taboo, and their bonds only benefit from this openness.
Furthermore, their chats are uninterrupted by the ever-present buzz of the mobile phone that we so often allow to distract ourselves from important conversations. Phones are essential to the division in community through the rise of conservatism. They keep people isolated, provide private platforms for the sharing of extremist views, and allow us to disengage from the stressful headlines around us, rather than take the time to think about them. We are kept from our ‘village’ by this division, and the lack of the virtual interrupter is apparent when watching Carrie and her girls converse. It makes me yearn to put my phone down to just talk about anything and everything with my friends. We all have worries, fears and embarrassments, especially regarding our sex and love lives. Sharing these feelings is essential, the only way I can quash the stress I feel about them. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved. Honest and thought-provoking conversation, I would argue, is an essential element of keeping people from falling into right wing, extremist views. Welcoming different views, lightly defending our own, and then altering them to find new perspectives keeps us critical and sharp, preventing the trap of echo chambers that parrot what we want to hear back.
Of course, our tempestuous political climate cannot solely be solved by critical sexual discourse. However, its lack of presence in our current ethos feels overt, and watching a show like ‘Sex and the City’ only highlights that.
I couldn’t help but wonder if these feelings were shared. I wanted to break outside simply asking my close friends, so I took to my Instagram to poll the masses on their thoughts on SATC, sexual anthropology and our rise of conservatism. Luckily, my pool of willing voters has expanded since my last foray into data-based articles, with this topic racking up over 200 voters per poll.
Without diving too deep into the technicalities, my voters seemed to agree with my idea. 52% said that they consumed content that was related to discussing sex (whether it be articles, columns, podcasts or TikToks). 82% of voters agreed to discussing their sex lives with their friends, with nearly 100% of those who also consumed sex related content voting yes in this second category.
Interestingly, 55% thought that as a generation, we do not lack the ability to talk about sex, which I was glad to hear. 64% of voters agreed that the practice of ‘sexual anthropology’ was on the decline. Then, most importantly, I moved into politics. 95% of voters agreed that conservatism was on the rise. So, what to do? I think the answer is clear. We need to be talking about sex, and I don’t just mean in a sexy way. Our lives, opinions, and lived experience – whether related to the topic or simply adjacent – are often gritty, odd, and sometimes downright humiliating. Revelling in the human nature of sharing these affairs can only bring us closer together, expanding critical thinking skills whilst strengthening bonds.
Miss Bradshaw has always been somewhat of an inspiration to me. Between her long curls, bylines, love of fashion (and questionable life choices), I felt as if we were somewhat aligned. I often found myself wanting to write as honestly as her about ‘taboo’ subjects but shied away when worrying about how these details would be received by those around me, particularly people who may read my articles that I wouldn’t choose to share those details with in person. However, after countless rewatches, mock SATC columns of my own, and consumption of modern day ‘sexual anthropology’, I can safely say it is a path I intend to venture down professionally.
I can only hope that as a society we start to air these issues more. Whether about sex directly (or your lack of it), your gender identity, sexuality, last situationship’s new Instagram post or your new Hinge account, the dissemination of these topics can only further us in creating a supportive and diverse community. Conservatism is rooted in fear and miseducation – it is essential we combat it with candour and outspokenness.
‘Sex and the City’ was a trailblazing show of its time. It may have made some missteps politically that it apologised for, but across the board, it still stands strong today. We get caught up in the constant streaming services of our modern world, and we forget that circling back to the classic shows that shaped current TV can still teach us something. And I can’t help but wonder – will it make a difference when we put down the phones, talk about the scary stuff, and allow our opinions to evolve? I have an excellent feeling that it can’t hurt. Neither can a Marlboro Red and a cosmopolitan with the girls, according to Carrie…
