Film Review: Let's Talk about Sex

Well, Sex and the City 2, that is.

There has been much written about this film - denigrating it as yet another blithering Hollywood sequel, a trashy chick flick, and a neoliberal (oh my god, more about neoliberalism? I thought I was done with my thesis) plot to rake in the bucks and exploit women's buying power. At the risk of adding to establishing social commentary and believing I have something unique to say, I'll keep going.

My major qualm with the film is its representation of the Middle East. First, that it was filmed in Morocco but claims to be Abu Dhabi: these are two opposite ends of the Middle East with very little in common other than (different strains) of a religion. Moroccans and Emiratis speak different languages, too - the Emirati Arabic far more mainstream Arabic, and the Moroccan a hybrid of Spanish, French, Arabic, and Berber. Not all Arabs are crazy conservative, as the film would suggest (and I can think of plenty of regular old white-bread Americans who would be horrified at Samantha's public sexual antics, not just the sheikhs in keffiyehs and robes). While Carrie and co stumble onto a group of women who wear very trendy fashion under their hijab and niqab - perhaps a cinemographic attempt to hint at the diversity and forward-thinking of Muslim/Arab women - for me, it fell flat. From my time in Syria, I know that Syrian women are encouraged to be uber-sexy for their husbands and there is a bustling very naughty lingerie trade. Sexuality isn't seen as incongruous or dangerous with womanhood - just that it should be constrained within marriage (much like in the other Big 3 religions). I don't think Muslim women would see being trendy as incongruous or shocking; after all, women do not veil in their homes and socialize with other women uncovered as well. Additionally, the Middle East takes a lot of crap for laws perceived to be heinous. But the truth is that PDA is illegal in the Emirates - so if you go there, you should obey. You can't say anything against the government in many states, including Turkey. Violators pay a $600 fine for throwing bubble gum on the sidewalk in Thailand, and anyone pretending to conduct sorcery goes to jail for a year in Ireland. In Sweden, prostitution is legal but it's illegal to solicit or use a prostitute. Countries the world over, "developed" or not, have rules that don't quite make sense. For some reason, though, Americans and Westerners chafe under the laws of Middle Eastern countries and feign that they are more strict than elsewhere. Truth is, Americans could work on their cultural sensitivity anyway - being respectful and polite in another country is just the same as being respectful and polite to your in-laws. Most of the time you don't quite get it, but you just keep your mouth shut and appreciate it for what it is. So, on the whole, I didn't feel that the movie fairly represented the Middle East, Arabs or Muslims, lumping them all together in a homogenous grouping that would horrify my NYU professors.
(Also Miranda's Arabic was atrocious, but that's beside the point).

On the other hand...
SATC2 validated women's choices, in the larger tradition of the series which blazed a trail in that regard. In particular, the film validates the choice not to have children. Carrie and Mr Big, I mean - the Prestons, choose not to have children and have difficulty conveying their choice to unbelieving acquaintances ("We love kids, but that's just not for us"). American society expects us to grow up and get married, have 2.5 children, a Golden Retriever, and a house in the 'burbs with a white picket fence. There aren't really a lot of women out there, on the big screen or otherwise, who stand up and say it's ok not to have children if you don't want them. If you don't want kids, you really shouldn't have them - it's a recipe for disaster, and I know plenty of unwanted kids who grew up angry and mistreated because their parents didn't have enough discernment or wisdom to understand the burdens and responsibilities (and the honors of) parenthood. I remember telling my therapist during college that I didn't want kids, to which she responded, "Well that's abnormal." (I'm pretty sure her job was to tell me exactly the opposite, and help me deal with why I thought I'd be a poor mother rather than offer judgment.) Statistically, people are happier married than single, but that happiness quotient doesn't increase with having kids. Marrieds without kids are happier than marrieds with kids. So, for those of us waiting for our biological clock to kick in but perfectly happy every year that it doesn't, thank you, Carrie - again you're leading the way to help us express ourselves better, and free up our discussions.