"I couldn't help but wonder...."
The world met Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte 26 years ago today and nothing has been the same since!
Like a majority of anyone with a Netflix account, I recently finished a rewatch of Sex and the City. The show is a unique time capsule of the white middle class woman’s experience in 2000s New York City. In case you’ve been under a rock for the last 26 years, the show is about four women, each so different from the next that it is hard to believe they’d be friends in real life, and their Manhattan adventures.
Random observations:
They don’t take the subway. It is so odd to watch a show about New York and not see a single turnstile.
Steve is the best straight male love interest in the entire series. Miranda and him should have married back in season two (though the subplot in the final season where she briefly dates a Knicks trainer is super hot).
Big is so toxic from the beginning and honestly, the fact that he comes back so often is annoying. And the fact that he made it into the spin off, too? Even after leaving Carrie at the altar? Insanity.
Samantha randomly dating a woman was great but I wish they had added at least another lady lover in a later season?
Ok, if I could have any New York apartment I want Carrie’s. It is so beautiful and I want that window to write in.
I love seeing mid-30s/early 40 year old women look like mid-30s/early 40 year old women. Immediately upon rewatch, I noticed how they all had fine lines. Those faces had definitely never seen an iPhone.
Am I the only one that sometimes calls it Sex in the City?
Carrie: The Romance Addict
The ringleader of the quad is Carrie Bradshaw. Her birthday is October 10, making her a Libra. Anyone that knows a thing about astrology can list her Libra tendencies without a second thought: her want for a passionate romance, her deep concern for all things fashion, and the constant attempt to find the middle ground through all her column entries.
I personally find Carrie to be the character of SATC that is least likely to be someone I would want to hang out with. She’s self involved which makes her a terrible friend and honestly, I don’t know how the other three have put up with her for so many years. But that’s what makes her a great main character: she’s annoying.
Carrie is like a car crash I can’t look away from. She is like the girl from high school I couldn’t stand as a teenager but also check on via social media every few months to see what she’s up to. She is insufferable yet makes such messy choices you need to know what happens next. And she completes all these insane actions while wearing some of the most eclectic statement pieces that have ever been designed. My personal favorite is when she wears a belt on her belly that makes no functional or aesthetic sense.
Miranda: The Type A Friend
Harvard Law grad and evident overachiever, Miranda Hobbes shouldn’t have had to wait until the spin off And Just Like That to explore her sexuality. Since Season One, Miranda is very queer-coded (and no, I’m not just talking about her short hair!). Honestly, I expect Miranda to have a prominent Capricorn placement but supposedly her birthday is July 27, making her sun sign a Leo.
Miranda isn’t the only one that goes on a journey throughout the original series: so does her hair. Cynthia Nixon, who portrayed this character before she ever even thought about running to be the mayor of New York, is a natural blonde. So, why did Miranda have red hair? No clue. I guess that was the type of diversity female audiences longed to see in the late 90s to early 2000s.
Samantha: The Spicy One
And Just Like That is not a great television show for many reasons but the biggest issue is the lack of Samantha Jones. She is the character that acts like a man by engaging in adventurous sex and holding power in social circles due to her job as a public relations professional. She is witty, confident, and has the most style of the four friends.
One of my favorite moments in the entire show is when Samantha has herself photographed nude — for no particular reason, just a good ole naked photoshoot. The episode ends with Samantha getting food delivered. As she walks to her door, the portrait of her bare butt with a cheeky side boob is framed and hanging on the wall. When the less than average delivery guy compliments this piece of art, Ms. Jones makes sure to give the man a little extra cash. Imagine having this sort of unhinged support of self? I absolutely love it.
Charlotte: The WASP
Charlotte’s reputation for awhile was that she was the prude of the bunch. But on this rewatch I realized that while a little uptight, Charlotte actually has a ton of self respect. Sure, she makes some bad decisions. Marrying a complete mommy’s boy like Trey was not great, even if Kyle Maclachlan’s performance is so incredible, but she ultimately got the happy marriage she always wanted. Charlotte is always clear about who she is and what she believes.
They really do Charlotte dirty in And Just Like That. There’s one episode where a big snowstorm hits the city. Charlotte’s high school-aged daughter decides that’s the day she wants to lose her virginity. BUT SHE DOESN’T HAVE CONDOMS! So, she calls her mom and Charlotte drudges around in the snow to try to find contraception. No self respecting woman would do that! Just tell your daughter to come home!
Are you a Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, or Charlotte?
SO! After this current rewatch, I decided this is my makeup via the SATC Four:
37% Carrie, 37% Charlotte, 14% Miranda, 12% Samantha.
And just like that…this newsletter is over.
