Fun-fearless-females?

My initial reaction to “Politics and the Single Woman: The Sex and the City Voter in Campaign 2004” was seriously?? I could not believe that this type of marketing scheme had saturated the American media, and women didn’t even see it coming. I myself am a young-single-female voter, and I know that I definitely bought into some of this hype of the cute/sexiness of politics. On the one hand, this is demeaning and demoralizing to single women. They were essentially told that their identity of beauty and “hotness” was directly tied to whether or not they voted. Which is kind of cruel if you think about it. What if the women wasn’t able to get out and vote that day? Well then apparently she is neither sexy nor cute. On the other hand, it is a really fascinating marketing scheme in order to try to pull in this niche market.

            Although, portraying women as the ultimate consumers isn’t a new concept, especially as it relates to female based media. The book I read for my book review was very similarly related to the idea of female consumerism. In the book “Neo-feminist Cinema: Girly Films, Chick Flicks, and Consumer Culture,” the author stated that popular culture, including cinema, magazines, and television, all instruct women in how to behave according to the traits assigned to them. Hollywood thus reinforces these traits and practices in the form of consumerism, encouraging women to exemplify these behaviors in order to feel like a true woman. The media also helped to set styles and steer fashion choices in one direction or another for female viewers. Films/television shows, such as Sex and the City, showed that it is important for women who look a certain way and wear a certain style of clothing in order to fit in, and be happy and successful. This can definitely be seen with the show Sex and the City and the women’s sense of identity being so closely tied to fashion, beauty, sex, and consumerism.

            So it is no wonder that the media dubbed these voters as Sex and the City voters. Many single women do wish that they had the lives of the characters on that television show. If these single women are being associated with Sex and the City, it is almost like women will go vote just so they can continue this association. If I vote, it means I am like the characters on Sex and the City, yippee! Although, I think these single women are missing the point. The media and these grass-roots political organizations are looking at women as putty in their hands. They act like women aren’t intelligent enough to make their own decisions based on the issues, but if we throw an offer of free conditioner in there, I’m sure women will flock to the polls. It’s definitely disturbing in a way, not just because of how women are being portrayed, but unfortunately by how effective these strategies are.

            All in all, I am almost ashamed to admit that I bought into this campaign, without even realizing it. I too wanted to be associated with the sassy fearless females of Sex and the City, and if voting was the way to do it, then count me in! As someone who is older, wiser, yet still single, I will definitely be more aware of how I am being targeted come this next election. I’m sure the media will be up to their old tricks again, but this time I’ll be ready for it.