Space and place
While looking through clips of the show Sex and the City, I found one where the conservative Charlotte finally gets fed up with the explicit Samantha for being so open about sex, especially since Samantha knows nothing of her partner, other than his prowess. This argument reflects two main points from chapter 12 of Chris Barker's Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, reflecting the intimacy of the home and the anonymity of the city. New York is vast, capable of hiding any number of secrets, often entire lives with no one the wiser. Samantha's current boy toy likely has his own life, his own wants, needs, desires, and hobbies, but she's only curious about the gratification she can receive from him. Louis Wirth emphasizes how urban living is "based on having large numbers of people living together in close proximity without really knowing one another" (Barker, 380). Where as in small towns where everyone knows everyone, out of either intimacy or boredom, cities provide an easy escape into the crowd. It's no surprise that most of the cities mentioned as 'global cities' are economic centers of their region, and that many og them are on or near the water, harkening back to the days of transoceanic ferries. The population is so often changing that to keep track of all the people in any one area would be almost impossible. The fact that Samantha is so open about the details of her rendezvous also reflects the intimacy people place on the recessed areas of their home. People will typically want to heat more about the 'performance activities' that happen in the kitchen or the den than the more intimate areas of the bedroom or bathroom. Giddens mentions this 'front and back' concept, that people perform their duties as hosts and entertainers in the common areas while doing more intimate things in the back of the home where permission is required. Talking about these things only tends to happen when there's a true need, such as something happening in the bathroom you need to discuss with your doctor, or when socially acceptable, as when intimacy in the bedroom results in a pregnancy. Even though the four women are likely cloaked in urban anonymity during this scene, Charlotte represents the conservative, even outdated notion that these things are not to be brought up do to their secretive nature.
Works cited:
Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies. 3rd ed. Sage Publications Ltd, 2008. Print.