This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s senior fall editorial intern Arianna Nahim. Find her on Instagram at @ariannanahim. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
As I scrolled through the new and fresh Netflix catalog of the month, I started to wonder, should I finally watch Sex and the City? I confess I have already tried once before when it lived on my favorite streaming service, HBO Max. I considered it could be a disconnect between me and the premise of the show that was keeping me from continuing on with the series. However, once I actually just sat down and got over the infamous first season hump, I was hooked. As a young woman, it’s almost invigorating to see a possible preview for the next phase of your life. Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte, all show the possible avenues one could find themselves in, or maybe each phase they’ll find themselves in at one point. They could’ve been a total Carrie in their 20’s, but now a complete Miranda in their 30’s. Either way, it got me thinking what can we learn from, at least for me, binging through the lives of four (mostly) single women living in New York.
A popular opinion on Tik-Tok is that Carrie is the worst. She’s annoying, self-centered, and has no self-respect. She’s a very widely hated character whose shortcomings and every move are put under a microscope and hyper-analyzed by all. As I’ve been watching the series, yes she definitely has her annoying moments. She’s that friend of yours that just doesn’t learn from that one situationship. However, I don’t think she’s nearly as bad as social media as made her out to be. In fact, I find her comfortingly human. Miranda is always so head strong, Samantha has mastered detachment, and Charolotte seems to be a real-life doll, combined it’s hard sometimes to forget those three are fictional. With Carrie though, since she’s the main character we get to see her through and through.
Now the big question surrounding SATC has always been: which Sex And The City character am I?! It’s only natural with the show revolving around four different archetypes of characters and everyone’s curiosity to see what defines them. But I don’t think it’s all about which one of the girls you are, but also what you can learn from all of them, yes even Carrie.
Carrie – The More Times You Fall Down, The More Times You Get Back Up
Now Carrie has always reminded me of the air signs, specifically a Libra. Like a Libra, she is flirty and sociable, a classic Venus ruled girl she has an overwhelming love for fashion. But taking a step back from who exactly are the Carrie’s of the world, what should the Carrie’s of the world actually be taking from her.
Like I said earlier Carrie’s best quality is how human she is. She is messy and apologetically at that. But that’s okay because we’re all doing life for the first time and Carrie isn’t afraid to embrace that.
She’s got some stellar closing lines that usually appear at the end of an episode. What I love about all of these quotes is that the main message is to pause and take a breath. A popular one of her’s is, “Computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot.” While it’s a great line and arguably her most popular, my favorite words of wisdom from her actually come from another episode entirely.
In season four, when Carrie becomes, as Stanford eloquently puts it, “fashion roadkill,” she comes to a realization. Even though she has fallen on the runway, and it feels like the worst thing to have happened to her she has to get back up, she has to keep going. “I got back up, because when real people fall down, they get back up and keep walking.”
Charlotte – Whatever Is Meant For You Will Not Miss You
Charlotte is the perfect WASP, well almost. Throughout the series we follow Charlotte York, gallerist, as she searches for Mr. Right. This goal of her’s seems to be at the forefront of her mind and quite possibly the most important thing to her. She’s always reminded me of a water sign in that way. Like a Pisces, she’s always lost in her dreams, and like a Cancer she feels a natural maternal urge. Besides her markers of identification though, Charlotte brings to life the belief of fate.
Although Charolotte feels like she’ll never find her prince charming, have the wedding of her dreams, or become a mother, she is proven wrong by fate. Although her first marriage with Trey didn’t work out, that doesn’t mean parts of her dream didn’t come true, she got the wedding of her dreams. And although she and Trey were unable to have children together in the end it was all for the best. Without what she could’ve seen as her last chance at getting what she wanted, she’d have never met her true match and made the family she had always wanted. What she was meant for, no matter how unconventional she initially thought it to be, it didn’t miss her.
Miranda – There Is No One To Be But Yourself
Headstrong, self-assured, and logical Miranda at first glance seems like an Earth sun. However, I want to be the one to counter that and assign her to the fire signs. Besides her red hair I just think it fits much more. I mean, you don’t get to be top of your class a Harvard Law School without some fire in your belly.
Miranda basks in her success, rather than apologizes for it like many want or expect her to. Even her own friend Charolotte warned her against buying her apartment rather than renting because she’d be sending a message to men that she didn’t need them. And she doesn’t! Miranda does not shy away from being the successful and strong person she is because she is proud of who she is, and she should be.
Samantha – Who Is She To Judge?
Now, everyone always assumes Samantha is a classic Leo, but through my first watch of the series all I could associate her with was the sign of Taurus. Maybe I have some bias but I really think she exhibits an Earth sign, but definitely some influence of fire, perhaps in her moon. Like an Earth sign Samantha is always loyal and always supportive, whether it be for her friends or for herself.
Samantha leans into the risks of life and I think that’s amazing. We get one life, why should we spend it buttoned up and repressed? Whatever area of life that goes for Samantha shows us that there is no shame in choosing the more eccentric path. It’s why Samantha is the best listener because I think subconsciously all her friends knew they’d never have to face judgement from her. That’s honestly how everyone should look at things. Aside from basic morals and principles there are no rules to life, so why make any up?
And just like that, this is what I’ve taken away from each Sex and the City girl. Each one is multilayered. Although mainstream pop culture focuses on identifying with a character be it through zodiac or personality traits, we should ask ourselves, what could that say about me? When we can identify with a character, we have a window to a possible conclusion to the mysterious arcs of our own lives. Fictional characters have already completed their arcs so why not see if there’s something more to take away than just which character you are.
Which girl do you think you are? Let us know in the comments below.
Leave a Reply