‘Sex and the City’ Creator Candace Bushnell Shares How Social Media Can Empower Women
Candace Bushnell, the creative mind behind Sex and the City, recently shared her thoughts on how social media can positively impact young women, especially when it comes to being their own boss.
Candace Bushnell’s columns and book inspired hit HBO show ‘Sex and the City’
Bushnell wrote a column for the New York Observer that eventually became the bestselling book Sex and the City. Bushnell’s book was then turned into the hit TV show Sex and the City for HBO.
Sex and the City revolves around four women — Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte — navigating relationships and careers in New York City. The show has been praised for its portrayal of strong female characters.
Why Candace Bushnell thinks social media is a good place for women to make money
Bushnell often talks about different aspects of female empowerment. In a recent appearance on Meghan Markle’s podcast Archetypes, the author spoke about social media’s benefits, especially for women.
“Everyone’s critical of social media, but it is one of the few places where women can directly make money without having to go through a gatekeeper,” Bushnell explained, referring to influencer culture and brand deals.
A study from ‘Forbes’ details the risks of regular social media use
While Bushnell is right about social media being a direct way to make money for many young creatives, some would point out that social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter can be very harmful to women.
In a study published by Forbes, researchers found that regular social media use increased the risk for eating disorders, depression, low self-esteem, appearance anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and suicidal thoughts. The study also found that social media use can increase the desire for cosmetic surgery and weight loss.
Regular social media use can also affect one’s brain chemistry. The study stated that posting selfies can worsen your mood, and receiving “likes” on posts can activate the brain’s reward center.
Candace Bushnell points to ‘Sex and the City’ character Samantha as a woman with her ‘own money’ and ‘own power’
Candace Bushnell: ‘Women’s real sexuality looks a lot like Samantha Jones’ https://t.co/SZm5FwwPV5
— The Independent (@Independent) November 22, 2022
Bushnell’s views on how women can make social media work for them as a business aligned with some of her other thoughts on one of her most popular characters. During the podcast, she spoke about Samantha Jones, a bold, independent woman in Sex and the City who is completely in charge of her work and romantic life.
“Why do we behave the way we do?” the writer asked. Bushnell went on to say that, while growing up in the 1960s, she was told, “You’re only supposed to want to have sex with one person, and then you’re supposed to want to just have sex with that one person for the rest of your life.”
“And the women I know… they weren’t like that,” Bushnell laughed. “So, my question is always: what is women’s real sexuality when you take away the ‘I am dependent on a man’ aspect? What if women had their own money and they had their own power? What does their sexuality look like? And it looks a lot like Samantha Jones.”
