Movie Review: Orientalism in Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Sex and the City 2 (2010), directed by Michael Patrick King, is a continuation of the hugely popular Sex and the City franchise, bringing the characters back to the screen for more adventures in love, friendship, and fashion. This time, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda travel to Abu Dhabi for a luxurious getaway, where they find themselves immersed in a culture vastly different from their own. While the film is filled with the trademark humor, glitzy fashion, and exploration of relationships that fans of the franchise expect, it has also been critiqued for its portrayal of the Middle East and its problematic use of orientalism.

In this review, we will explore how Sex and the City 2 engages with the concept of orientalism, analyzing how the film presents the Middle East, particularly Abu Dhabi, through a Western, exoticized lens. We will examine the implications of these portrayals and how they reflect broader themes of cultural appropriation and misrepresentation.

1. What is Orientalism?

The term "orientalism" refers to the way the West has historically represented the East (or the "Orient") as exotic, mysterious, and often backward, reinforcing cultural stereotypes and justifying colonial domination. Edward Said’s seminal work Orientalism (1978) critiques the Western perception of Eastern societies as being fundamentally different and inferior. In films and literature, the East is often portrayed as a space of fantasy, danger, or escapism, reinforcing the idea that Eastern cultures are static and exotic, while Western cultures are dynamic and progressive.

Sex and the City 2 engages with orientalism in a number of ways. The film uses the setting of Abu Dhabi, a city in the United Arab Emirates, as a backdrop for the characters’ exploration of luxury, self-discovery, and cultural exploration. However, this portrayal often leans on cliched stereotypes and fails to authentically represent the complexities of the region. Instead, it creates a stylized version of Abu Dhabi, focusing on the opulence and exoticism of the city, while glossing over its cultural nuances.

For viewers interested in films that reflect the Western portrayal of the East as exotic and mysterious, Sex and the City 2 provides an example of how orientalism can be perpetuated through film, even in contemporary contexts.

2. The Exoticization of Abu Dhabi: An Idealized Playground for Western Women

In Sex and the City 2, the four women travel to Abu Dhabi for a lavish vacation, and the city is depicted as a playground of indulgence, luxury, and excess. The characters experience a version of Abu Dhabi that caters to their Western desires for fashion, freedom, and pleasure, presenting the city as a “safe” space for the women to explore their personal lives, free from the constraints of their New York routines.

The film’s portrayal of Abu Dhabi is heavily stylized and plays into the exotic fantasy that the Middle East often represents in Western media. The women’s experience of the city is framed in terms of luxury shopping, partying, and escapism, rather than in a way that acknowledges the complexities of life in the region. The city’s cultural and political realities, such as the limited rights of women and the conservative nature of the society, are either ignored or glossed over.

For viewers interested in films that depict Western characters using Eastern settings as a space for self-indulgence and escape, Sex and the City 2 provides a clear example of how the East is romanticized as an exotic playground for the West.

3. The Female Gaze: Empowerment or Stereotyping?

Sex and the City 2 has often been praised for its portrayal of strong, independent women who navigate their careers and relationships. However, in the context of Abu Dhabi, the female gaze is filtered through a Western perspective that both empowers and exploits. The characters are presented as liberated women who are able to "choose" their identities in contrast to the women around them, whose lives are dictated by strict cultural and religious rules.

While the film attempts to position the characters as empowered, it does so by juxtaposing them against a backdrop of cultural repression. For instance, when Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is reprimanded for her public display of affection, the film uses the incident to highlight her defiance of cultural norms, painting her as a symbol of freedom and liberation. However, this contrasts with the portrayal of local women, who are often shown as passive or limited in their behavior. This dynamic reinforces the stereotype of the West as progressive and the East as repressive.

For viewers who are interested in films that examine the role of the female gaze in reinforcing cultural stereotypes, Sex and the City 2 offers a complex portrayal of female empowerment that is framed by a Western-centric understanding of freedom and individuality.

4. The Use of Stereotypes: The Desert, the Veil, and the "Other"

Throughout Sex and the City 2, the film relies on a number of stereotypical images of the Middle East that are often used to exoticize and mystify the region. The desert, for example, is depicted as a vast, empty space that symbolizes both danger and escape. The vastness of the desert serves as a metaphor for the characters’ personal journeys but is also used as a shorthand for the "wild" and "untamed" nature of the region.

Additionally, the portrayal of local women in the film leans on stereotypes, particularly when it comes to the issue of veiling. While the film does briefly address the issue of women’s freedom in the Middle East, it does so with little nuance. The scene in which Samantha wears a veil to avoid being thrown out of a club highlights how the film reduces a complex cultural practice to a simple plot device, reinforcing the stereotype of the oppressed, silent woman who is defined by her relationship to male authority.

For viewers who are interested in films that critique the use of stereotypes to represent the "Other", Sex and the City 2 provides a clear example of how the Middle East is represented through the lens of exoticism, using simplistic images to highlight cultural differences.

5. Cultural Appropriation: A Fantasy of "Otherness"

The film’s portrayal of Abu Dhabi also falls into the category of cultural appropriation. While the women are presented as visitors to a foreign land, they take liberties with the culture around them without engaging with it on a deeper level. For example, when the women participate in a traditional dance, it is framed as a playful and liberating moment, without any real connection to the cultural significance of the practice. The film creates a fantasy of "otherness," where the characters engage with the culture in a superficial manner, taking what they find enjoyable while ignoring the deeper context of the place.

This appropriation is compounded by the film's use of the exoticized, Westernized version of the Middle East, reducing it to a mere backdrop for the characters’ personal growth. While the characters are shown engaging with the culture around them, it is done in a way that is self-serving and uncritical, reinforcing the idea of the East as something to be consumed and used for personal fulfillment.

For viewers interested in films that explore cultural appropriation and the superficial use of other cultures for entertainment, Sex and the City 2 serves as a contemporary example of how the West engages with the East as an exotic commodity rather than a space of authentic cultural engagement.

Conclusion: Orientalism and Superficiality in Sex and the City 2

In conclusion, Sex and the City 2 perpetuates the Western fantasy of the East as an exotic, mysterious, and repressive space that exists primarily for the entertainment and self-exploration of Western characters. While the film attempts to explore themes of freedom, empowerment, and female solidarity, it does so within the confines of a Western-centric narrative that exoticizes the Middle East and reduces it to a backdrop for personal escapism. The portrayal of Abu Dhabi and its people reflects a modern form of orientalism, where the region is presented as a space of cultural difference that serves the desires and goals of the Western characters.

For viewers interested in films that engage with the concept of orientalism, cultural appropriation, and the exoticization of the East, Sex and the City 2 provides a clear example of how these themes manifest in contemporary cinema.