This article contains discussions of homophobia and racism.
Summary
It’s hard to imagine a more iconic TV show thanSex and the City, and this isn’t just because of its amazing characters and famous New York City setting.Sex and the Cityis as well remembered for its many controversies as it is for the best moments in the show.Plenty of flaws within the series can be chalked up to differences in timeand cultural perceptions. However, there are scenes inSex and the Citythat didn’t even hold up when they were airing. Many blatant examples of racism, sexism, and homophobia haven’t helped the show age well.
Fans are still invested in the series, so Max recently brought it back with the revival,And Just Like That…
It’s important to remember that every show has flaws, and acknowledging the obvious pitfalls of the show helps audiences appreciate the good parts even more. Fans are still invested in the series, so Max recently brought it back with the revival,And Just Like That… ThoughAnd Just Like That…changes how viewers watchSex and the City,it can’t remedy all of the problems with the original series. It’s completely understandable thatsome viewers would turn off the series and quit the show after the worst moments.There are plenty of series that handle similar topics with more grace.
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10Carrie Saying Bisexuality Isn’t Real
It’s true that there are LGBTQ+ characters inSex and the City, but many of them have come under fire for their characterization as one-dimensional and reinforcing tropes. Though Carrie herself writes a column all about the nuances of human sexuality, it’s somehow too much for her to understand that a man she’s seeing is bisexual. It’s fair to say thatSex and the Cityplays up her reaction to this reveal for laughs. However,it shows that the series wasn’t in touch with the complexity of sexualityand how many people identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only example of whenSex and the Cityfails to handle discussions of LGBTQ+ issues well.
Throughout this episode,Carrie makes an insensitive comment about how she doesn’t believe in bisexualityat all, and most of her friends agree. For anyone watching today, this is a jarring episode that demonstrates just how much has changed since the series was originally airing. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only example of whenSex and the Cityfails to handle discussions of LGBTQ+ issues well. There would be many more instances of the series lacking context and alienating audiences.
9Carrie Cheating On Aidan With Big
Carrie makes many mistakes on the show, but the way she treats Aidan is horrible.
Of all theworst things Carrie Bradshaw ever did onSex and the City, the entirety of her relationship with Aidan might be the most egregious. After spending years being strung along by Mr. Big, he finally gets married, and Carrie understands that it’s time to move on. It’s then that she meets Aidan, who isn’t without his flaws, but he doesn’t deserve what Carrie does to him. Aidan is unaware of Carrie’s past with Big, andwhen she begins a torrid affair with him behind Aidan’s back, it’s extremely painful.
Carrie is a good example of a protagonist who’s far from perfect,and while this does make her more relatable at times, it also makes it hard to root for her. Watching Carrie cheat on Aidan for months with Big, who’s married, is an irredeemable moment. When everything finally comes to a head, even though Carrie is caught, she still comes out relatively unscathed and never faces the consequences of her actions and all the people she hurt.
8The Group Not Recognizing Samantha’s Relationship With Maria
If Sex and the City was on today, Samantha’s exploration of her sexuality would be celebrated.
Overall, their relationship is mishandled, as it’s clear the show doesn’t take Samantha and Maria’s partnership as seriously as it does her connections with men.
Samantha might be thebest main character onSex and the Citybecause she’s loyal to a fault and is arguably the most progressive and forward-thinking of the bunch. Eventually,Samantha begins experimenting with her sexualityand becomes involved with Maria. Overall, their relationship is mishandled, as it’s clear the show doesn’t take Samantha and Maria’s partnership as seriously as it does her connections with men. However, there are a few strong moments when it seems that Maria could be a great partner for Samantha and that they’re quite compatible.
However,one of the biggest insults is how Samantha’s friends reactwhen she tells them she’s in a relationship with Maria. They laugh at her behind her back and make fun of her both for being with a woman and for being in a committed relationship. This is indicative of how the other women treat Samantha across the board. Even though Samantha is never judgmental or rude to them, they all feel they can comment on Samantha’s choices and life experiences.
7Berger Leaving Carrie With A Post-It Note
Though Carrie does hurt her romantic partners, she doesn’t deserve what Berger did.
Though it’s agreed upon that Carrie’s two big loves are Aidan and Big, Jack Berger is a significant connection for her. He comes into her life at the perfect moment, and Carrie falls head-over-heels for him, being surprisingly vulnerable despite her recent misadventures in love. However, Berger turns out to be different than who he appears to be.He’s also a writer and soon becomes insecure and competitive,comparing himself to Carrie and her success. Though Carrie doesn’t judge his work’s level of notoriety, he lets her achievements get in the way.
There are plenty of terrible breakups inSex and the City, but how Berger ends things with Carrie is unforgivable. After having a blowout fight and then making up,Carrie wakes up the next morning to find a Post-it note from Bergerthat says, “I’m Sorry. I Can’t. Don’t Hate Me.” Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible not to hate Berger after he does this, and it successfully gets the audience back on Carrie’s side for the rest of the show.
6Carrie Gets Back Together With Aidan Only To Break Up With Him
As if Aidan hadn’t been through enough, Carrie toys with him one more time.
After Carrie confesses to Aidan about her affair, it’s initially assumed that this is the end of their relationship. However,it doesn’t take long for Carrie to start feeling lonely and seek out Aidan againto get back together. This is obviously doomed from the start, as Aidan is hesitant to trust Carrie, and a large part of why she goes back to Aidan is because of her guilt over what she did to him. To lock her down and ensure she won’t leave, Aidan proposes, and because Carrie doesn’t know what else to say, she says yes.
To make matters worse, Aidan moves in with her after buying her apartment and the unit next to her so they can have the perfect place to live.
Carrie has no desire to marry Aidan,and he will never be able to let go of the past, but Carrie should never have gotten back together with him. Due to this, seeing her accept his proposal even though she is not over Big and doesn’t want to be a wife is heartbreaking. To make matters worse, Aidan moves in with her after buying her apartment and the unit next to her so they can have the perfect place to live. All of this adds up to an unequal relationship and illustrates how little Carris cares for Aidan.
5Carrie Shaming Samantha For Her Choices
Though this happens many times, there’s a particularly horrible example in season 5.
WhileSamantha has plenty of funny love interests inSex and the City, she never does anything she doesn’t want to do and revels in her sexual freedom. Though Samantha is often put in some explicit and uncomfortable situations, she’s a confident woman who is secure in herself and her choices. Throughout the series,Samantha is there for Carrie at her lowest and never passes judgment on her actions,even when she cheats on Aidan with Big. However, Carrie doesn’t afford her the same courtesy.
When Carrie walks in on Samantha in a sexual situation with a deliveryman, she immediately reacts as if she’s caught Samantha doing something terrible. Eventually,Samantha confronts her, and it’s clear that Carrie is judging herand not being a good friend. Though it’s okay for friends to make mistakes and fail to always be perfect, what Carrie does is over the line and intimates to Samantha that Carrie has been implicitly passing judgment on her for years.
4Carrie Getting Angry At Charlotte For Not Offering Her Money
When Carrie needs a loan, she thinks it’s up to her friends to save her.
ThoughSex and the Cityusually plays this part of her personality as a quirky trait to laugh at, there’s a pivotal episode in which Carrie lets Charlotte’s money come between them.
Charlotte is likely theSex and the Citycharacter with some of the most money,and she’s also one of the characters who’s the most conservative with her wealth. ThoughSex and the Cityusually plays this part of her personality as a quirky trait to laugh at, there’s a pivotal episode in which Carrie lets Charlotte’s money come between them. After Carrie and Aidan break up for the last time, Carrie needs a large sum of money to buy her apartment, or she’ll have to leave. This leads Carrie to vent to her friends and ask for loans.
Uncomfortable talking about money, Charlotte avoids the subject and doesn’t offer to help Carrie pay for the apartment, which is well within her rights. However, Carrie takes this as a personal offense and makes Charlotte feel like a bad friend for not offering to bail her out. While it’s understandable that Carrie would feel upset,she goes too far in insisting that Charlotte should put herself at risk to help Carrie,even though that has never been the dynamic of their relationship.
3Samantha Being Racially Insensitive To A Man She’s Seeing
One of the worst faults of Sex and the City is the racial insensitivity and prejudice.
The issue of white supremacy and the huge omission of characters of color inSex and the Cityis one of the problems that are impossible to ignore. Most often, the central characters live in their upper-class white world and rarely interact with anyone outside it, butwhenSex and the Citydoes include a person of color, it’s almost always mishandled.This happens when Samantha begins a relationship with a Black man, Chivon, but refuses to acknowledge that they’ve had different experiences.
Matters are made worse when the series characterizes Chivon’s sister, Adeena, as the person who’s prejudiced. When Adeena tells Samantha that she’s uncomfortable with her dating Chivon, it’s framed as though Adeena is the one making it a racial issue and that this never crossed Samantha’s mind.This is indicative of the problem withSex and the Cityand shows its era, believing that they existed in a post-racial society,which led to blatant discrimination.
2Charlotte Insisting It’s Miranda’s Fault She Can’t Get An Apartment
Overall, Charlotte has some of the most outdated approaches to love and dating.
As the series progresses, Charlotte becomes one of the most evolved and well-developed characters on the show. However, in the early seasons, her conservative approach to the female experience and catering to men can be uncomfortable to hear and witness. While Charlotte is actually one of the more sexually liberated women on the show,she makes many offhand comments about how women “should” behave if they want to keep a man.This comes up in season 2 when Miranda is buying an apartment by herself for the first time.
Of course, within the context of the show,Sex and the Cityis not condoning this fact, but hearing these types of beliefs can be damaging and upsetting.
Throughout the episode, people are continuously commenting on how Miranda is a single woman buying an apartment, and she runs into a problem with the co-op board of the building. When Miranda vents her frustrations to her friends,Charlotte says that women should always rent because buying an apartment could emasculate a man.Of course, within the context of the show,Sex and the Cityis not condoning this fact, but hearing these types of beliefs can be damaging and upsetting.
Why Sex And The City Ended After Season 6 (Was It Canceled?)
Sex and the City ended after 6 seasons, but it’s hard to tell whether the show was canceled due to problems on set or if it just came to an end.
1Miranda’s Treatment Of Steve Throughout The Show
Regardless of their future in the spinoff and movies, Miranda makes mistakes with Steve.
Of all the characters inSex and the City, Miranda has some of the worst luck with love, but Steve inarguably loves Miranda from the first moment he sees her. Miranda and the rest of the women have class prejudice, and this comes through in the men they date and how they react to people’s financial struggles. However, outside their class differences,Miranda is always looking for a problem with Steve, and he often gets the short end of the stick.While he’s not perfect, their relationship during the core show is one-sided for many years.
Money and wealth disparities are some of the most glazed issues inSex and the City, and it’s an essential issue between Steven and Miranda.The earliest parts of their relationship are defined both by Miranda wanting to change Stevebut also by his uncomfortable reactions to her being more successful. While this is a larger problem with the show in general, Miranda continuously pushes Steve away, and this makes it difficult for the audience to keep rooting for her and for the couple to end up together.
Sex and the City
Cast
Sex in the City follows Carrie Bradshaw, a New York writer who finds inspiration for her column from the genuine, emotional, and often humorous exploits of life in the city. Joined by best friends Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones, Sex and the City follows the ups and downs of the characters' romantic relationships, being single, sex, and friendship as 30-something women.
