A Love Letter To Sex and The City

The famous show Sex and The City, originally debuted in 1998, has left a mark on society. This show holds a special place in the hearts of many women. It represents the proposed glamour of New York City, the messiness of relationships, and, most importantly, the importance of having strong friendships. The basis of this show is supposedly about realism. It showcases a woman’s love for shoes and partying, to represent the classic single girl in New York who loves to have fun.

In lots of ways, however, the show is not realistic at all. For example, the main character, Carrie Bradshaw, somehow has the means to afford $400 Manolo Blahniks and her gorgeous Upper East Side apartment. Her only ‘job’ is one column that she publishes once a week. However, like most shows, the viewers are not supposed to place too much emphasis on realism. Nevertheless, this show was wildly successful, going on to have two movies made and, most recently, a reboot titled And Just Like That. 

One important acknowledgement is this shows’ flaws. Hunter Harris published an article on Refinery 21 that called this show both “progressive and regressive.” What this is referring to is the show’s lack of diversity and its insensitive jokes. Sex and The City was ahead of its time in terms of sexual liberation and breaking stereotypes for women, but ultimately, it aired in 1998.

the leading ladies  

Carrie Bradshaw, whom the show is centered around, is a blonde curly haired writer and shopaholic. To put it frankly, she does whatever, whenever. She perfectly embodies being a ‘main character’. She truly never tries to be anything other than herself; she accepts her crazy. Which, at times, she definitely should not do. Also, arguably most important, Carrie has an incredible shoe collection. 

Charlotte York is a blue-blooded, wealthy art dealer from the Upper East Side — an Elizabeth Taylor-esque woman. She dreams of being a mother and finding her knight in shining armor. She is quite traditional (at times) in her thinking but nevertheless consistently supports her friends. She’s an optimist and true love-lover at her core. 

Miranda Hobbes is a hard-headed, independent, and rather cynical individual. Miranda is fired with high standards, strong opinions, and a hilarious sense of humor. In addition to her fiery red hair, she never shies away from expressing her opinions. Of course, like most people, underneath she truly just wants to be loved. 

Then, there is Samantha Jones, one of the most popular and colorful characters in the show. She is a relationship hater, and her one goal is to never be married. She is a blonde, lavishly put together, bold, and sexually-free woman. She is extremely independent and never relies on any man. 

womanhood

What these women have in common is that they love each other, and they all want to be loved. They each represent something different and hold different values, but they are still each other’s soulmates. They also do not minimize each other’s goals. Charlotte wants her fairytale; that life for Samantha, however, would be torture. Yet, they still support each other no matter what is going on in their lives. Meg March from the novel Little Women puts it best when she says: “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant”. This show spends six seasons emulating exactly this. Though the show has a revolving door of different men for all of these women, their strength and friendship remain consistent. Their relationships with each other carry the show. Whilst watching any of the iconic six seasons, it’s their characters that we fall in love with and their love for each other. This show has influenced every generation — currently, on social media, there is a trend where people decide whether they are a ‘Samantha’ or a ‘Carrie.’ Despite their unattainable wardrobes, this show attempts to maintain relatability.

Another important aspect of this show is that the women are already in their 30’s when it starts. There is an expectation that women should get married by a certain (and young) age. Women are supposed to stop partying or going out, and instead are supposed to start having children and be happy about it. However, these women turn this idea on its head. They are each single at the start of the show and have a blast partying all the way up to the end of the second movie. Sex and the City shows women that they are never too young to stop doing something that they love. In the end, it takes shows like Sex and the City to pave the way for women to be whoever they want to be and be confident in it.

As you finished reading this article, I couldn’t help but wonder…

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• entertainment
• friendship
• girlhood
• nyc
• tvshows