Butterfly Effect

In 2004 Butterfly Effect hit theaters with Ashton Kutcher, and the saying ‘a butterfly flaps its wings and the weather changes in China’ once again became a popular phrase among movie-goers. Over the last decade Hollywood has produced several running series, as well as a few film franchises that have had their own butterfly effect on US culture. Living in New York City I have noticed that there is one series that has had such a huge impact on women that it has completely changed popular culture, the way we act, dress and approach work and life in the Big Apple. Sex and the City was an international success and HBO flourished during its 6 season run.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a new apartment and have found it amusing that about half of the 3 to 4 bedroom apartments I have looked at the ladies occupying the rooms when I was there were watching old episodes of Sex and the City, or catching up on the recent episodes of The Hills. During the apartment viewings, every conversation I had has included the question; “If you were a character from Sex and the City who would you be?” I find that many young women living in the NYC area are now basing their lives off the series. They are looking to live with people that make up a close niche of 4 people, people like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. You will even find women writing personals in search of friends on Craigslist with headlines like “Looking for a Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda to complete my group of Sex and the City” or “Want a close group like SatC”. The ladies of Sex and the City have made an impact on males and females alike and their influence spans a wide range of ages. Everyone wants to relate to them but I wonder how far people are willing to take their obsessions.

Two weeks ago I was wandering the city with my brother who was visiting from San Francisco, and as we walked we began to notice more and more "Carrie" look a-likes. Not because they looked like Sarah Jessica Parker, but because they were dressed to the nines in designer clothes, with matching accessories, and some were even walking down the street in groups of four. I fear Sex and the City has slowly taken over NYC in real life, appearance, behavior, and personal searches. No one looks for "Mr. Right" anymore. Today every woman wants to find her "Mr. Big!” I find it interesting just how far the franchise stretches, and even more so how much it continues to influence our lives. The 20 to 30 year old women of today who religiously watched all 6 seasons are now adding that much more pressure to themselves as they continue the search of a dream life that only lives in television. For better or worse, Sex and the City is today’s fairy tale for young girls.

Before Sex and the City, the 9 season run of Seinfeld was what many people compared their lives to. We can all quote lines from Seinfeld like Soup Nazi’s "No soup for you!", or Elaine and her search for men that were "Sponge Worthy", or Jerry and George's brilliant pitch idea to the executives of NBC for "a show about nothing". And who can forget Jerry arguing with the woman at the car rental who needed to "hold the reservation". Some may have even compared their friends to characters like Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, and Ross. Friends was also a way of life that we followed religiously. Even the wild adventures of Will and Grace and the outrageous one-liners from Jack and Karen we love. We want to be able to say we had a “Karen moment” or to tell someone, “that is so Just-Jack”. The every day life of the average American is crazy, hectic, and unpredictable. We have good days and bad days, but no matter what happens on any given day we always look for an escape to relax with an activity, hobby, show, or video game that allows us to step out of our own personal lives for a few minutes. Whether it is an escape through music, or through one of the classic shows that dramatize or add a comedic flair to conversations and our personal interactions, we are all looking for something.

Classic shows live on forever in the hearts and minds of fans and those special shows like Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, and Sex and the City will influence generations long after the shows are no longer running. We just need to remind ourselves to pull back from the dream world of television and step back into the real world where we live our lives and create our own fairy tales.