The women of Sex and the City have taken the world by storm.  From their humble beginnings as a highly successful television series on HBO, spanning a total of six seasons.  The series, which became known for tackling women issues in the late 1990s, also placed an emphasis on fashion, as the four women on the show have exemplified their liberal thoughts about sex through their clothing.  This year, Sex in the City has hit the big screen, and more and more women are jumping into the band wagon of redefining a woman’s confidence through clothing.

More recently, a judge from the reality series America’s Most Smartest Model has come out with her own views about the film, and how it had affected the American society, as well as women all over the world.

More popularly known as one of the judges of VH1’s America’s Most Smartest Model, Mary Alice Stephenson is a contributing fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar.  She recently spoke about her thoughts on the Sex and the City film, which has highly influenced the clothing choices of women in New York.

"Before 'Sex and the City,' the only way that women got to see this level of fashion was pictures of runway shows or red carpet events," Mary Alice Stephenson recalled, referring to period wherein fashion had not yet fully influenced the television and film industries.

"When you think about it, this movie is really the Super Bowl for women," she told The Boston Globe.  "There has been so much anticipation, and much of that anticipation revolves around the fashion.  This was fashion's calling card to the masses."

Now that we have shows such as Gossip Girl and Project Runway, audiences can get a first-hand look at what's hot in the fashion industry.

A professor of fashion design at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Sondra Grace also shared her thoughts on the influence of the film on the fashion sense of the masses, saying, "In the tech age, people work from home in sweats and anything else that's comfortable.  None of that happens on 'Sex and the City.'  Even when they're at home, they're dressed up.   That's an important message. It's saying that you can really enjoy clothes.  There's nothing wrong with being over the top."

In fact, being over the top might be the next best thing for women all over the world.  It could pave the way for self-expression, as inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw.

"Her looks are outrageous but in a girl next door sort of way," Mary Alice told the Daily News.  "We love her for being ballsy enough to wear outrageous things.  She's having fun with it, so we have fun watching it.  If she took it all so seriously, it would be too over the top."

Catch more of Mary Alice Stephenson as she returns on the second season of America’s Most Smartest Model.


-Valerie Anne del Castillo, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Boston Globe, The Daily News
(Photo courtesy of WireImage)