So The Hills is coming to the end (insert sad face). Although I admit the last series sans Lauren was not the best, since its first airing in 2006 I have loved absolutely every moment of bitchiness, Justin Bobby drama, falling out of hate and into 'like' with Lo, Brody's on-again-off-again facial hair and "You Know What You Did"/"Spencer's a sucky person!"/"Well get out of my car" catfights. Just thinking of all the fun moments puts a smile on my face!
But along with The Hills came an aspirational lifestyle. No, I didn't want to rush out, get a tan and eat nothing but sushi and salad for the rest of my life, but the fashion, exciting careers, going out with the girlies, weekend breaks to Miami and Vegas...it highlighted how fun (and drama-packed) being young, hot and single actually is. I went to a screening for the new series of The City last year and it was really evident the influence The Hills and The City had on young girls and their friendships: packs of three to four girls stood around sipping mocktails, Lauren Conrad clones with their sweet little french braids running down the side of their head and blazers and high heels galore. To them, they were The Hills; each group had someone who represented each character in the show (I'm a Whitney Port by the way)!
LAME I hear you cry....yes probably. But it's not just The Hills I'm talking about. Sex and The City has had a HUGE impact on women, how they see themselves, how they see each other and how they see their friendships. Now you can't tell me that you have never once thought of whether you were a Carrie, or more like a Samantha (saucy minx you!), or maybe a mix of Miranda and Charlotte? With the second instalment of the movie out in a few weeks and advance tickets flying off the shelves, it makes me wonder: do we enjoy programmes like these because they imitate our friendships OR do we enjoy these shows because they help us to mould them? (Typing that just now, I felt so much like Carrie on her laptop haha!)
You can't deny that Sex and the City has played a role in the number of friendship groups actually going for brunch now, who instead of ordering their usual rum and coke now order a Mojito, where spa days and perving on hot men are always on the agenda. Yes, friendships and the female species were around way before Sex and the City and The Hills came along but these much loved shows appear to have shaken up the rules of the game a little.
So now that The Hills is about to bid farewell and Sex and The City is already off our screens, what do we do now???!
