21 Times "Sex And The City" Got Away With Extremely Problematic Storylines...Like, These Are Ridiculous, Folks

4 years ago 6

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"Men don't want a woman who's too self-sufficient." —Charlotte to Miranda.

If you don't know by now, the new Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That..., has finally hit HBO Max.

Opening scene of the first episode of "And Just Like That..."

The new series tackles a lot of new things about legendary characters Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte, but most importantly, it puts a focus on mindful writing and diversity (something the original series ignored for its entire run).

"I like the idea of men in skirts. Easy access"

It's hard not to notice And Just Like That's obvious effort to be more inclusive, with its use of mindful language, new characters of color, and situations that were never featured in the original series (or movies). After years of backlash for its problematic plots and very white storytelling, the reboot is doing its best to "make up" for lost time, even though these old narratives still exist.

"I'm Che Diaz, your host, and queer, nonbinary, Mexican, Irish diva representing everyone else outside these two boring genders"

Evaluating problematic moments from Sex and the City is important because the hope is these troubling narratives won't repeat themselves in the SATC universe, and in the TV/movie world as a whole.

"We all judge. That's our hobby. Some people do arts and crafts. We judge"

So, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the most problematic moments from the Sex and the City universe. Here's what they had to say.

Warning: And Just Like That... spoilers ahead! 🚨

Warning: Some submissions include topics of sexual assault.

Note: Not all submissions were made by Community users.

1. When the girls traveled to Mexico on what would've been Carrie and Big's honeymoon, and Charlotte refused to eat or drink anything at the resort, perpetuating a culturally insensitive stereotype.

"You're going to eat this pudding crap on the entire trip?" Charlotte: "It's the only thing in the pantry that's safe." Miranda: "It's a five-star resort..." Charlotte: "It's Mexico"

2. When Carrie's boyfriend told her he identified as bisexual, and she couldn't stop criticizing him behind his back.

"I'm not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it's just a layover on the way to Gay Town"

3. And then when she ditched him at the very cool and hip party because she just couldn't handle dating a man who identified as bisexual.

"That was the last night I saw Sean. I realized they could do whatever they wanted, but deep down, I was too old to play this game"

4. When Samantha complained about the Black trans sex workers outside of her apartment building and called them a derogatory term.

"I am paying a fortune to live in a neighborhood that's trendy by day and tranny by night"

5. When Samantha hosted the girls at her apartment and made an inappropriate comment that queer men only cared about fashion and having sex.

"Gay men understand what's important. Clothes, compliments, and c*cks"

6. When they made Stanford and Anthony's wedding the most stereotypical wedding for a gay couple, featuring swans, men singing show tunes in top hats, and the queerest wedding officiant one could book: Liza Minnelli.

"And now, the brooms have written their own v—'brooms'?"

7. When Carrie slut-shamed Samantha for giving a blowjob to a man in her office, even after all of the many, many times Samantha unconditionally supported Carrie's horrible decisions when it came to men (a la, having an affair with Big).

"I will wear whatever, and blow whomever I want as long as I can breathe and kneel"

8. When Carrie complained to the girls about her gold engagement ring from Aidan, and stated she only wore "ghetto gold" jewelry for "fun."

"Yeah, like, ghetto gold. For fun. But this is my engagement ring"

9. When the Sex and the City writers leaned into the annoying trope that a woman's favorite hobby in life was shopping for clothes and shoes.

"People who say that money can't buy happiness obviously don't know about galliano at Dior." Charlotte looking through a window: "Charlotte, like every normal woman, had a thing for shoes"

10. When Charlotte forced her daughter, Rose, to wear a floral dress to Lily's piano recital because she felt uncomfortable that Rose wore traditionally masculine clothes.

Charlotte forcing Rose to wear a floral dress, Rose wearing a tuxedo t-shirt over it, and Carrie complimenting Rose's outfit: "Hey, you! I like your outfit!" Rose: "It's really cute, right?"

11. And when Lisa asked Miranda for a cup of wine to get through Lily's piano recital, and Anthony called her the "Black Charlotte" instead of her actual name.

"Here — give that to Black Charlotte"

12. When Miranda, Carrie, Samantha, and Charlotte traveled to Abu Dhabi and did extremely culturally insensitive things, like wear niqābs so they could escape a "mob" and get to the airport before being bumped from first class.

"We've got a lot of Abu Dhabi to do -- Abu Dhabi do!"

13. When the girls were totally unsupportive when Samantha explored her sexuality and had a relationship with a woman named Maria.

"Well, I'm dating someone. Someone I actually like. Maria."

14. When they used Stanford's character to perpetuate a false stereotype of queer men, and made him say some of the most over-the-top things in the original series.

"Personally, I don't like anything in my ass;" "I haven't had good sex since Cats was on Broadway;" "When I was a boy, my father gave me a book about the female body to teach me about sex. I took a look and said, 'No'"

15. When Miranda went apartment hunting in Brooklyn and told her son they needed to follow the "white guy with a baby" in order to secure a "good home" for themselves.

"Look. White guy with a baby! Wherever he's going, that's where we need to be"

16. When the SATC writers leaned into the problematic "angry Black woman" trope to make Samantha look "innocent" compared to Chivon's sister, Adeena.

17. When Samantha ended her loving relationship with James because he had a small penis.

"I'm ready, put it in." James: It is." Samantha crying in the bathroom: "Why? Why does he have to have a small dick? I really like him"

18. When Carrie learned that Barkley, the Soho womanizer, videotaped his sexual experiences with models without their consent, and the show just brushed it off like it was nothing.

"Do they know about this?" Barkely: "Maybe..."

19. When Samantha gained 15 pounds after moving to LA, and Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte held an intervention where they essentially fat-shamed her.

"I guess I didn't realize how big I was until I saw it on your faces." Carrie: "How -- and I say this with love -- how could you not realize it?!"

20. When Miranda had a hard time buying an apartment in Manhattan because of a sexist broker, and Charlotte suggested it was her fault because she was an independent woman.

"If you own and he rents, then the power structure is all off. It's emasculating. Men don't want a woman who's too self-sufficient"

21. And when Samantha dated Chivon in Season 3 and made horribly racist comments about their relationship.

"I don't see color. I see conquests."

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