The Obsolescence of Man and Marriage

Season 1, Episode 9 - The Turtle and the Hare


In trying to convert the other girls to her vibrator brand, Miranda argues about the obsolescence of straight men.

 "Already you can't talk to them, you don't need them to have kids with... you don't even need them to have sex with anymore."

And as Carrie discovers later in the episode, you don't really even need a straight man for marriage. She muses over marrying Stanford, her gay best friend, for his inheritance money.

It is true. You can talk to your friends, go to a sperm bank, and buy yourself the best vibrator money can buy without ever having to deal with heartache, fighting, or disappointment. And yet, we still struggle to find someone to be in a relationship with and eventually marry because there is something you just can't get from your friends, children, or material objects. And what is this thing? I once thought it was an emotional connection/support, but that's not necessarily the case, especially later in marriage. You continue to receive emotional support from your fellow female friends bc let's face it, sometimes men just don't get it and even your children understand better than your husband. What a relationship/marriage can provide that nothing else can is a partner or companion. Someone you can spend time with. Someone you can accompany you when all your friends are busy with their lives. And most importantly, someone who shares your burdens with you (children, work, family...).

For me, I definitely learned this through homeownership. I highly recommend that NO ONE BUYS YOURSELF A HOME UNLESS YOU HAVE A PARTNER. It is no easy task to take on alone! And my unsolicited real estate advice ends here.

Is marriage obsolete? In our relatively unconventional society, you don't need to be married to raise a family, live together, or get a break on your taxes. But why does marriage persist? Why do women want it? Carrie wonders, "what's the point of dating if one day you don't want to get married," and in that one sentence, she admits outloud the phantom worry of all the single women who idolize Carrie for her independence from convention.