It?s been off the air for about two years now, but the spirit of the hit HBO show "Sex and the City" is still looming large in American culture. Babeland customers continue to fill the stores looking for either ?the vibrator that Charlotte had? (the Rabbit Pearl) or ?Samantha?s electric ?back massager?? (like the Hitachi), and I think it?s safe to bet that $400 Manolo Blahnik shoes and teeny-weeny Fendi bags are still selling pretty well.I couldn?t help but wonder: Why is S&TC still so popular?Was the four-fancy-NYC-women-opening-up-about-their-sex-lives concept really that groundbreaking? If so, which aspect drew audiences in more: the freewheelin? sexual candor or idealistic Manhattanite lifestyles and aesthetic?I?m sure for lots of S&TC viewers it?s a combination of both, but for me, it?s neither. I don?t care about designer shoes or exclusive nightlife thingies, but that?s sort of beside the point. I appreciate anything that depicts women who are confident in their sexuality (albeit a straight white affluent type of sexuality in this case), but don?t think any woman should feel as though she absolutely has to enjoy a certain act, or have tons of partners, or constantly need to try new things in order to be a fully sexual being.� It?s great if the show encouraged anyone to get their first vibrator or feel more comfortable talking about sex, but not so great if it made lots of women feel inadequate for, say, never having had an orgasm or not loving anal sex. I think treating sexuality as something to toss trends on (What?s in this spring? Why, female ejaculation--all the girls are doing it!) like so many Hermes scarves, is not cool.That said, I?ve seen practically every episode of S&TC?s 6-season run, and am very happy that reruns continue to air, especially on digital cable, where it?s possible to watch an entire season?s worth of episodes in one shot. Which I sometimes do. I get sucked in by the characters, the little dramas, the continuing plotlines...I admit, the soap opera-y-ness of it all. Alright, and Carrie?s wardrobe.Yep, Sex and the City is still around in quite a few ways, like it or not. Look to the nearest foursome of girlfriends banded together for brunch, each personally aligned with one of the characters. It definitely paved the way for a the L-Word, Showtime's lesbian version of cute, hip chicks living and loving in LA.So raise your Cosmopolitan in reverence, ?cause it doesn?t look like it?ll be going away anytime soon.