The Power of Female Sex By Faryn Wegler

Sex and the City’s “The Power of Female Sex” episode is both progressive and conservative in its representation of women. The episode begins with Carrie and Samantha trying to get a table at New York’s hottest new restaurant, Balzac. After the hostess refuses to let them Samantha exclaims, “If she were a man not only would we be eating right now, but they would be sending over free drinks!” Her comment alludes to the idea that while women can exploit their sexuality to gain the attention of men, they often see each other as threats in a competitive environment. When Carrie goes shoe shopping the next day she runs into her old friend, “international party-girl,” Amalita. Amalita offers to pay for Carrie’s shoes, asserting that her rich Argentina boyfriend Carlo won’t mind. In the narration, Carrie admits that she admires her friend, stating, “Although Amalita didn’t work for a living, she had a sexual power she used to her advantage.” Amalita’s dependence on men for money, status, and power gives an anti-feminist stance to the episode, implying that sexuality can be used as a tool for women to fulfill their dreams. 

A more feminist plot line in the episode revolves around the relationship between Miranda and Carrie’s friend Skipper. Skipper comes to Carrie’s apartment flustered, stating that Miranda has got a “power” over him and that he is “addicted” to her. He tells Carrie that while they have sex in the afternoon, she never lets him spend the night. In this scenario, the stereotypical gender roles of men and women are reversed. Miranda represents a modern-day, independent woman who believes it is okay to engage in casual sex without having any emotional attachment. Skipper on the other hand takes on a more feminine persona, as he obsesses over the woman and feels the need to his express his feelings to his friend about it. Although the reversal of gender roles can be seen as liberating to women, at the same it implies that sexuality is the only way women can have the upper hand in a relationship.  

Amalita introduces Carrie to her friend Gilles, a wealthy French architect. Carrie is infatuated by his charm, and after spending the afternoon in Central Park together they end up going back to his hotel room. By sleeping with a man on the first date, Carrie can be viewed as a character that functions to eliminate stigmas placed on women regarding sex in previous generations. This is undermined by the plot twist the next morning Carrie when finds an envelope beside the bed with a thousand dollars in cash included. The fact that Gilles leaves Carrie money insinuates that he is paying for her services, or that he believes she is a damsel in distress who needs the wealth of a man to be saved.

Carrie invites Miranda and Samantha to the hotel to discuss the turn of events and question the meaning of the cheques. According to Samantha, “Money is power, sex is power; therefore money for sex is simply an exchange of power.” This feminist view of female power can also be seen as anti-feminist, as it implies that a woman using sexuality to her advantage is the equivalent of a man using money. It creates the assumption that women continue to be exploited as sex objects, and will never be fully liberated from the power and influence of men.