Sex and the City is a cult TV series and for a good reason. The 1990s HBO series was influential and set trends. Never before had women on television spoken so openly about their sexuality. Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha lived an emancipated lifestyle and in many cases were an inspiration to real women.
Fortunately, our society has continued to evolve and many scenes from the show are now considered problematic. The hashtag #WokeCharlotte offers up rewrites of some of these more problematic moments to show what a timely response would look like.
No doubt, the ladies from Sex and the City were fabulous. At the same time, the show’s main characters were white, privileged, wealthy women renting expensive New York City apartments. To name just one example: there’s a scene in which Carrie takes the bus and describes her experience of the public transport system a ‘social decline’. Really?! And there are many more unacceptable statements the Sex and the City ladies made whilst poking at their lunch or sipping Cosmopolitans.
#WokeCharlotte: Actress Kristin Davis is a fan
Lauren Garronie and Chelsea Fairless who run the Instagram account @everyoutfitonsatc have long recognized this issue. Originally, the account was created to document the outfits of the hit series. However, Garronie and Fairless were quick to highlight problematic scenes from the series through fun memes on their account. They use Charlotte, the character with the most conservative viewpoints, as a voice of reason to respond in a timely way to the show’s often outdated statements and phrases. A racist, elitist or insensitive comment is quickly addressed, and every meme is accompanied by the hashtag #WokeCharlotte. Given the popularity of the hashtag on Instagram and Twitter, even actress Kristin Davis, who used to play Charlotte, commented: “I love #WokeCharlotte more than life itself!”
But don’t sweat it. We’re not trying to trash Sex and the City and neither are Garronie and Fairless from @everyoutfitonsatc. And even we have to admit: Charlotte can seem a little preachy with her impeccably politically correct statements. But on the whole, it’s an exciting movement, revealing just how many new and time-critical aspects there are to be uncovered across well-known cult TV shows. And it clearly demonstrates the changes women have achieved over the past few years in terms of freeing their self- and societal image. Thank you, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte!
