“Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you, now it means you’re pretty sexy and you’re taking your time deciding how you want you life to be…and who you want to spend it with.” – Kim Cattrall

There is a saying that three types of people exist in Korea: Men, women, and ajoomma. Ajoomma is a term used to refer to ordinary married women in the Korean language. It usually covers women who are in their late 20s to late 50s. But sometimes the term ajoomma tends to underestimate women as undervalued subjects.

When someone calls me ajoomma--even though I am still single in my early 30s--I sometimes get very embarrassed. Of course, they might be thinking I really look like Kim Samsoon of "My Lovely Samsoon” (Kim Sun-a plays the character of Kim Samsoon, a spinster), the popular MBC drama that became the highest-rated soap opera in July this year, or Bridget Jones, who is a woman in her mid-30s struggling against her age, weight, job, lack of luck in dating, and many imperfections in "Bridget Jones's Diary." I just think that being a single older woman in Korean society means getting pity and being looked down on by family members as well as friends, or being considered a weird creature.

However, I do feel that living as a single woman, a single mom, or a divorcee is not something to be ashamed of anymore because most cable networks such as Donga TV, GTV, and On Style are targeting female viewers in their 20s and 30s. “Sex and the City” (hereafter SATC), the hit American sitcom series, has been airing in OCN and On Style these days. The show is set in New York City and focuses on the love patterns and lives of four female friends who are reaching their 40s. They are attractive, intelligent, stylish, and talented, and they talk about work, dating, and making love in Manhattan.      

A sitcom with soap opera elements, SATC often tackles socially relevant issues such as the status of women in society. It pictures female sexuality as a search for perfection in a lover deliciously, candidly, and controversially. Some commentators criticized SATC’s distorted presentation of female sexuality, claiming the sexuality is more akin to that of the allegedly gay and straight male. The frequent obsessive comments about ‘size’ by Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), who is a bold and successful public relations executive,   are taken to be untypical of women and more typical of a phallic male focus.

Produced by the HBO network, the series premiered in June 1998. The last original episode aired in February 2004 in the US. The six-year series with 94 episodes consistently achieved both critical and popular acclaim. Sarah Jessica Parker received recognition for her role as Carrie Bradshaw, the main character of SATC, when she was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2000, 2001, and 2002 as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2001. Kim Cattrall has also been nominated for a SAG Award and become a public icon over the life of the show. SATC’s creator and executive producer, Darren Star, received the Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Comedy Series three times.

The Femme Fatales

The women in SATC clearly represent what the sexual revolution expects of women using all their cool urbanity. They experience the pleasure of sex, the pain of heartbreak, and the stickiness of friendships, being humorously honest about sex in the Big Apple.

Carrie is cocktail party ready in a Rebecca Taylor rainbow silk dress layered over Zara cargo pants and Christian Louboutin satin bow shoes. Miranda looks sharp in a pink pinstripe suit by Zenobia, Charlotte combines Chanel separates with a brown and white patent leather Louis Vuitton bag, and Samantha stands out in a Missoni skirt, an Armani halter, and a Gucci satin jacket. (www.HBO.com)

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) writes a weekly sex column titled ‘Sex and the City’ for The New York Star as a celebrated New York relationship expert. She is an expounder of best friends’ stories and a narrator who structures her train of thought while writing her column in SATC.

Carrie’s style defies all kinds of fashion. Carrie usually wears an outrageous mix of styles from vintage frocks or downtown club wear to haute couture pieces. She looks like a streetwise sprite, a neo-bohemian, and an elegant princess all at once. Among her fashion code, purchasing shoes for herself during the search for love with men permits Carrie to remedy a grievance. Not surprisingly, her precious nameplate necklace also is in fashion in Korea.

Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) is older than the other 3 women, is a blonde PR executive who routinely goes to bed with sexy, twenty-something men, and is a seductress who primarily engages in relationships “without feeling.”

Samantha loves jewelry like diamonds and frequently wears body-accentuating suites in bold colors for work and at night she turns up the volume with racy ensembles that show off her figure and personality. Samantha brings sexual confidence and power to all women, basking in her feminine charms and making the most out of life.

Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is an art dealer, a traditional and relatively conservative woman with a blue-blooded upbringing. She always believes in true romantic and ecstatic love, and hopes to find a prince charming.

Charlotte’s costume reflects her Park Avenue lifestyle and feminine charm. Her classic and chic style is timeless. Pastel pieces after the fashion of England coordinated with matching accessories show off her girlish side.

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is a career-minded lawyer who is accustomed to listening to her head, not her heart, and Carrie’s confidante with extremely cynical views on relationships.

Miranda’s lawyerly look tends towards smart tailored suites. For pragmatic Miranda, she wears casual sportswear than following the latest trends.

 Mr. Big (Chris Noth) is a dashingly handsome, rich, and unattainable New Yorker. He excites Carrie through the run of season 1 to season 6, weaving his way in and out of her life. Carrie breaks up with Big at the end of season 1 because he refuses to open up his life for her. Carrie maintains her friendship with Big while dating Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), one of Carrie’s few long-term boyfriends, and Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikove), a famous Russian artist shown as Carrie’s lover in season 6. Finally, at the end of the series, Big returns to Carrie. Throughout the 94 episodes, Big’s real name is not revealed at all.

Harry Godenblatte (Evan Handler) is Charlotte’s divorce lawyer. Charlotte, first and foremost, wanted to get married with a man who was wealthy, handsome, and belonged to the social elite. It seems that her prince is Dr. Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), her knight in shining armor archetype. But her marriage is far from what she hoped for because of her mother-in-law and husband’s lifestyle. Although Harry is not Charlotte’s ideal man in that he is short, bald, hairy, and often somewhat crude, they fall in love. After marriage, they adopt a Chinese baby girl.

Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) is a sensitive bartender having a fragile ego. One day, Miranda has a one-night stand with Steve after a bad breakup. Miranda realizes she is pregnant. Not shockingly, boyish Miranda determines to be a single working mom and gives birth to a boy named Brady. Throughout her long-term relationship with Steve, Miranda is changed into a pathetic woman in season 6.

Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) is a sexy young waiter Samantha seduces in a trendy restaurant. She finds out his temperament as an actor and becomes his publicist. When Samantha is diagnosed with breast cancer, Smith stays by her side shaving his signature long hair as a sign of moral support. Despite her denials, the playgirl Ms. Jones finds herself falling in love after all.  

In the same vein, I hope we can all appreciate a different outlook on the lives of single women. SATC succeeds in delivering the very important message that marriage isn’t the solution to all our problems. And people, especially women, shouldn’t be pigeonholed or feel ashamed when they are older. Some things clearly do get better with age.

[Review]