Sex and the City's Sexual Health Responsibility

In Ward, et al.'s (Ward, et al., 2006) Uncommonly Good, the idea that media can be a good source of information is presented. There are so many ways to think of media as creating a toxic environment for adolescents to learn about unhealthy sex practices, but Ward and colleagues focus on the ways in which entertainment media can offer the opposite - factual sexual information (my main focus here) and  several other positive contributions such as diverse sexual models and self-expression.

Sex and the City is time and again referred to as the defining piece of sexual entertainment media that broke all barriers that had previously - and in many cases, still do - existed in terms of portraying different models of sexuality. While there are many arguments for why Sex and the City may have negative impacts on its viewers - such as portraying women having casual sex with far more partners than the average woman has -, there are so many positives to openly portraying women as in charge of their own sexuality.

The most compelling and responsible scene of the entire series - in my opinion - is when Samantha goes home with a suitor, also known for having several sexual partners. Before the couple engages in any sexual activities, the man asks Samantha if she's been tested for HIV recently. She hasn't, and the couple goes no further with their sexual encounter for the night.

I have lots of personal feelings about this scene. I mean, WOW. This is the most responsible and amazing scene that has ever played on television. Reminding millions of viewers that HIV is still a thing and should be considered when engaging in sexual activity... it makes me almost speechless.

I digress. This scene in Sex and the City is a quintessential example of entertainment education (Ward, et al., 2006, pg. 4), and so are the scenes following it. The next day over brunch, Sam tells her girlfriends about what happened and they are shocked that she has never been tested for HIV and tell her that they all have and that she should too.

Samantha's post-test fear is something that all people waiting for test results - let alone HIV test results - can relate to and can learn from. Sex and the City, for all of its portrayal of crazy sexual antics, brought the thought of being tested for HIV - or any other STI - into the minds of its viewers, creating a more educated viewership and yet another important portrayal of all of the different aspects of sexuality and sexual health.

Ward, L., Day, K., & Epstein, M. (2006). Uncommonly good: Exploring how mass media may be a positive influence on young women's sexual health and development. New Direction for Child and Adolescent Development, 112, 57-70.