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?

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Tags: Sex and the City

Comments

(71)

Sunday 23 May

By John

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Just another piece of garbage to break down the moral fiber that this once great nation had. This country is falling and it's going to fall hard.

By mcsame2008

i can't watch the show because of wart-face SJP - nasty.

Tuesday 01 June

By r

i couldnt make myself watch 5 minutes of this chick stuff gagggg

By Ron

The writer asks where others like him will be? Well.. quite simply they will likely be where they usually are... at the gay bar. Nothing wrong with that... just wanted to help with his confusion. Hope that helps.

By jm

This guy described Moulin Rouge as "fabulous".
Yep, he's gay. There's nothing wrong with that, but I have to wonder how much longer it's going to take for him to figure it out...

By Barb

I LOVE the show, LOVED the movie and cannot wait for the second.
More of you macho men should watch the show~heads up, guys~you just might learn a little bit about women. What "shame" is there in watching this show? It shoud be you learning experience beside your mothers and sisters.SatC is an open book all you have to do is take a look!

By virginia

im jealous,those girls are too thin make too much money and wear too nice clothes and expensive shoes.
im sorry i just cannot relate.

By Daniel

If you are a guy and are using nudity as an argument for watching this terrible terrible show then you are either gay or have never heard of internet porn.

By Harriet

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Ok I am sorry but doing things that typicaly are done by women does not make you GAY!! You see we have been trying to lose a few and one way to do it was to stop eating out as much... but that meant i was the one in the dang kitchen.. "I can't cook" my husband would whine to me.. so i said screw it and went out and got him this hilarious and totally politically incorrect cookbook.. I won't tell you the name of it on here cause some of you will freak, but if you have a sense of humor, and dont' get offended easily.. google "whipped and beaten culinary works" to find it.. but seriously.. it's not for the meek..

By Jerri

Harriet! that was hilarious!!! thanks soooo much! did you see the facebook page and all the write-ups about that book too! thanks sooo much for that.. especially on a Sunday.. I needed a good laugh!!

By cfinde

Too many vibrating sounds in the theater ruined the movie for me!

By Traigh

Thank god there is a power outlet in my closet!

By C.W.

Trust me, you're CLEARLY not alone. Miss sex is her role, and she plays it well!!!!

By Carol Kottwitz

I say....you go! If you love SATC then you should shout it out loud! This is America, and people should say what they like. I've caught my husband watching the show...and I'm pretty sure he's not gay!

So, you go!!!

By Davw

Pretty sure? Hmmm...

By Jim B

DThen you are Gay, just own it!

By jim

if you're a guy who likes sex and the city; then, you are not a MAN, you are GAY.

By dog

So, how's life in that tiny mind of yours?

By gary

GAY GUY. No surprise the media is 90% Gay anyway. THat is all you see on tv anymore is gay and mixed race.

By Dog

What straight guy wouldn't like to spend the better part of two hours looking at larger than life beautiful, liberated, sexual women (not only the four main ones), all at the same time getting points with your own woman for being there, and for "being in touch with your feminine side." If you have to force out a tear or a sniffle at the appropriate moment, do so. All kidding aside, I enjoyed the show and the first flick; and the trailer is very interesting. The wife and I will go next weekend, and I can look at the girls sans guilt.

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