13 Most Messed Up Things About SATC

Sex and the City was, and still is, an absolutely massive hit. The show has gained fans around the world, from those who watched it when it was on the air, to those who have rediscovered it in the years since the show wrapped. We still obsess over some of the fashion choices (and cringe over the ones that are now super dated), we strive to have close friendships like those four ladies have, and we re-watch the series time and time again. We take quizzes about which Sex and the City character we're most like, and we may or may not use particular episodes as sources of advice and inspiration from time to time.

However, let's be serious - for all its positive attributes, the show also had a few faults, some of which seem even worse when you're re-watching it. There are some elements that just make us cringe, and some that make us feel flat out lied to. I mean, we're still going to be fans - we couldn't possibly give up quality wine and binge-watching time with Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha - but let's just say we notice these things a lot more now.

Here are 13 messed up things about Sex and the City.

13 Carrie's income is a massive lie

Okay, not everyone who watched the show wanted to become a writer. However, with Miranda and Samantha representing the corporate side of things, and Charlotte leaving her career in the art world to become a wife and mother, Carrie was the one who showed what a life in the creative industry could be like. And she flat out lied to us. Even though the print industry was different when the show was airing, let's be serious - there is absolutely no way she could have afforded her killer apartment, incredible wardrobe, and overall luxe lifestyle on a columnist's salary. Even if it paid enough for an apartment, she would have been eating rice and beans at home every night to make up for spending all her money on rent - she wouldn't be dining out constantly and sipping endless expensive cocktails. Carrie's lifestyle made it seem like you could take a job in the creative industry and live like the CEOs live - which is just not reality.

12 Miranda is somehow the least cool

We'll admit - in the first season, Miranda's wardrobe was a little bit unfortunate. However, in general, throughout the series, she's portrayed as the one who is somehow the least glamorous, the sarcastic friend. Let's just take something into account, though. While all the women struggled with relationship drama and career drama, Miranda was kind of the one who ended up having it all. She made major bank as a high-powered lawyer and didn't have to rely on anyone else, then she slayed it as a single mom for a while, and ended up being a successful career woman with a husband, baby, and house. Uh… we all want what Miranda has, so why on earth does she get portrayed as the worst of the four, somehow? Miranda is proof that you can truly have it all, and unlike Carrie, she managed to rescue herself whenever something went wrong, not rely on others. That's being a total boss, and we love it.

11 Some of the relationships were highly toxic

There are certain one-episode relationships that are meant to be used for comic relief, ones that are clearly not going to work in the long run. That's fine - it's just part of showing the reality of dating, and that sometimes you just end up on a date with a weirdo. However, those aren't the relationships we're talking about. Some of the long-term relationships that Carrie had - with Aleksandr Petrovsky, and with the infamous Mr. Big - were not exactly a dream. For the Russian, she ignores her friends' opinions and concerns, takes whatever time he doles out to her in his busy schedule, and ends up abandoning her entire world to move to Paris. And then with Big, she again basically begs time and time again for crumbs of his affection and attention. Both are portrayed as passionate, romance-packed relationships, but uh… we'd rather have the low-drama love that the show portrayed between figures like Charlotte and Harry.

10 Finances aren't discussed much

Okay, granted, the show aired at a different time, when money wasn't talked about quite as much in the media. However, it's still a pretty glaring omission. Except for that one episode where Carrie freaks out when she had to come up with a huge sum at once to buy her apartment, they never really mention much about money. Sure, characters like Samantha and Miranda are shown to have pretty successful careers, but still - New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so to not even show them worrying about a single thing is a little bit strange. They all have good jobs, yes, but they're not making millions - and they lead pretty luxe lifestyles. We're not saying the show needed to portray them struggling to come up with enough money for grocery shopping, but the odd comment about being unable to go out for drinks because someone just spent $1,000 on shoes would have been nice.

9 It shows a very, very white image of NYC

Everyone knows that New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the world - people come from all over the place. However, the show doesn't really reflect that, apart from a few cringe-worthy storylines. We're not saying that every casting choice had to be made with the thought of fulfilling a certain diversity quota - that would be just as bad. However, it's hard to ignore that the image of NYC portrayed on the show is an overwhelmingly white image - and that absolutely doesn't reflect the reality of the Big Apple. Yes, the girls ran in a bit of an insular world, but still - you would think there would be at least a little bit of diversity shown. It stands out even more if you re-watch it today because of all the work that's been done to diversify casting and show a more accurate portrayal of the real world lately.

8 The ladies talk about love and intimacy - but rarely something deeper

During one brunch date, Miranda makes a comment that is literally what everyone was thinking a lot of the time when re-watching the show: “how does it happen that four such smart women have nothing to talk about but boyfriends?” Look, it's fine to talk about men - after all, who are you going to go to for relationship advice if not your girlfriends? However, there's no doubt that the ladies on Sex and the City spend a disproportionately large amount of their time together talking about men. They did have some other conversations when other issues in their life arose, but it would have been nice to see a bit more in depth conversations about things like their careers, and the things they were pursuing in their lives that didn't have anything to do with their love life. I mean, the show is meant to be fun to watch, but still - just a few conversations scattered in there would make it a whole lot easier to stomach.

7 They can somehow coordinate weekly brunch

Okay, this seems like such a minor thing, but every adult can identify - it is super hard to coordinate everyone's schedule. One friend may be working on the weekend to catch up with her insane workload, another friend might be spending time with her family or partner because she was so slammed during the week to spend much time with them, someone else is running an errand and catching up on that, while another friend has plans she made a month ago that she can't cancel. When you're an adult, your schedule gets packed. These ladies were women with careers and partners and, in some cases, family, yet they always managed to carve out a generous amount of time on the weekend to chat over brunch. On the one hand, it's a good message to prioritize some self-care 'you time' in a busy week. On the other hand, in the real world, you know at least one of the women wouldn't be able to show up every weekend.

6 They wear heels - constantly - in NYC

Listen, we get it - the insane clothes and accessories are one of the best things about the show. Whether you prefer Carrie's high fashion choices or Charlotte's preppier selections, the wardrobe is a major part of the show. However, let's be serious for a second - it's absolutely messed up how often these ladies wear heels. In some settings, we totally get it - many women wear heels when they want to feel confident for a girls' night out, or to look polished at the office, or on a date. However, when you live in a big metropolitan city like NYC, chances are you're doing a lot of walking, because if you're trekking across the city on a daily basis in six-inch heels, you're 100% going to give up by 11.00 am every day. Your feet just can't handle that amount of pain. So, could we have seen a few more flats in the mix? Just every now and then, when they were only hanging out with each other.

5 Cabs were basically the only mode of transportation

We love that the show was realistic enough to not have any of the women own a car because, well, it's New York City. A vast majority of the people there - or in any huge metropolitan city with expensive parking and a phenomenal public transportation system - don't. However, let's be serious - in NYC, public transport is for everyone, yet none of these ladies ever took it. Sometimes, when you're in a hurry or the weather is awful or you've just had a heck of a day, you're willing to splurge and take the cab instead of having to walk or wait for transit. But these ladies were taking cabs as their only mode of transport - ever. That's expensive! Sure, they all make decent money, but honestly - almost everyone in NYC takes transit on a regular basis, unless you're a Mr. Big type with your own driver. It would've been nice to see that on the show.

4 The gay BFF stereotype

Okay, we get that the show was on in a different era, but this is still one of the most messed up things. On the one hand, it was nice to show characters of different sexual orientations on the show - it's one step closer to diversity. On the other hand, Stanford and Anthony, the two gay characters who were very close with Carrie and Charlotte, respectively, were basically the most stereotypical gay BFFs you could get. Charlotte and Carrie basically trotted the two men out like accessories when they needed some advice and the girls were busy, or when they needed a date on a fun night out. Even their occupations were stereotypical - I mean, Anthony was a campy wedding planner, for crying out loud! We would have loved to see one of them as a close friend of the women who just happened to be gay without fulfilling every negative stereotype out there.

3 All of the real estate was a huge lie

In just about any city in the United States (except perhaps San Francisco), women in their 30s with solid jobs would be able to afford pretty luxurious digs. Even if they preferred apartment living to the house with the white picket fence, getting a spacious apartment would be totally reasonable. New York City, however, is a different beast - it's a place where even financially successful adults are often crammed into shoebox apartments because everything is so darn expensive. So, the fact that every single one of the women had a pretty killer apartment is unrealistic and, frankly, kind of messed up. Especially because they still shopped and brunched and spent with abandon - they weren't revealing that they couldn't afford another Cosmopolitan because 75% of their salary was going to their Manhattan apartment. I mean, it's fine that they weren't in run-down shoebox studio apartments - they were successful career women - but the size and location of some of their apartments (looking at you, Carrie) was just way unrealistic.

2 Carrie was afraid of the internet

This scene was a little bit ridiculous when the show was airing, but it's even more insane when you re-watch the show. Who could forget the episode where Carrie's penning an e-mail, Aidan comes online on some type of messenger app, and Carrie literally, physically hides and calls Miranda to ask “can he see me?” Uh… . what? Look, we get that it was a different time and the internet wasn't as all-consuming as it is today. Chances are, a modern day SATC would have Carrie writing for some type of sex and relationship blog, not penning a newspaper column. But come on - she's a writer. She should know enough to not be a complete moron when it comes to e-mail and the internet. That scene was just so cringe-worthy it kind of hurts to watch it again. On the plus side though, you know that whatever you do online can't possibly be as stupid as Carrie hiding from her computer screen.

1 Carrie never had to hustle

Listen, it's a given that television puts a bit of glitz and glamour on everyday situations. People often watch television to escape their everyday lives and get pulled into a different world. However, let's face reality for a moment. Carrie never really had to work hard. Sure, there was that one storyline where Vogue wasn't into her pitch, but in general, she wasn't shown pitching magazines every day and getting turned down time and time again, as most freelance writers do. Even her book deals seem to fall into her lap, based on someone deciding that her columns are good enough to turn into book form. She never talks about clients that help pay the bills - she just lives entirely on her one column. Perhaps it's because she knows that when she's in a tough spot - like when she needed a big amount of cash to buy her apartment - someone else will bail her out.