Martinis, Manhattan, Manolo Blahnik and Manila: How Sex and the City has given rise to a new breed of Filipinas

Abstract

Martinis, Manhattan, Manolo Blahnik and Manila is an educative research on the direct effects of transitional media on Filipino culture; specifically, how the television show Sex and the City has influenced Filipinas in Metro Manila age 18 to 35 in terms of their outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle.

This study aimed to: establish a direct correlation between viewing frequency of transitional media and cultural formation; explore the socio-cultural influences of transnational media, particularly Sex and the City, on Filipinas; and discover the extent of influence Sex and the City has had in the information of a sub-cultural identity among Filipinas in Metro Manila aged 18 to 35, specifically in terms of their outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle.

This study made use of the survey research design, following the non-probability sampling scheme because given the population size, not everyone under observation was selected. A total of 30 respondents were asked to fill out questionnaires, which probed their personal views on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle. Given this small sample size, non-parametric statistical analysis was used to test the external validity of the proponent’s conclusions. The Chi-square and binomial tests were specifically used to analyze the data for this study.

Statistical results show that there is a direct correlation between viewing frequency of Sex and the City and its degree of influence on respondents’ outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle. The study clearly proves that the more regularly a respondent watches the show, the stronger its influence on that respondent’s outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle. The findings of the study reveal that in general, Sex and the City had an overall influence on respondents’ outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle in moderate to strong degrees. This evidently verifies that regular viewing of transnational media does have an effect on Filipino culture and has in fact created a sub-cultural identity among Filipinas in Metro Manila aged 18 to 35, specifically in terms of their outlook on sex, love, fashion, friendship, career and lifestyle.