To think SATC is a terrible representation of women?

[BlueNeighbourhood1]

I'm 34 now so probably should've watched this in my younger years but I was way too into Friends.

Ive started at the beginning and one season in and Carrie is absolutely awful! She basically has every red flag we say men have but in a woman. Possibly narcisstic and everything is all about her, how was she a role model in the 90's?!

Or is it just me and she's still an icon?

[Namechangetempissue]

No, there are quite a few threads on MN about how bloody awful Carrie was and how shit she was as a friend and girlfriend. I'd have left her at the altar too.

[BlueNeighbourhood1]

I don't know how Big copes with her! She literally tries in every episode to change a certain aspect of him and their relationship has to be at her pace - not his. I'd have walked away a long time ago.

At least Charlotte is nice!

[JackietheBackie]

She might have been a style icon, but I don’t think she was ever seen as a good role model. At the time there just wasn’t as many programmes with a primarily female cast, that wasn’t about them as mothers or wives. The Golden Girls were (are) much better role models!

[ScreamingLevitation]

Nowadays, it is clearly wank. The first series was not good even in comparison to the rest of it, either.

Back then, it was nice (unusual) to have a show in which all the main characters were women who (usually) were nice to each other. And talking about expecting to enjoy sex (I know, shocking...) and a lot of the fashion was seen as aspirational.

But yeah, it hasn't stood the test of time.

[ScreamingLevitation]

I read the book on which the series is based - a collection of Candace Bushnell's columns. It was one of the most soulless things I've ever read.

[RooKangaroo]

Completely agree.

I also remember a a couple of UK TV interviews Sarah Jessica Parker did several years ago (one was Jonathan Ross, so back when he had his chat show and it was going well). I guess she promoting the first film, maybe.

Anyway, Jonathan Ross (and another chat show host I can't remember) was asking SJP to describe the concept and the characters and said something like 'Carrie's a bit self-absorbed, isn't she?', which is obviously a fair observation.

At both interview, SJP became very defensive and outrage, and very 'Oh my god, not st all, ages not

[birdsdestiny]

I think Miranda is quite a good representation of women. She is a really good friend, good at her job, just a generally nice person. I actually believe her niceness more than Charlotte.

[RooKangaroo]

Posted too soon...

'Nothing like that'. She clearly looked hurt by the observation.

I found it all a bit weird and slightly worrying :(

[Fruitcocktail6]

Ugh I've always hated it. So unfunny, they are self absorbed and arrogant. Girls is also a bad representation of women, they are all such awful people.

[Namechangetempissue]

I agree that watching it now is cringingly awful -back when it first came out I thought it was amazing and really avant-garde.
The fashion was shite, however many designer labels they shoved on it. Those fucking dreadful blue Manolos!

[RooKangaroo]

Agree with @birdsdestiny that Charlotte's niceness isn't very believable. Plus I found her dreadful in the films. Very unrelatable.

[BlueNeighbourhood1]

Well I'm up to season two, episode ten and hate the way SJP voiceovers with the name and job title of the person that one of the girls is on a date with. Like that is the sole reason for the date.

[StorminaBcup]

I used to love SATC but I recently watched it again and the whole thing made me cringe. Aiden and his dog were the only likeable ones in it.

[BlueNeighbourhood1]

At least Samantha knows what she wants and doesn't hide from it. Not with all the fun and drama that Carrie creates in every relationship!

[SoFancy]

I loved it when it came out. I was early 20s and it was just a very fun, aspirational bit of escapism (successful women living in NYC, great clothes and fabulous parties etc).

There also wasn’t really any other show at the time which portrayed successful women talking frankly about sex and relationships.

Agree that with my 2018/40 yr old specs on, its pretty crass. The characters behaving appallingly, especially whiny Carrie, and are pretty much cariactures anyway.

The films were dire.

I still have a huge soft spot for Samantha, though .

[FittonTower]

I enjoyed watching it but pretty much all the women on the show were various levels of awful.
There was a documentary/talking head thing on before the last ever show and everyone on the it raved about how awesome Carrie was and how "all women wish they were Carrie". It was the strangest thing, Carrie is a terrible human in so many ways.

[BeastInView]

Do you think the characters in The Sopranos are a terrible representation of men? They're fictional characters that's all, you don't need to worry that they're being held up as icons of womanhood.

They're not supposed to be particularly nice are they? Carrie is a bag of self obsession and neuroses. It would be very boring indeed to watch a character who was nice and sensible.

[SoFancy]

Thank be honest, I thought the men were worse than the women. Needy Aidan, creepy Burger and emotionally challenged fuckwit Big. And that horrible Russian guy! SHUDDER. Miranda’s sons father was the only nice guy in the entire series.

[BeastInView]

Aiden and his dog were the only likeable ones in it.

Aidan was awful! Whiny, passive aggressive creep in a folksy 'shucks I'm just a handsome carpenter' disguise.

[CertainlyChoco]

Never think Carrie is a role model. She is just a character whose fabulous lifestyle in NYC and fashion are to be envied. I prefer Samantha myself. She is loyal and honest with herself.

[cucaracha]

It wasn't a documentary, they were not designed to be role models, it was a soap opera.

If anyone thinks soap opera characters are an accurate representation of anything, they should sell their TV asap

[MaverickSnoopy]

I first watched this in my early 20s. I found it aspirational and I was in awe of them. I actually wanted to up sticks my life, move to a big city and find three female friends to drink cocktails with. I watched it after every relationship breakup that I had and it always helped me through.

I never saw any of the points that you mention. I think it is likely that I would see them if I watched it now, in my mid 30s, and an entirely different person. I do think though that my nostalgic self probably wouldn't care and I would just enjoy it. It's been a good 5 years since I watched it though. I recently watched friends again and saw it completely differently, but I still loved it.

[NotTakenUsername]

I never seen them as role models, much more alter-egos, or male stereotypes placed on a female character...
While it is awful, it is also 20 years old!

[SoFancy]

Beastinview - yes! That’s Aidan exactly!

[NotAnotherJaffaCake]

I think it’s ace. It’s a show with women being women. Not Mary Sues, not perfect housewives, not martyrs, just people who are a bit shit at times. You see their behaviours reflected on MN all the time, albeit in less high end clothing.