Can you believe it’s been more than 20 years since HBO‘s mega-hit Sex and the City premiered?!
So much has changed in our political and social landscape since the show debuted in 1998, and very few people know that better than one of the show’s stars, Cynthia Nixon.
The 53-year-old actress recently spoke out about the beloved girl-power series, and the many ways it actually FAILED the feminist movement.
Related: Sarah Jessica Parker Compares ‘SATC’ Success To Being Held Hostage
In an interview with IndieWire conducted before the premiere of Nixon’s latest, a film called Stray Dolls, the actress admitted she knows the show would be completely different today.
She explained:
“Well, I certainly think we would not have all been white, God forbid. One of the hardest things for me — it was at the time, too — is looking back and seeing how much of it centered around money, right? And how, Steve, my [character’s] husband, was like the closest we got to a working class guy, you know? Never mind a working class woman, right?”
Way to keep it real, girl!
For those of you who weren’t fans of the show (slightly judging you!), Nixon played fictional character Miranda Hobbes, an extremely cynical, career-minded lawyer, who often dished a dose of bitter realness to her privileged circle of gal pals Carrie, Samantha and Charlotte. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, and Kristin Davis played those roles, respectively.
So, Cynthia absolutely has a point there. SATC‘s main characters were all white.
Their troupe dealt with problems that were very specific to their experience, and vastly different from the day-to-day lives of people of color living in New York City during that time. Something the show has been highly criticized for, for years.
The one-time political hopeful — who ran for governor of NY on a very liberal platform in 2018 — also addressed the idea of perfection that’s portrayed in the show.
“Also, I think we wouldn’t all look like that. In terms of like, the perfection factor. In terms of always looking so incredible. And I know that’s the fantasy element, and in terms of the show that was important. But I think there’s a lot of ways that people can be visually compelling without looking — quote unquote — perfect.”
True. While the characters certainly had more realistic looks in Seasons 1 and 2, as the show’s success soared, so did the costume department!
Wrapping up her poignant reflection on what SATC could and should’ve been like, the actress told the outlet that she does believe the show was a feminist one. She continued:
“There was so much debate when [Sex and the City] came out about whether it was a feminist show or not, which I always thought was stupid — of course it’s a feminist show. But I think it has a lot of the failings of the feminist movement in it. In that it’s like white, moneyed ladies who are fighting for their empowerment. In a bit of a bubble.”
Hmm, very inneresting! And we have to say, we agree with the woman here!
Thankfully, HBO’s and TV in general’s storytelling have evolved since then, and there are more diverse representations of women on screen than ever before.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Does Cynthia have a point here, and do YOU consider SATC to be a feminist show?
[Image via Michael Boardman/WENN]
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