Whenever Sex and the City first aired, most of us were still in pigtails and couldn’t be bothered to sit still for five minutes (and probably would’ve been locked in our rooms if we even tried to watch the show!). But we’ve all seen the re-runs, or at least heard of the great Carrie Bradshaw. While she is only a fictional character, I often find myself put in situations asking “What would Carrie do?” Most of these questions can be answered with “Well, she would go buy a pair of five hundred dollar shoes and smoke a cigarette”, which may not be the most logical option for my bank account or health. But there are many lessons to be learned from the Great Carrie Bradshaw, even all this time after the series aired.
1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. In every episode Carrie questions something going on in her life and uses that question to write an article. From life to love to shoes, she ponders everything and we should do the same. We shouldn’t be afraid to speak up when we are unsure of something because we deserve the best. Sometimes we may not want to know the answers to such questions, but those are the ones that are the most important to ask.
2. Sometimes all you really need in life are your best friends. Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte dated their fair share of men during the show’s run, but one thing never changed: they had each other. From their Sunday morning brunches full of gossip about the past week, to the honeymoon turned girls trip after Carrie’s wedding fell through, these women did it all together. They knew each other’s secrets, most embarrassing moments, and had seen each other at their worst and that made their friendship even stronger.
3. Carrie moved to New York when she was eighteen, started at the bottom and ended up with a successful column, and waited on Big, even when it took forever for him to realize he loved her. She was definitely one to go after what she wanted, and we all should be too. You can get everything you want out of life if you work hard enough for it, and Carrie is a prime example of that.
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously. If there is anything Carrie Bradshaw is exceptionally good at, it’s making a fool of herself. She tripped and fell while walking in a fashion show, wore extremely risqué outfits on a regular basis, and narrowly escaped being arrested for smoking pot. We all make mistakes, and instead of holding onto regrets and being embarrassed, we should just laugh it off, chalk it up to a bad day, and keep walking. Even though we may not be walking in Manolo Blahniks, we can still stand just as tall.
5. One of the most important lessons we can take away from Sex and the City is this: Don’t forget to fall in love with yourself first. Through all of the dating, drama, and adventures, our four favorite girls always stayed true to themselves. When they wanted something, they got it. When they didn’t like something, they changed it. It is easy to get lost in life and forget who you really are and what you stand for. You won’t be able to be successful in life, or even fall in love without really knowing what you want and that. And that’s the true lesson to be learned from the fierce and fabulous Carrie Bradshaw.