Extravagant Carrie, career-driven Miranda, refined Charlotte, and uninhibited Samantha — four successful New York women navigating the relentless pace of Manhattan — conquered Hollywood almost instantly. Here, at last, was a voice for unmarried American women who had carved out a place for themselves in one of the country’s greatest metropolises and were now striding confidently down Fifth Avenue.
Sex and the City was genuinely a phenomenon of the 1990s. Its frank depictions of sex, friendship, and the realities of relationships made clear that the era of the male protagonist’s adventures — and only his — was over. Women’s voices, too, had arrived in Hollywood.
And yet these same heroines frequently fall into codependent relationships, indulge men’s conservative whims, and learn to adapt to the world rather than challenge it. So does the show actually advance women’s emancipation — or is it the same old patriarchal rust, wrapped in feminist slogans?
It’s worth noting that not all four characters are committed feminists. Alongside the career-focused Miranda — who consistently emphasizes financial independence, autonomy, and self-sufficiency — walks the perpetually infantile Carrie, ready at any moment to run back into the arms of her emotionally unavailable ex out of fear of being alone. This fixation on feeling incomplete as a woman without a man became one of the show’s most persistent toxic themes — one that today’s viewers, who largely refuse to romanticize such men, have been quick to identify.
And despite the sexually liberated Samantha, the series endorses classic patriarchal values without any critical examination — values embodied most fully by Charlotte. A devotee of traditional femininity, she was willing to do whatever it took to find the perfect husband, including playing dumb or sacrificing her career.
Another damaging message the show sends is its reinforcement of beauty standards. After a genuinely subversive first season — in which the characters frequently critique those standards and advocate for body acceptance — the series sinks almost entirely into aggressive consumerism and commercial fantasy.
So why does it endure, still celebrated as a timeless classic?
Because beneath all the patriarchal dust, the show nurtures an idea of sisterhood — one that makes women’s self-sufficiency possible through the closeness of real friendship. It’s not the loudest message, but it’s a persistent one: the characters repeatedly try to normalize life without romantic relationships and prioritize genuine love and intimacy with other women.
Sex and the City was also among the first series to speak openly about female sexual liberation — and its voice was Samantha Jones. A self-possessed PR executive who taught women to love themselves, embrace self-sufficiency, and explore their sexuality, Samantha remains a fan favorite worldwide. She became the embodiment of a woman who neither seeks marriage nor long-term commitment, who resists systemic pressure, speaks openly about sex without shame, and proves that a woman’s life can be entirely fulfilling without a man in it.
The show’s creators claimed they simply wanted to portray different versions of happiness — each woman free to define her own. But the fact remains: the series indirectly promotes patriarchal values and the image of a woman who, despite her successful career and financial independence, is deeply afraid of ending up alone.
And yet, for all that, it became a platform for more radical ideas. Amid the thorns of male dominance — adapting to them, sometimes even enabling them — these characters simultaneously push toward new thinking about female emancipation, sisterhood, and self-sufficiency.
Whether the show deserves uncritical celebration is another question, given its complicity in promoting consumerism and beauty standards. But its commitment to sisterhood, and its normalization of a life in which marriage and motherhood are not the goal, is precisely what makes Sex and the City a genuine classic. For all its harmful messages — and there are many, deserving careful critique — the show still inspires young women to seek deep connection with other women, and reminds them that they have the right to choose whatever path feels right for them.
