The Sex and the City Effect: Chic Across Generations
I fell prey to it: I was only four years old when Sex and the City first aired, and years later I was old enough to understand and appreciate the show. It started off as a simple guilty pleasure- which is what I lead with when I told my friends about my latest obsession- but it eventually grew into a deep-rooted comfort show that I found myself relating to more times than I would have imagined. I’ve been watching, rewatching, quoting, and obsessing over the show since I was 19. There have been numerous occasions where I find myself saying, “This reminds me of that one Sex and the City episode where…” despite my living in a medium-sized city in Florida, not in chic New York. In addition to my own personal admiration, I have been noticing a resurgence of the dialogue around the show ever since it was released on Netflix. All over TikTok, Twitter, and Pinterest, you can find videos centered around simple “Carrie Bradshaw-inspired outfits” to “Why Charlotte should have ended up with Big” video essays. So I couldn’t help but wonder… What makes the show so alluring and topical across generations?
New York, Duh
Early seasons of the show admittedly show the gritty, more “authentic” New York (eating greasy Chinese food in couture is still much more of a fancy lifestyle than many people living in the city) that gets buffed away by the girls growing up and settling into a more upper-class lifestyle. Regardless, setting a show in New York City is a general golden ticket for creating allure for watchers. Carrie’s charming yet slightly grungy apartment, lunch at various diners, picnics in the park, all with the backdrop of a seemingly endless New York spring gives viewers eye and dream candy. Through the years and a major pandemic, New York has seen ups and downs in population and allure, but its on-screen popularity has never shifted; New York is full of culture and character that will always draw people in.
On top of being a backdrop to the show, New York is woven into the characters themselves. So many of Carrie’s monologues harp on the many facets of life in the city: dating, dancing, frustrations, friendships… the topics are endless and they all center around the life that the city takes on for the characters. In any given scene, you can look in the background and see the natural hustle and bustle of the city, something that adds a layer of reality to these sometimes outlandish dialogue the characters sometimes exchange. At times, the city beats them up and wears them down, but like any natural relationship, all four of the girls could never imagine being anywhere else (except Brooklyn, barely).
Carrie, even though it’s tough to admit
It may be difficult to accept, but Carrie is far more important than people are willing to admit. As the show is gaining popularity among younger generations, there are a lot of “Carrie is a bad person” and “Carrie is the worst” dialogues coming to a head. Carrie does have her moments of insufferable decisions, but she is absolutely essential to the show. Her internal monologue obviously drives the plot, but also creates a space for relatability with watchers. Seeing her admit to feeling insecure or knowing that she was being unreasonable in situations is something we all go through, and seeing her lean into those weaknesses was validating.
Many of us have moments where we just want to scream, throw a fit, or whine when things don’t go our way. Carrie’s reactions and decisions serve to validate that unhinged, insecure part of ourselves that we tend to suppress as we get older.
We also cannot talk about Carrie without mentioning her style influence. Even now, Sarah Jessica Parker has the “ugly until she wears it” effect whenever she steps out in any outfit. Of course her body is stunning in the clothes, but the way Carrie wears and walks in her clothes is unique in a way that has fans tilting their heads saying, “Huh, that’s good…”. A scarf around the arm, a bit of tulle on the back of a skirt, belting her ex-boyfriend’s button-up… Carrie WORE whatever she had on, and radiated style no matter what the outfit was.
The (good, bad, and ugly) Fashion
At times, the looks on this show had my jaw on the floor. Not because of their beauty, but because of the absolute audacity that some of the costume designers had. So many moments of Sex and the City are centered around fashion, and it’s safe to say that the costume design team utilized every resource they had, even the questionable ones. With trend cycles constantly moving through generations, there has been a particularly interesting resurgence of many of the styles worn by the girls. Just a few years ago, Miranda’s iconic all-blue overall outfit was everyone’s first piece of evidence to defend the idea that Miranda was done the most dirty fashion-wise.
Now, that same outfit is being replicated by modern-day fashion TikTok influencers. So, although some of the looks worn by the main characters may be deemed unwearable to some, the variety and range leaves something for everyone to enjoy.
Witty and intriguing dialogue
“Can I cancel my rice pudding?” is a line that will be ever-etched into my brain. So many moments of this show delivered a range of intriguing dialogue, with some being relatable and heart warming and others being hilariously out in left field.
Yes, at times the writing makes viewers cringe, whether it be a line that is too cheesy to stomach or an insensitive-towards-many-minority-communities one-off comment. In the same vein, these lines helped deepen the characters; the writers were able to make viewers hate Mr. Big one episode and fall back in love the next. Characters changed, evolved, or even devolved with the dialogue in the show in a way that was real and relatable to whoever was watching.
A peek into deep, life-long friendships
Saving the absolute best for last, no one can deny the absolute love and charisma this group of women had. Unfortunately, the real-life friendships between the women did not stand the test of time, but the moments where the girls were all together, having a drink, or going out in New York, can pull at anyone’s heart strings.
Four women, so incredibly different, yet leaning on each other as they move through life’s ups and downs. The authenticity of sister-like friendships and always finding their way back to one another is something. captured so beautifully by the show. Even in the light, gay-porn-watching or diaphragm-removal-request scenes, there is a warmth between the four of them as they chat, setting the standard for female friendship across several generations. Although these were fictional characters, there is a part of my die-hard fan mind that assumes the women are still close to this day, frolicking around New York and being each other’s soulmates.
