And I began to wonder… how can it be that a show that came out in 1998 hold so much cultural value today?Â
After watching around 4 seasons of the show myself, I began to realize why. The show being set in the exhilarating mess of New York, as well as much of the fashion from the show still inspiring to others, really assisted it’s strong female characters.Â
In the first season, the show utilized interview-style 4th wall break portions to really reveal the inner thoughts of background characters, and the main 4 characters. Immediately, in their brief introductions, you can tell exactly what kind of character each woman is. Miranda, a lawyer, is cynical, a firm realist with a somewhat sour approach to life. Charlotte, an art dealer, is bubbly, reserved and a bit naive. Samantha is what seems to be an expert on men and sex, calm and coy. And finally Carrie, who is irresponsible yet insightful and somehow messily chic.
I believe that the main part of what made this show so enticing and popular to this day, was how one can see themselves in each of these characters, and apply their dramatized emotions and situations to their own life.
When I first began watching the show, I initially thought of Carrie as insufferable. Sometimes she can still be. But then I realized that her character represents the things we all do, just magnified. While most of us most likely would never fly to Paris solely to see a man who barely cares about us, there’s been times in everyone’s life when they lose themselves in the process of trying to attain the affections of another, and drive themselves a bit crazy. Contrasting that, when Carrie later cheats on her loving boyfriend with her married ex, it’s obviously incredibly frustrating to watch, but looking inward you can tell it’s a strong visual representation of what it’s like to go back to old habits and self sabotaging relationships out of self hatred.Â
When looking at more confident, self sufficient characters like Samantha, one feels inspired. Especially in scenes contrasting Carrie and Samantha, you feel inclined to choose yourself more, as Samantha chooses to love herself above all things, and views men as something that will come and go, unlike Carrie, who allows them to consume her life and her mind. Watching Samantha juggle her public relations job, multiple partners, and still manage to go to pilates daily is inspiring, even if it might look unrealistic.Â
In scenes with Miranda, you can feel her frustration regarding letting go of her pessimistic outlook on life, but it’s also an outlook that we’ve all possessed at some point in our lives. The many times she’s refused to believe someone would want her past her body, and the many instances where she’s been turned away from successful opportunities because of being a woman, are experiences that are all too real.Â
And finally, Charlotte with her naive and fairytale view on life, is a mindset we all know too well. I considered her character a master of the “delusionship” as we call it today, and found that her desperation in attempting to find a husband, while sad to watch, was uplifting, as at times her attitude and standards helped attract many of the things and men she wanted into her life.
One can easily look at these dynamic characters, and see the duality in all of them reflected back in us. We can adopt some of their mindsets, and take their shortcomings and insane situations and apply them to our smaller dilemmas, and finally, ask ourselves what they would do.