Carrie Bradshaw

Candace Bushnell created Carrie (who had no last name until the television series) as a semi-autobiographical character for her column "Sex and the City" in The New York Observer so her parents would not be aware that they were reading about her sex life.^[2] Carrie was introduced as Bushnell's friend, "a journalist in her mid-30’s", and was conceived around the lifestyle of "balancing small paychecks with access to glamour and wealth". Bushnell's columns were later compiled into the book Sex and the City. Bushnell worked with television producer Darren Star to adapt the columns for television.^[3][4]

In the HBO franchise Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw writes a weekly column called "Sex and the City" for a fictional newspaper called The New York Star. The column centers on Carrie's personal experiences with dating and relations, as well as those of her close friends. It also includes her reflections on the dynamics between men and women in New York City. The column brings Carrie a degree of recognition in the city, some readers view her as an influential figure. In the third season, her column is optioned for a film produced by Matthew McConaughey and by the fifth season, a selection of her columns is published as a book. At the end of season four, Carrie begins to write freelance articles for Vogue.

Carrie is often led by her emotions, seeking validation and acceptance from romantic partners, such as Mr. Big, and from others. For example, she becomes fixated on a review her book received from book critic Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times. In season one, Carrie relies on Mr. Big to reassure her of her importance in his life. At times, Carrie displays self-centered behaviors but rarely acknowledges it unless her friends point it out. This blend of emotional vulnerability and humor, and exploration of issues like commitment within romantic relationship, make her a flawed but relatable character for viewers.

Carrie occasionally smokes, preferring Marlboro Lights when she does. During seasons 3 and 4, she attempts to quit smoking using a nicotine patch while dating Aidan. She enjoys cocktails, particularly cosmopolitans, and her character's affinity for them is known to have contributed to the drink's popularity.

Despite being realistic about the challenges of relationships and having endured numerous unsuccessful ones throughout the series, Carrie is a hopeless romantic, firmly refusing to settle for anything less than true love, even though she doubts her suitability for marriage and starting a family.

Little is mentioned about Carrie's life before the series. Carrie arrived in Manhattan on Wednesday, June 11, 1986 when she was approximately 21, given her age that is mentioned at other points in the series. She says in the movie that she's lived in Manhattan for 20 years (although she states at age 35 that she had been living there for a decade). In season 4, Carrie tells a photographer that she was so poor when she first moved to New York that she would purchase Vogue instead of dinner. It is known that her father left her and her mother when she was five, although no siblings are mentioned.

 

A TV series was made after the production of Sex and the City, called The Carrie Diaries which featured Carrie's life as a teenager prior to her life in Sex and the City. It focused mainly on Carrie who lived with her father and younger sister, Dorrit.

Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City, recently released her new book, Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel as part of her young adult series that follows the Sex and the City characters as teenagers. This novel reveals that Carrie attended the prestigious Ivy League University, Brown, in the 1980s. It also reveals that she took summer classes at The New School. TV Guide described the young version of Carrie Bradshaw as "Even when she's trying to play adult in the city with her fashion-forward style and 'grown-up' conversations, she still exudes an aura that manages to be innocent, cute and self-confident at the same time."^[5]

Carrie's wardrobe in Sex and the City appears to be unaffordable for a writer on a moderate income, especially before she receives a book deal in Season Five. Her shopping addiction, particularly to expensive shoes, leads to maxed out credit cards, poor savings, and a bad credit rating. Carrie is known for her addiction to shoes, calling it her "substance abuse problem" in the episode "Power of Female Sex" in Season One. Notable moments Carrie being mugged and losing her Fendi Baguette clutch and Manolo Blahnik sandals, a scene known for bringing baguette bags into fashion.^[6]

Carrie has been described as someone who lives for fashion, and has confessed to buying Vogue instead of dinner.

A known shoe lover with a penchant for expensive designer shoes, Miranda once estimated that Carrie has spent over $40,000 on shoes. Her shoes seem to average at least $400 a pair (according to Miranda), and it is implied that she has at least 100 unique pairs. It is mentioned that Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue are among her favorite places to shop.

Carrie Bradshaw's apartment is a setting frequently used in Sex and the City, the films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2, and the first two seasons of And Just Like That. It was referred to as, "one of TV's most iconic apartments" by Architectural Digest.^[7] It is a brownstone apartment located in New York City's Upper East Side at the fictional address of 245 E. 73rd Street.^[8] She had been living in the apartment since the beginning of the series, and states in And Just Like That... she moved into the apartment at age 29, and had occupied it for 25 years. The apartment first appears in the pilot episode "Sex and the City" with a noticeably different layout; following the series being picked up by HBO it was redesigned and the second episode, "Models and Mortals", introduces the layout seen throughout the rest of the series.

 

Carrie's apartment is mentioned as being rent controlled and costing her $750 a month.^[9] In the fourth season, the apartment building becomes a co-op, requiring her to either purchase it or move out. Carrie's boyfriend Aiden Shaw purchases it and the adjacent unit, intending to merge them into a larger apartment, but she breaks up with him shortly after. He gives her the opportunity to purchase the apartment from him at cost, but she is unable to afford the down payment until her friend Charlotte York sells her engagement ring and loans her the money.

In the film Sex and the City, Carrie sells the apartment after her engagement to Mr. Big to contribute to the purchase of a large penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue with him. After Big stands her up at their wedding, Carrie buys back the apartment and moves back into it and gives it an extensive renovation. In Sex and the City 2, following her marriage to Big, Carrie has moved into a larger apartment on Fifth Avenue with him but still owns the apartment and periodically uses it as a workspace.

In And Just Like That, Carrie still owns the apartment as a pied-à-terre and has given it another renovation. Following Big's death, she feels uneasiness in the Fifth Avenue apartment they shared and sells it and moves back into her old apartment. The series also shows the never-before-seen lobby and downstairs apartment in the complex.

The exterior of the apartment building was shot at various brownstones before settling at 66 Perry Street in the third season, which was used for the remainder of the series due to its ornate staircase.^[10] The exterior, sometimes called the "Bradshaw brownstone", is a popular tourist destination in the West Village, which has led to residents complaining about frequent visitors. Owners have hung chains from the stairs to prevent people from posing for photos on the stairs and requested the address be blurred on Google Maps.^[11]

The interior of Carrie's apartment was a set built at Silvercup Studios in Queens, and was designed by Sex and the City's production designer Jeremy Conway. It prominently featured mint green walls and wood mid-century modern furniture, most of which were found at flea markets around New York City. In the first film, the apartment receives a major renovation which featured white and metallic furniture and blue walls. Sarah Jessica Parker later stated she disliked the new design. For And Just Like That, a new apartment interior set was built at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. Production designer Miguel López-Castillo worked with Parker to design the interior, which featured blue pastel walls and blue carnation wallpaper, and includes furniture pieces from the original series kept in storage by Parker.^[7]

"Mr. Big" or "Big", portrayed by Chris Noth, is the main love interest in Carrie Bradshaw's life throughout the television series Sex and the City. Introduced in the first episode, he is portrayed as a wealthy man who runs into Carrie on the street.Their relationship runs the length of the series and he serves as a recurring source of joy and stress for Carrie. Mr. Big's name is never mentioned until the last episode of the final season, where it is revealed to be John via Carrie's cell phone caller ID. His full name is finally uncovered in the first movie as John James Preston.

They break up for the first time due to Mr. Big's inability to be emotionally intimate with Carrie. They briefly reunite but split again when Big announces he is moving to Paris because of work. When he returns to the United States, he and Carrie bump into each other unexpectedly in the Hamptons. Upon his return, Carrie discovers he is engaged. Carrie struggles to come to terms with Big's decision and moves on, beginning a relationship with Aidan Shaw. However, Carrie cannot put her relationship with Big in the past, and they end up having an affair, which she confesses to Aidan. Carrie and Big continue a close and flirtatious friendship throughout the series. This culminates in the final episode when Big tells Carrie, "You're the one.".

In the film Sex and the City, Carrie and Mr. Big initially plan a simple wedding, but after being gifted an expensive Vivenne Westwood wedding dress from her Vogue modeling shoot, the event becomes much larger. Overwhelmed by the attention of the wedding day, Big panics, ultimately leaving without attending the ceremony. The two eventually make amends and have a private wedding at City Hall, showing a more intimate side of their relationship.

In the sequel, Sex and the City 2, Carrie and Big's marriage begins to lack excitement as they settle into a comfortable routine. Big suggests that the two spend two days apart each week to enjoy time alone and ultimately rekindle their connection. After discussing their feelings, they reaffirm their commitment to one another with new wedding vows. To symbolize their renewed connection, Big gifts Carrie a black diamond ring.

In And Just Like That..., Carrie and Big are still married. In the premier, while Carrie goes to see the recital of Charlotte's oldest daughter, Big has a heart attack. When Carrie arrives home, she experiences Big take his final breaths and breaks down when he dies. His funeral takes place the following episode.

Aidan Shaw (John Corbett), a Manhattan furniture designer, becomes Carrie's next serious boyfriend after her breakup with Mr. Big. Their relationship is loving but is complicated by the feelings Carrie still has for Big. This leads to their first breakup after Carrie admits to an affair.

Later in the series, Carrie and Aidan get back together, move in together, and become engaged. However, the engagement is broken when Carrie discovers she is not ready to marry him, and he is not willing to wait for her. Aidan marries another woman and has children, but he briefly appears in Sex and the City 2 and he and Carrie kiss, which she later confesses to Big.

Following the end of her relationship with Aidan, Carrie begins to date Jack Berger (Ron Livingston), a novelist she meets at her publisher's office. Initially playful and happy, their relationship deteriorates as Berger becomes insecure about Carrie's rising success, specifically after her book goes international.

Tension in the relationship rise after Carrie criticizes a minor detail in Berger's novel, leading to arguments between the two. He ends up breaking up with Carrie via a Post-it note which reads, "I'm sorry, I can't. Don't hate me." After this hasty departure, Berger is referenced in only one more episode—after Carrie runs into his friends at a bar, she regrets leaving Berger an angry message (through his friends), stating that his break-up method was rude and pathetic.

Berger is particularly notable for uttering the line, "He's just not that into you," as a response to Miranda's wondering why a recent date has not called her. The line inspired a book and later a film by Sex and the City writers.

In Season Six, Carrie meets and begins a relationship with Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a rich, successful, and older Russian artist. Carrie enjoys the relationship, but problems arise when she discovers that he already has a daughter in her twenties, and he doesn't want any more children.

He asks Carrie to leave her job and life in New York and move with him to Paris, where he has a museum show. After some degree of convincing, she accepts, giving up her job, her apartment, and her friends. But she finds herself to be lonely, disappointed, and neglected as he prioritizes his work. After a final argument where Alex impulsively slaps her, Carrie ends the relationship and leaves him. In the series finale, she reunites with Mr. Big, who realizes she is "the one" and pursues her to Paris.

Carrie shares an on-and-off relationship with Sebastian Kydd that began with their first kiss at 15 and continued on throughout the first two seasons of The Carrie Diaries. The relationship ended after Sebastian moves to California while Carrie stays in Manhattan.

Carrie's second boyfriend, George, is someone she meets during her internship at a law firm. Carrie ends the relationship when George forces himself onto her.

Carrie's third boyfriend, Adam Weaver, appears in Season 2 of The Carrie Diaries after meeting through Carrie's job at Interview Magazine. The relationship ends when Weaver is critical of Carrie's work, and later writes a hurtful article about her.

According to Candace Bushnell's book, Summer and the City, Capote Duncan was Carrie's classmate in The New School. At the beginning, Carrie hated him because of his arrogance but at the end of the book, it was said that he's the person with whom Carrie lost her virginity.

In Summer and the City, Bernard Singer is a famous writer with whom Carrie has a brief relationship with, only to realize that Bernard does not love Carrie and that she loves Capote Duncan.

Books:

• Sex and the City (a collection of her columns)
• MEN-hattan
• A Single Life
• Love Letters
• I Do! Do I?
• Loved and Lost

Critical reception to Carrie tended to be positive during the show's run and in the years immediately thereafter. In 2004, Carrie Bradshaw was listed as number 11 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters.^[12][13] In 2009 The Guardian named Bradshaw as an icon of the decade, stating that "Carrie Bradshaw did as much to shift the culture around certain women's issues as real-life female groundbreakers."^[14] In 2010, Carrie Bradshaw was listed as the 2nd in TV Guide's list "25 Greatest TV Characters of All-Time". AOL ranked her the 41st Most Memorable Female TV Character.^[15] TV Guide named her the most fashionable TV character.^[16] Her relationship with Mr. Big was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time.^[17] Parker received one Emmy Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards for her performance. Reportedly,^[18] she earned from third season on 3.2 million dollars per episode, becoming the highest paid tv actor of all time.

In retrospective analysis of the show, critics have generally reassessed Carrie Bradshaw as an unsympathetic protagonist, despite the show's portrayal of her as a positive figure. In 2013, Glamour magazine called Carrie "the worst" character on the show, saying that "her brattiness and self-absorption eclipsed her redeeming qualities and even her awesome shoes."^[19] In a 2010 retrospective about the previous two decades in pop culture, ABC News named Carrie one of the ten worst characters of the past twenty years, calling her a "snippy, self-righteous Manhattan snob" and citing the character's actions in Sex and the City 2 as evidence that she was beyond personal growth or redemption.^[20] The New Yorker, looking back on the show a decade after it went off the air, felt that while the character began as a "happy, curious explorer, out companionably smoking with modellizers," from the second season on she "spun out, becoming anxious, obsessive, and, despite her charm, wildly self-centered."^[21] A 2021 article in Vox cited Carrie as an example of "main character syndrome", saying, "two Carries Bradshaw exist: The flirty, quirky one we're supposed to follow through her ups and downs and the sociopathic psychic vampire who leaves her boyfriends as husks of their former selves and bullies her girlfriends for unconditional (financial!) support, all while refusing to let them have even one moment in the sun."^[22]

• Official Sex and the City homepage Archived 2018-11-25 at the Wayback Machine