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I first moved to Manhattan four years ago (partly) for a boy. (I know, how "Felicity.") Mostly, though, I was a 21-year-old recent graduate who needed direction in my career and New York seemed like a writer's city.
Or so it seemed in "Sex and the City." Knowing very little about New York, I moved into a two bedroom apartment in Washington Heights in the summer of 2004. I accepted the temporary sublet over the phone from a Craigslist ad. I figured anything in Manhattan would suffice. As the summer wore on, I grew to appreciate the security guard who watched the door around the clock.
My first job in the city was not New York glamorous. I temped for the New York Post, running errands and opening mail to the tune of $7 an hour. By the time autumn began, I had landed a job working on Newsday's Web site, and I moved into a one bedroom apartment in Park Slope.
The Brooklyn apartment seemed like paradise compared to my Washington Heights digs. It cost $1100 a month, there was no air conditioning and cucarachas were frequent guests.
I commuted daily from Brooklyn to Long Island for a 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift that extended into the weekend. I enjoyed my job but the travelling wore me down. It wasn't a "Sex and the City" lifestyle -- Cosmos and Manolos were replaced with Stellas and Diesel sneakers.
But I've always been intrigued to hear of the 20somethings that say they have made it work Carrie-style. (At least in their head.)
For example, Julia Allison, a New York relationship blogger formerly from the Chicago suburbs, recently told the New York Times she's a modern-day version of Carrie Bradshaw.
“If Carrie Bradshaw were coming to New York today,” Allison told the TImes with no hint of self-consciousness, “she would be me.”
Allison talks of the recent birthday party she threw where "women wore outfits that would make any 'Sex and the City' costume designer proud." Though she struts around Manhattan in Steve Maddens more often than Manolos, Allison said she has partied at Bungalow 8 and other haute-spots.
But her Carrietale lifestyle has drawn criticism from Jezebel, Gawker and other blogs, whose writers have come to call women like Allison "Scary Sadshaws."
In a Jezebel post, writer Anna describes why she hates Scary Sadshaws:
"These ladies worship at the altar of Manolo Blahnik, regard writer Candace Bushnell as some sort of saint, and, of course, take instruction from a certain HBO series that bore no similarity to how life is lived by the majority of single women.
Scary Sadshaws are NYC's version of the stars of Girls Gone Wild, except that Patrick McMullan is their Joe Francis, and they substitute luxury goods for bare breasts. In my mind, they were not only ruining New York, but ruining what it means to be a serious young woman with ambition in the turn-of-the-century America. They were ruining everything for all of us."
In a few short weeks, Millennials across America will be breaking out the martini glasses to celebrate the May 30 release of the "Sex and the City Movie." But how hot will Carrie fever get? Will you or your friends be Very Carrie or Wary Carrie? In Illinois, would we call these girls Prairie Carries?
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Worse yet, why are these people emulating some pop culture character? This is like when you're young and you're Tom and you're friend is Jerry. (OK, I always wanted to be Tom because he rocked.) Haven't people grown too old for this? It also reminds me of the male version: those idiots who come out of the movie theater thinking they are a Jedi warrior, Neo from "Matrix," or worse yet, some hobbit from The Shire. Grow up! Watch the movie and enjoy the characters, don't try and be them.
Posted by: Kyra | Apr 1, 2008 3:47:21 PMFor all you SATC fans! I saw a flyer for an amazing Sex and the City tour package. It is with a company called Apollo Travel Agency in Chicago. It includes round trip airfare from Chicago to New York City, VIP check-in to the hotel, breakfast each day, a Sex and the City tour of spots from the show and the movie, tons of other cool things! But the best part, there is going to be a private screening of the movie opening weekend! Can you say Martinis and Manolos!! Here’s the site www.travelapollo.com/hotspots
Posted by: Simone Mitchell | Apr 3, 2008 5:18:22 PM


