Sex and The Fake NY City

All of these women live their lives in NYC and yet we never see minorities.  New York City is known for its diversity and people from all walks of life and yet we rarely see any example of this in Sex and The City.  I can think of only a few episodes with minorities or other nationalities, but these portrayals can easily be critiqued. 

            The first example is when Samantha begins dating this African American guy.  The attraction she has for him becomes more about the fact that he is African American and not because he is just a nice guy, or good looking or some other characteristic in which she judges Caucasian men she has affairs with.  Once again we see another race being compared to whiteness, which is the norm.  He is portrayed as being different and unusual because of his race.  She even changes the way she dresses when she goes to a club with prominently African Americans.  Why do this?  Right here she shows her dependence on a man and the fact that she is willing to change everything about her, because of a man.   It also emphasizes the difference between African Americans and Caucasians.  In this episode he is portrayed as exotic and overly sexual, stereotypes that have been present in American society for many years. 

            The only other examples of none American, Caucasian characters are Europeans.  They seem to always be portrayed as glamour, charming and beautiful people, who seem to have some strange aspect about them. In one episode Carrie runs into her European friend who she says is trashy.  She also mentions how this European woman lives a glamorous life style.  Carrie has a one-night stand with a gorgeous and charming French man (she meets through her friend) but he leaves her money at the end.  Thus, he treats her as if she was a prostitute. Europeans are treated as portraying some sort of strangeness.  They can’t just be like most people you meet, but they have to be extremes.  They are overly sexual, charming, good looking and with some major flaw which makes them seem odd.   

            Another words this show is about American, Caucasian people and the “others” who enter the main characters lives for brief moments. People of other ethnicities are insignificant in the world of Sex and The City, despite the fact that the show takes place in one of the most diverse cities.