I'm a Guy and I Love 'Sex and the City.' All Of It

By Zach Dionne Posted May 20th 2010 08:30AM

Pop-Ed: I'm not trying to be ironic. I'm not trying to be proud. I'm not even trying to score points with the ladies. And I'm certainly not apologizing. I'm just saying I'm a (straight) man, I've seen and enjoyed all of 'Sex and the City,' dug the movie and I'm psyched for the sequel. And I feel like I'm the only one.

I sometimes wish I could write off the fashiony, gossipy adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte as a guilty pleasure, but in truth I spend more time shrugging my shoulders, misunderstanding why guys avoid the show the way they avoid buying tampons or watching 'The Bachelorette.'

Read about my love affair with 'Sex' after the jump.

When the complete DVD set turned up on my then-girlfriend's doorstep in all its pink, velvet glory, I'd never seen an episode. I grumbled and tried to make jokes at the show's expense -- this was being forced to watch 'Moulin Rouge' all over again -- and, like that fabulous musical that charmed me when I least expected it, 'Sex and the City' surprised the hell outta me. It was like finding my sister's Cosmopolitan (the magazine, not the Carrie-and-co-endorsed cocktail), making sure no one was looking and pawing through pages from the minds of women, for women. It was like that, only much more entertaining, less obsessed with 75 boilerplate bedroom tips and with nudity galore. I laughed a lot, became invested in the characters and just really enjoyed the show.

The glitzy New Yorkiness of it all, watching in small-town Maine and dreaming of moving to the city, was intensely alluring. Since living and writing in New York, I've seen firsthand that Carrie's columnist-in-a-huge-apartment-buying-thousands-of-shoes lifestyle is fantasy BS (and that cabs do go to Brooklyn, Miranda, and real-life people commute from that supposed nether-realm each and every day), but I just don't care. Carrie and her ilk are well-written characters who, when you move past the headlines and the misconceptions, can span more demographics than reason would suggest.

This isn't to say I couldn't see the show's flaws, and the same went for the 2008 movie. There was plenty not to like -- after six seasons of Carrie and Big's will-they-won't-they, I just wanted to see them together, not fighting and being depressed -- but, just like I approach my Stephen King fanaticism (which is way out of hand), I treat the movie and the series like a relationship: Recognize the major imperfections, ignore the small ones and try to love it as a whole. I thought the movie rocked a fairly unblazed trail in taking a TV serial and continuing its thread on the silver screen. When it came to critics' opinions -- particularly as time has passed these two years -- and even regular old friends, I felt more and more like a loner in my unrepentant fandom of the flick.

Now the sequel. Again, I'm excited. When I saw the first trailer with my gal, I nudged her and said we'd need to go, even if it was under the guise of her wanting to see it. I gasped -- a little, just a little, guys! -- when I saw Aidan pop up. I sunk into the familiar viewing groove when I heard Carrie's narration over the shimmery shots of Manhattan. Hell, I'm excited to see Liza Minnelli's take on Beyonce's 'Single Ladies.'

I'll be there on opening weekend, sticking out like a sore thumb and not caring, but still wondering ... where are the others like me?

Follow Zach Dionne on Twitter.

Tags: Sex and the City

Comments

(71)

Thursday 20 May

By TTT

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The first tv series to continue as a series of motion pictures? Ever heard of Star Trek? And yes, it is possible for anyone to enjoy a well-written show with well-developed characters (and I don't mean bra size), all it requires is some intelligence and maturity, not an extra X chromosome.

By k

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Your spelling is pretty poor. That's G-A-Y, not G-U-Y.

By drew23

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I'm gay and I dont like watching SXN CTY. I like football and basketball. But I do like Logo. LOL

By hippiesstayfly

I love sex and the city!! I have seen all of the episodes so many times I can't keep count. I dont care if a guy straight or gay likes sex and the city! Im ready for SATC2 Im a true fan! My roomate and I are estatic we cant wait to go to the opening day movie and enjoy some dinner and a cosmo while gossiping about the movie afterwards! I say go enjoy your sec and the city movie guy! be proud to be a fan.. People who are judgemental obviously have issues deep down where they feel as if they arnt good enough so they pick on others to feel better about themself.. ps those who run their mouths your the reason this world is getting worse and worse.. where is the love people stop being so darn rude jesus!

Sunday 23 May

By Ches

There is some stark insecurity all over this board! Keep perpetuating that stereotype just so you feel like maybe you can belong if you fit the mold.

By bestwaytogetme

Samantha Jones is a fun character, but I can't stand Carrie! She is always so confused, stupid, indecisive, unable to hold on to a man, like Jennifer Aniston in real life but without the pot.
Carrie is stupid, the show is stupid for glamourizing sex with men all over town.

By joey

one word for this "CHICK FLICK"

By ANGELOCOOL

THE WHOLE IS CAST IS UGLY , ESPECIALLY THE THE ONE WITH THE BIG NOSE

By kevin

shut up, idiot

By Big Daddy

tell me I would NOT see Sarah Jessica Parker naked if I ever saw this thing. Could NOT stand to have that image seared onto my retinas. Dang - that woman is a BOWSER!

By ANGELO

I AGRREE THIS WITCH IS SO GRUESOME

By twann9852

g a y

By Revixter

Wait. You WANT to see Kim Catrell naked?

By Eric

REAL men have not refered to their girlfriends as "gal" since the 1930s

Monday 24 May

By jay

I refer to my wife all the time as my gal, honey, sweetie, darling. . .what you thinkthere is a code on what we say to people

REAL MEN do NOT GASP when Aiden is on the screen...GAME OVER!!!

By ronduckman

The only good thing about Sex and the City is the T&A.. The acting sucks, the stories suck and each week it gets more and more boring...

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REAL men would rather watch Kim Katrell howl in Porkys than share the frame with SJP, ...every babe does have that doggie friend I guess but I do want to pay to see that

no insecurity just FACTS..real men doe not GASP when Aiden hits the screen as this guy did...GAME OVER!!! A man gasping when another man appears on the screen, really? REALLY? gasping? as in having loss of control over the normal breathing process because a guy is on the screen? really? REALLY? C'mon, the author share the same chromosome set as his "gal"

Even the author's name tells you he is a DIVA....His last name is Dionne as in Warwick or the funky spelling for the French mustard spread...ENOUGH SAID, GAME OVER! Zach is on the pink team!!!

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