So last week, I went to see “The Help,” but this is not about that, I promise. Rather, this is about a preview I saw before seeing the feature film. The trailer in question starred none other than Hollywood’s beloved Sarah Jessica Parker.The film, “I Don’t Know How She Does It” is based off the 2002 novel by Allison Pearson. Mainly a study in working mom dilemmas, the book and the film speak to a specific but growing demographic: power mothers. To be clear, though SJP’s character, Kate Reddy, is a Caucasian woman in her early forties, the profile of the power mother is not limited by race. There are today women of all shades who fit that profile and have been power mothers since before there was even a label for the gig.
In the trailer, Kate Reddy runs us through the hectic whirlwind that is her life. Being a worker, being a wife, being a mother and often in no order at all. In fact, this lack of order is the movies central conflict: how does a woman like that keep so many balls in the air? It’s not too far out of the mold of Hollywood’s working wife and mother- from Betty Draper to Kris Kardashian- viewers have become acclimated to the woman who juggles between her family, her work and herself. And while all do it with varying degrees of success, we know that this is their conflict and we watch accordingly. My viewing experience is hampered by one thing though and it was my ability to connect. Because while the trailer ran all I could see was Carrie, Carrie, Carrie.
Now let me put a disclaimer out there: I am not a “Sex And The City” hater. I think the series was good enough, the movies were marketing machines and that they speak to a lot of the issues single women face even if they are not always spot on or inclusive in thinking about a demographic other than fabulously wealthy white women. The truth is what I cannot doubt is that SATC is a cultural phenomenon. It was the sitcom that encapsulated the experience of many American women or at least what they wished their journey could be. And there’s no fault in that- after all who doesn’t want an endless wardrobe, seemingly non-existent work schedule and almost wedding at New York’s Public Library. Well, maybe not the “almost” but you get the point. SATC wasn’t about realism, it was an escape and if you’re going to be away from reality why not splurge a littleThe problem with the marketing behind “I Don’t Know How She Does It,” is it takes an actress most recognizable for playing the single heroine of fabulocity and privilege and then tries to input her from our escape to our reality. And in the real world, Carrie’s to-do list is laughable at best. As The Huffington Post pointed out in a critique of the movie’s posters:
Source: http://clutchmagonline.com/2011/08/i-don%E2%80%99t-know-how-she-does-it-why-sarah-jessica-parker-needs-more-people/
