HBO’s Sex and the City is a programme known for its controversial portrayal of gender issues. Yet one should question whether its polemical stylings in relation to gender ascription are deserved or perhaps inflated. Employing aspects of both media- and gender-based theory, this article analyses character, dialogue and cinematographic imagery in regard to the show’s gender messaging in efforts to discover whether the series symbolically parades a ‘new’, empowered female role. Alternatively the series could undermine its aspirations by simultaneously reinforcing traditional standards of the female gender. We explore this argument by concentrating on the show’s portrayal of fashion and female alliance, alongside an incongruous depiction of hetero-socialization and female sexuality.
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