‘Sex and the City’: 3 of the Show’s Most Relatable Scenes
Sex and the City has been criticized for many of its storylines over the years. There are issues that the series didn’t take seriously enough and incredibly unrealistic moments. Even the premise of Carrie Bradshaw’s lifestyle feels a bit farfetched. Still, the series, which ran for six seasons, had some remarkable scenes, too. We’ve collected three of our favorite, entirely relatable Sex and the City scenes.
Carrie Bradshaw’s terrible birthday dinner is a relatable ‘Sex and the City’ storyline
In season 4, Carrie Bradshaw battled with the idea of turning 35 and being in a new “box” as a single woman. She planned an elegant birthday dinner with her best friends to boost her spirits. She even purchased an elaborate cake to go with the occasion. There was only one problem, traffic issues and Carrie’s stubborn refusal to buy a cell phone left her sitting at a table alone.
She was eventually forced to give up her table and head home, only to drop her gorgeous cake when she absentmindedly wandered into a construction zone. Having absolutely nothing go right when you feel like you really need it to is incredibly relatable, as are Carrie’s feelings about aging. It all worked out in the end, though. Carrie had a lovely birthday meet-up with her friends closer to home and even got a surprise from Mr. Big.
Carrie and Aidan’s fight in the bathroom feels realistic
Moving in with a partner can have a steep learning curve. Even in a perfect scenario, learning to live with another person after living alone for a long time can be disorienting, challenging, and anxiety-inducing. Carrie and Aidan Shaw’s decision to move in together was rushed for financial reasons. Because Carrie was initially lukewarm about living with Aidan, it’s not surprising that she had difficulty giving up her closet space. It’s also not shocking that Aidan Shaw felt put off by Carrie’s reluctance.
While some Sex and the City fans argue that Carrie’s reaction to Aidan asking for space in the closet was unreasonable, we think the couple’s famous bathroom scene, arguing over who has more “s*** lying around,” is entirely relatable. After all, who hasn’t had tempers flare when trying to carve out space for another person? We hated seeing Carrie and Aidan fight, but we loved that the big battle helped Carrie prove exactly why she needed two bathroom doors.
Charlotte York’s fertility journal rings true for a lot of women
Since Sex and the City, a few shows have opted to explore infertility head-on. Parenthood, Friends, and The Mindy Project each explored different fertility aspects. Still, in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was rare to see such a storyline play out on a show so prominently. Charlotte York’s fertility journey was groundbreaking, and the writing team beautifully executed the storyline. Sex and the City managed to delve deeply into the couple’s struggles to conceive and expertly navigated Charlotte York and Trey MacDougal’s very complex feelings about it.
How Charlotte and Trey’s quick courtship, impotence struggles, infertility journey, and ultimately their divorce played out feels incredibly realistic. One Reddit user pointed out that the infertility storyline and how it eventually factored into the couple’s unraveling makes their relationship feel the most realistic of the bunch. We have to agree.
