Chris Noth, Peloton, and Believing Women

CHRIS NOTH X PELOTON

While I am writing this with my typical ‘tude, there are 2 things that can be true while still understanding the problematic nature surrounding this spot, and the SATC reboot.

First:

It was an excellent rebuttal to a cultural moment and Peloton capitalized on a negative branded moment with a positive spin.

Second:

Ryan Reynolds, Maximum Effort, and Peloton cannot be held responsible for the harmful actions of another man if they were not aware of the situation. This is where I am asking you to take pause - “if they were not aware of the situation.”

I am at an utter loss as to why Chris Noth is even a human we are discussing in 2021 when he was accused of these allegations types of allegations in 1995. I repeat - no one listened. Peloton did the right thing and dropped the ad. But had anyone taken the 1995 allegations as seriously as we take sexual assault allegations in 2021, Mr. Big would likely still be a character in the show that we each hold a precious opinion about…but he would look a whole lot different. As in, a different person different.

I bring this topic up today because it’s not just a headline.

It is a massive cultural and societal shift. Our response to intolerable behavior as a society and our shift to hold people accountable for this intolerable behavior is reflected in how cultural trends are shaped. SATC is a massive, behemoth part of culture for many millennial people.

If you say “Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte” pretty much everyone at your dinner party knows what you’re talking about (if not, you need Bumble BFF). If you say “Mr. Big” most people can picture a tall brooding man with dark hair and a big nose who royally screwed Carrie over many times throughout the series. I can crystal clear picture a hysterical Carrie whacking Mr. Big over the head with a bouquet in the middle of a crowded NYC street. YOU KNOW THE SCENE. The first season of SATC aired in 1998, three years after Beverly Johnson came forward and said “this man hurt me.” No one listened. And thus, this man continued to be provided with a platform. He landed a huge show that arguably changed the trajectory of his career, and his life. We knew him as a particular character. We accepted him as part of culture, a culture that we curate and are precious about.

Today, in 2021, we listen. We have a far different reaction when people come forward about their sexual assaults. And we hold those that perpetrated these acts responsible for their behavior- that means they are no longer given a platform, our perceptions of them shift, and we no longer support their celebrity or their presence in our own curated cultural worlds of joy and safety.