“Secret Sex” By: Laura Daniel

Plot Summary (spoiler alert*):

The power of secret sex is what is being talked about in this episode. Carrie talks to the other girls about sex with someone who they are ashamed of.

Carrie does a photo session to promote her column on the side of a bus. She goes on a dinner date with Mr.Big in a sexy dress and swears she won’t have sex on the first date but does. She see’s her friend Mike Singer out on a date with a woman he is trying to keep a secret. Carrie realizes she may be Big’s secret sex partner.

Miranda meets a sports doctor by kicking him in the head at the gym and learns his secret passion for spanking videos and when she reveals she knows he never speaks to her again. Charlotte recalls her secret sex partner, a Chassidic Jew named Shmuel, and artist.

Thoughts

Second-wave feminism addresses many different issues that have shown up as a trend in a lot of different television shows. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, feminism or second-wave feminism is shown to be a predominant force in Sex and the City (SATC).  Because of preconceived notions of femininity women feel less adequate than men. In this episode Carrie feels like she is being hidden from Big’s friends, however she doesn’t know the whole story. It is her insecurities that drive her mad. The women of SATC often drive themselves to a point of insecurity when they think the worst.

Being kept a secret is a fear that women have where they think their man is ashamed of them. This episode helps by addressing the situation and proving that trusting their partner is a big key to a healthy relationship. While it is important to be open about sexuality it is also important for the women to explore new things, which is clear when Charlotte talks about her sexual encounter with the Jew, she just feels like it is something so forbidden that it is a turn on.

Sex being a secret is the main issue of this episode and the women come to terms with it and realize that it can be a good thing. SATC shows women that they need to liberate themselves and stop conforming to the house wife role and that there are things that we didn't talk about. But NOW we can! There are so many things that we need to address and in todays world we have the means and the out-spoken-ness to do so!