Carrie Bradshaw: Women of a New Age

Carrie Bradshaw: Woman of a New Age

Not only is she the sex-columnist for The New York Star, Carrie Bradshaw is the voice for most single women living in New York City. A member of the New York Glitterati (elite society), she is known for setting fashion trends and being infatuated with Manolo Blahnik shoes. Each episode is told through her vision; it begins with a voiceover of the present state of the characters (also a brief description of the setting), and how Carrie is feeling that day. One reason why she is a likeable character is because of her courage; she is not afraid to reveal her inner-most thoughts on the keyboard because it allows her readers to connect with her on a personal level. She is a simple, open-minded, independent woman who takes pleasure in indulging in all of life’s pleasures; she is a staple to clubs/bars and dining out at restaurants with her three best friends; Miranda Hobbes, Samantha Jones, and Charlotte York. Throughout the series, Carrie Bradshaw the voice of independence is constantly questioning ideas and scenarios of romance and sexuality. Through the use of language, visual rhetoric, and cultural signifiers, we can read the character of Carrie as a primary example of a woman who is living in a post-feminist era because she goes against the traditional roles and stereotypes of women being housewives, fragile, and dependent and inferior to men.


The theme for “Sex in the City” was inspired by Candace Bushnell, a columnist for New York Observer in the early 90s. Bushnell, the real life alter ego of Carrie, represents a step forward for women liberation and the ability to advance in life choices. Carrie, a single writer, has the ability to afford to live in Manhattan’s pricey neighborhood (Upper East Side) and consume high brand clothing and shoes. She goes on vacations, enjoys being pampered, attends fashion shows, has connections to different locations in NYC and keeps a circle of friends who are financially stable as well. Miranda Hobbes, a graduate of Harvard Law, is a successful business woman who owns her own apartment on the Upper West Side. Charlotte York, also known as Park Avenue Pollyanna, is an Art Dealer who graduated from Smith College with a degree in Art. Samantha Jones, the oldest and most sexually confident of the foursome, is a Public Relations Executive. Although these women are very similar in class and background, they share different views on life and love.


During their weekly brunch, they gossip and discuss one another’s sexcapades. The discussions are insightful because Carrie and her friends bring humor to their personal issues. Samantha, the sexual-deviant is every man’s fantasy and every wife’s nightmare, “You dated Mr. Big. I'm dating Mr. Too Big.” And Miranda, who is cynical and has a more realistic approach to love “soul mates only exist in the Hallmark aisle of Duane Reade Drugs”. Charlotte, despite a divorce and a miscarriage is the most optimistic of the group, “What if we were each other's soul mates? Then men could just be these great sweet guys to have fun with." SATC goes beyond the norm and breaks certain stereotypes of affluent women; we would not expect them to go through the same struggles and face rejection as the average person encounters. Society is use to seeing affluent women having money, labels, and a mortgage, but I don’t recall watching a show that portrays them as strong, powerful individuals who are not only materialistic, but have similar desires as every woman; everlasting love and happiness.


It may have taken a while to accept Carrie because she plays a role different from other female protagonists on TV. In contrast, Carrie also fits the “stereotypes” of women; she is nurturing, enjoys shopping for shoes and diamonds, clumsy, vulnerable in relationships and emotional. I don’t see any of these qualities as downfalls because it shows that as humans we have flaws. Another reason, why Carrie represents a powerful woman in society is because, despite her dynamic entourage and fast paced work schedule, she is the girl next door. In several episodes, we see Carrie doing regular things; jogging in Central Park, taking her ex-fiancé’s dog, Pete, for a walk in the neighborhood, whistling for yellow taxis, buying breakfast from a newspaper stand, and eating pizza and Chinese takeout.


When I began watching the show, I, like most viewers, did not pay attention to the visual appearance of its characters and overlooked important details. Carrie is a chain smoker who tries to quit in the later seasons, does not wear excessive makeup nor spend time on grooming her hair, does not cook, mostly wears comfortable clothing (white tee shirt) around the house, and viewers never see Carrie actually purchasing her clothes. We have no indication of where she lived before settling in the “Big Apple,” and how she started her column. These realizations did not occur until I noticed the change in her appearance. In the earlier seasons of SATC, Carrie wore generic clothing and little or no makeup. Her hair was a beach blonde color and almost always frizzy; whereas, in the later seasons her hair is straight and sandy brown/blonde. As the seasons progressed, the show gained popularity and Carrie began wearing designer clothes, shoes, jewelry and handbags like Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Christian Louboutin, Oscar De La Renta, etc. According to Dave Rinehart’s, “Sex Sells: a Marxist Criticism and Sex and the City”, “the show has functioned as a go-to source for fashion tips among viewers who can afford to, both financially and physically wear the same items.” Every season, Carrie makes a statement; whether it is a nameplate necklace, knee high boots or a knitted hat, she is always renovating her style.


The change in Carrie’s visual appearance raises questions about how people perceive women in the new millennium. In my opinion, people will only view Carrie as a sex crazed, consumer because they cannot look beyond her labels. In this day in age, a woman’s wardrobe says a lot about her lifestyle and power. According to an article by Annette Fuentes “Out of Style Thinking: Female Politics and Fashion,” she says “To focus on their attire, the cut of their clothes… is to be in danger of trivializing who they are, the important role they play and the meaning behind women’s advancement to positions of power: That is, we’re moving to a true democracy of shared leadership.”


Besides being a source for fashion and advocate to women liberation, one can make great judgment about Carrie through use of language. The most used technique of the show is voice over. Can you imagine what SATC would’ve been like without it? Some of the best quotations come from the opening words of Carrie, “I revealed too much too soon, I was emotionally slutty”. Sometimes the viewer gets a deeper understanding of Carrie’s emotion, than they would from dialogue. She speaks in first and third person, and alternates in between scenes. To help the viewer understand the scene, she analyzes and gives her point of view. SATC would not have reached its level of success without its reality; we’ve witnessed hangovers, emotional breakdowns, and heartache. Carrie is the most expressive when she is writing for her column. On one episode “My Motherboard, My Self”, Carrie’s computer system crashes as she loses unsaved data. She loses her sanity for two days while her PC is with a technical service company.


Every season, we see Carrie in and out of the dating scene; dinners, flings, and relationships. As the sun sets or drifts into night, she reminisces and recaptures the highlights of her day in “Sex and the City”. We see her true identity in her writing and her honesty allows viewers to open up and accept their own feelings. Carrie is a reliable character because she never misleads her audience. She is depicted as a strong-headed individual whose talent of writing gives inspiration to women in New York City that there is everlasting love and happiness. Carrie Bradshaw is the voice of independence because she has the confidence to be a back bone for her best friends and commit to a marriage; she decides what is best for her.