Sex and the City Collector’s Book
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To single women everywhere, and one in particular... my good friend Charlotte, the eternal optimist, who always believes in love.
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Carrie Bradshaw [Season 5, Episode 2 “Unoriginal Sin”] 3
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The fact is, sometimes it’s really hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun.
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Carrie Bradshaw
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Quiz
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Shoes
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Rings
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Places
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Beauty
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Men
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Legacy 5
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Quick Note Take this quick quiz to figure out with Sex and the City star you are. After follow through the rest of this book finding out more about our leading ladies and see if you truly fit the mold ;) 8
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Charlotte York
Played by Kristen Davis of Los Angeles
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“It’s infuriating! Women sit around, obsessing about what went wrong, while men just say ‘alrighty’ and move on.”
Our local episcopalian (and later Jewish) princess, Charlotte York Goldenblatt is everything your mom wishes you were. With blue blooded heritage from Connecticut, Charlotte is the epitome of class, refinement, and some might say prudishness, but some of us just need to wait. The youngest of the bunch, Charlotte has a seemingly naive sense of optimism that sometimes doesn’t quite make sense, but just when you think she’s a total ditz, she’s just as wise as the Dali Lama himself.
Charlotte York 12
DOB: May, 1967 Career: Art dealer, a docent for the MOMA, and later a housewife Significant Others: Trey MacDougal and Harry Goldenblatt Indulges in: Wedding section of The New York Times, long walks in the museums of New York, self help books, baking, being a total and utter hopeless romantic
Get the Look Think preppy, all American girl and you will get the style of Charlotte York. Start with a classic silhouette with textures like tweeds or prints. Pair with matching accessories. Anything that comes in a little blue box is likely a go for this look. Kitten heels are a safe choice, but let’s be real, Charlotte sometimes dares to wear those pumps too.
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Miranda Hobbes
Played by Cynthia Nixon of New York City
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Get the Look Whether it’s the office or dressing down with Brady on the weekend, we can count on Miranda to be dressed for the part. With the lawyer chic look on lock down, short hair ready to go and sweats for the days in, Miranda is prepared for the office and the Jules and Mimi marathons.
“Sexy is the thing I try to get them to see me as after I win them over with my personality.”
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Call me, beep me, I’m kinda the only dependable gal around. Totally type-A, Miranda is our lawyer, mommy, amazingly real bestie who tells us like it is and keeps it 100. With a law degree from Harvard and a hectic day job, Miranda is all business, but when she gets down, she gets down. Unlike the other girls, she really isn’t focused on the men in her life. She is the most important thing to happen in her life and no guy is gonna sweep her off her feet and save her. She’s fine on her own. DOB: July 1966 Career: Lawyer Significant Others: Skipper Johnston, Dr. Robert Leeds, Steve Brady Indulges in: Reading The New Yorker, chocolates and cake, Chinese Takeout, Tivo, beer, eating and being a real person.
Miranda Hobbes 17
Carrie Bradshaw
Played by Sarah Jessica Parker of New York City
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“Maybe some women aren’t meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with them”
The main character of the hit TV show, Carrie Bradshaw represents all the things we love and hate about women. Complicated, urban, selfish and stylish, Carrie cannot be characterized by anyone set of words or images. She is timeless and so symbolic of the feminists of the late 90s all wrapped together. Carrie Bradshaw is Manhattan.
Caroline Marie “Carrie” Bradshaw 20
DOB: October 10, 1966 Career: New York City columnist, Vogue Freelance Writer and Fashion Enthusiast Significant Others: John James Preston (aka Mr. Big), Aidan Shaw, Jack Berger, Aleksandr Petrovsky Published: Sex and the City (a collection of her columns), MEN-hattan, A Single Life, Love Letters, I Do! Do I? Indulges in: Cosmopolitan, Marlboro Lights, Vogue, Self Deprecating Humor, Fashion she cannot afford
Get the Look Build the outfit around the shoes (likely a pair of Manolo Blahniks). Colors and prints are meant to mix so don’t be afraid of the whim-sy. Large flowers, bows, or other door stopping accessories like a smart hat are essential for the Bradshaw look. And don’t forget your name plate necklace!
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Samantha Jones
Played by Kim Cattrall of Canada
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Get the Look Not for the faint of heart, go into your closets and pull out all your brights and punchy prints. Think power sillouette with an edge of sex. If you’re currently in love with a brand (maybe it’s Channel...) don’t be afraid to wear a brand clad printed garment. And let’s not forget, Samantha wore plastics, brands, and athleisure before it was even the year 2000!
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“Always look like you know where you’re going, even when you don’t.” Our resident sexually liberated gal pal, Samantha is all of our favorite characters. From comedic relief to becoming our fave breast cancer survivor, Samantha keeps it real. And let’s not forget, she is truly one of the unsung heros of the fashion in this show. Carrie may be all looks, but honey, Sam’s got the office fashion from the 90s realness going on. With tasteful haircuts, flawless skin and great legs, who doesn’t love Samantha. DOB: April 28, 1958 Career: Independent PR Specialist Significant Others: James Goodwin, Sonia Braga, Richard Wright, Smith (Jerry) Jerrod Indulges in: Men (& Women) for sex, going out, being confident af, being loyal to their friends through everything
Samantha Jones 25
There was almost a different opening Even if you don’t watch the show, the SATC opening is nothing short of iconic. How could it not be? It features shots of New York City and Sarah Jessica Parker in a tutu getting splashed by an incoming bus (that has people on it one minute and is empty the next). But interestingly enough, the producers almost went with a totally different opening. Creator Darren Star famously explained that they’d originally filmed something that was quite different from what we have today. “Sitting in the vault somewhere, there is an alternate opening-credit sequence where Sarah is wearing a blue dress,” he said.
“And she doesn’t get splashed by the bus, but instead she trips when she sees the bus.” Okay, so both versions might feature Carrie walking down the street and having some kind of reaction to a bus, but the major difference is the outfit, which arguably makes the whole thing! That tutu was remarkably bought for only $5, but it set the tone for Carrie’s whole character—a lover of fashion and glamour who’s not afraid to be herself among the millions of people in New York City. We were more than excited when she brought it out in the movie, ten years after the pilot aired! — Vanessa From thetalko
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Sex and The City’s Shoe Moments Let’s be honest, while we love the plot and the storyline of Sex and The City, we’re really here for the shoes. So let’s skip the prologue to the story and just look at these gorgeous shoes and how SATC shaped shoe culture.
Manolo Blahnik Hangisi $995
Manolo Blahnik Campy 90 Mary Jane Patent Leather $495
Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby $755
Manolo Blahnik Chaos Sandals $725
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Manolo Blahnik BB Pump $625
Jimmy Choo Rita $875
Fendi Open Toed Mules $690
Christian Louboutin Follies Strass 100 Illusion Leather Pumps $1195
What is more 90s than the clear PVC mules with a perfect vintage dress?
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Anybody who believes that SATC is a superficial show without layers might need to think twice about that. As it turns out, the producers were very clever while making the show, and included a number of different symbols to give hints about and foreshadow certain events that would come up in the future. One of the most famous is Charlotte’s first wedding to Trey MacDougal. Though Charlotte thinks she’s getting the perfect marriage and her dreams are being answered, she doesn’t end up finding happiness with Trey. They have a number of physical obstacles to overcome, and after that, their different attitudes regarding having children end up dividing them for good. The marriage itself stresses Charlotte out a lot 30
(though she does get one very nice apartment out of it). And those who were paying attention at the wedding knew that this was going to happen because as Charlotte walks down the aisle, a Scottish funeral dirge is played, symbolizing grim times ahead. The other notable place where the makers of the show included symbolism was with Big’s second wife, Natasha. In every shot, Natasha is dressed in white or Beige, simple clothing. This was done on purpose to show that her personality was vanilla and, well, beige, while Carrie’s was wild and colorful, and ultimately, the answer to Big’s happy ending. — Vanessa From thetalko
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What the Rings Means
Trey MacDougal, snore. A Classic, round cut 2ct diamond from Tiffany’s, alrighty! While Trey himself was pretty disappointing, the ring was so worth showing off, flagging down cabs, and screaming over brunch for. Plus this ring is the reason Carrie isn’t homeless! The classic round cut means like Charlotte, you’re an optimist. You love to believe in faith and that you will have a fairy tale ending; with a boy and girl
While Carrie and Aidan may have not meant to be together forever and ever, we wish this ring could be on our neck forever and ever. A Harry Winston 3 carat square-cut emerald/ Ascher-cut diamond engagement ring; this stunner truly shows the viewer how much Aidan (and Samantha ;)) knows how to hit Carrie in her weak spots. With a play on vintage whimsy and sophistication of Old New York, this ring screams upper west side.
The couple we’ve all been rooting for since their first one night stand: Miranda and Steve. They finally tie the knot and instead of some lavish obnoxious event, they have a wedding on their terms, which means simple and timeless with no frills attached. Miranda simply wears a plain gold wedding band. You are practical, busy, and a no bullshit kinda gal. You can’t be bothered to sit around and play wedding games, you have a trial later.
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While not an engagement ring, this is the closest Samantha comes to commitment with another man in Sex and the City and a ring worth more than $50,000 is definitely worth noting! A gorgeous piece in a floral shape adorned with many smaller diamonds and auctioned off (to Smith) for more than $50,000, this ring couldn’t be better described by anyone other than Samantha, “This flower ring is the essence of me. One of a kind, filled with fire”.
Another fan favorite coupling, Charlotte again gets another STUNNER of a ring, based off the ring given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in 1968. This 5-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring just stuns everyone in the room and begs you to stare and drool at this giant rock. This ring is for the confident, the risk takers, but with refined sensibilities (remember Charlotte York wore this, so it’s not too too much. No no never).
And finally we reach the couple that has pulled on our heartstrings for 6 seasons and two movies— Carrie and Big. A 5-carat black diamond engagement ring and set in 18 carat white gold and 80 pave diamonds, Big explains the ring is black because Carrie is “like no one else” when giving her the ring in the 2nd movie after Carrie kisses Aidan. With a striking balance of edge, individuality and tradition, a black ring is a statement not for the light of heart. You are a wild heart. 33
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Notable Filming Locations Carrie’s Apartment
Carrie Bradshaw’s address was supposedly 245 East 73rd Street, but the townhouse that stood in for the home of Carrie’s fictional rent-stabilized apartment— glorious walk-in closet included—is in the West Village. For the first three seasons, apartment scenes were shot at 64 Perry Street before jumping over to 66 Perry next door.
Louis K, Meisel Gallery Before she realized her dream of becoming a Park Avenue princess, Charlotte York managed this Soho gallery. In real life, this Prince Street spot, which opened in 1973, specializes in photorealistic paintings.
New York City Public Library No one can be as iconic as running out of their wedding as Carrie was running down the steps of the New York City Public Library in Vivienne Westwood’s cloud dress. We can only imagine if our world ends like that we look as fabulous.
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Sex and the City’s Filming Locations From fabulous restaurants to small local spots, the filming locations for Sex and The City really showed the insiders view of this metropolis. In this list we featured some of our favorite, gag worthy, sparkling, memory making places. Let’s get this sight tour en route baby. While this list includes some of our favorite spots, Sex and the City featured countless amazing locations, from the streets of New York to the parks and later on international spots in Paris, Moracco, Los Angeles, etc. Just make sure to make love to your city, no one is a better boyfriend than New York, even as complicated as it gets ;)
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Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10021
Condé Nast Offices 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036
St. Mark’s Comics 11 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003
The Loeb Boathouse Park Drive North, New York, NY 10021
New York Public Library 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018
Louis K. Meisel Gallery 141 Prince St, New York, NY 10012
Metropolitan Opera House 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023
Bryant Park 54 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
Oniel’s Restaurant & Bar 174 Grand St, New York, NY 10013
Barneys 600 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10065
Pete’s Tavern 129 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003
Statan Island Ferry 4 South St, New York, NY 10004
The Plaza 768 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Buddakan 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Brooklyn Bridge Brooklyn Bridge, New York, NY 10038
Bergdorf Goodman 754 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Soho House NYC 29-35th 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014
Columbus Circle Fountain 848 Columbus Cir, New York, NY 10019
Magnolia Bakery West 11st Street, 401 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Manolo Blahnik 31 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019
Jefferson Market Garden 425 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Magnolia Bakery West 11st Street, 401 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Trapeze School 92 Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10014
Some of these places are fabulous, some are linked to our favorite scenes, but is there anything more iconic than Miranda taking Steve back on the Brooklyn Bridge? No... Didn’t think so.
A location made famous by a SATC cameo, Magnolia Bakery in the west village is known as the home of the cupcake empire. Next time you confess you’re crushing on a hot furniture designer to your bestie, we hope it’s at Magnolia’s too.
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Sex and the City was the first cable series to win the Emmy for Best Comedy Series Sex and the City won seven of its 54 Emmy Award nominations, eight of its 24 Golden Globe Award nominations, and three of its 11 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations in addition to awards in directing, producing, costumes, and more. 38
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All about innocence and the fantasy of marriage and the beautiful things in life; Vera Wang Princess is Charlotte; Princess begins with notes of waterlily, lady apple, mandarin meringue, and golden apricot skin. Mid notes of ripe pink guava, Tahitian flower, wild tuberose, and dark chocolate which give way to delectable base notes of pink frosting accord, precious amber, forbidden woods, royal musk captive and chiffon vanilla. With Princess you will draw people in while still staying soft and subtle.
Just like Bradshaw herself, Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum is a total floral explosion. Full-bodied and opulent, this perfume is totally supple; on the top you will find notes of Bergamont, and orange blossom, middle notes of jasmine, rose and freesia, and a base of vanilla praline and patchouli. Expect to smell fresh and draw people in with this signature scent with floral and earthy notes.
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Finding Your Scent
All about the sensual things in life, it’s hard not to imagine being the center of attention in Tom Ford’s Noir. With a two part fragrance structure is styled for refinement, confidence and distinctive lives with notes of Bergamot, Violet Flower, Tuscan Iris, Black Pepper Oil, Benzoin Resin, Opoponax. Expect only iconic moments to come out of a night with Noir.
Complex, intense, and borderline androgynous; Commodity Book is a totally classic scent for all the do-ers and go getters and freaks of nature that do it all. Slightly sensual and sophisticated, expect to excite with key notes of sandalwood, bergamot and cypress.
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Beauty on the Mind. Totally inspired by the beauty trends of the late 90s and early 2000s, the ladies of Sex and The City all have gorgeous clear faced makeup looks all with distinctive details that separate them from the pack, but all living for clear skin, minimal in color and sultry.
Get the Carrie look using build-able coverage foundation, smokey eyes (either greys or navys), and a sultry lip, think red or a pinky nude. With neat brows and clean dark eyes, you will be the gal to watch on the Park Ave like Char.
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Add some cheek color and a shimmery eyeliner for a totally law office friendly look. Samantha is bronzed and ready to go. Make sure you glow up and add plenty of mascara to top it off and a M.A.C. gloss.
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Men (and Women) Who Had Sex in the City While we have love for our girls, we gotta give our supporting players some love. Each of the girls dated, had sex, flirted, rejected, and cried over 100s of men (and some women), but here is the shortened list of the significant players who lasted a little longer than a few episodes.
While some made it to marriage, some resulted in divorce, we cannot deny how important these characters were in shaping Sex and the City and what it meant for women, feminism, and for all the people stuck on these four girls.
John James Preston (“Mr. Big”) A main player since the pilot until the 2nd movie, how could we not talk about Big. From his fear of commitment, him cheating with Carrie on his wife, Natasha, moving away and almost not telling Carrie about his movings, his two-sided ways, shown during his visit to get heart surgery, and leaving Carrie alone at the altar, Big has one of the most complicated relationships with the girls.
“Seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go, but it’s comforting to know: the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you’re very lucky, a plane ride away.” —Carrie Bradshaw [Season 4, Episode 18 “I Heart NY”] 44
Big is noticeably a loner, while constantly surrounded by people, he has no true friends in the way Carrie has her girls. Despite this, he is in many ways, very supportive of Carrie and her friends, and despite their problems with the man, enjoy his company. I mean, come on, it was Miranda who told him to go follow her to Paris. Maybe he isn’t perfect, but Carrie isn’t either. Maybe, just maybe, they’re actually perfect for each other...
The Ones that Got Away :( Doctors, Yankees, and Blue Bloods, Oh My!! Maybe they were cheaters, maybe they were faithful. The realization that someone isn’t your forever man or woman is devastating and character building and this doesn’t exclude our main gal pals. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and remember those who maybe weren’t our forever men.
Smith Jerrod He wasn’t a genius, he wasn’t a tycoon, he wasn’t even club promoter, he was simply an actor serving tables to make ends meet. With sex appeal for days, it’s not surprising that Samantha pounced on our all American boy. With her help, Jerrod became a super star. He stayed with her after she cheated on him with Richard, through cancer, and even remained friends with her after she told him that she loved herself more. Trey MacDougal Our blue blooded dream... or so we thought he was, Trey MacDougal is one of the most frustrating characters ever to come on the show (asides from no good post-it Berger...). With mommy issues galore, impotence, inability to communicate past the phrase, “alrighty”, and the fact he LIED and told Charlotte he wanted a baby when he didn’t, we can all agree, Trey kinda sucks. But at least he redeemed himself at the Home and Garden shoot and gave Char that killer Park Ave apartment.
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Aidan Shaw The one that got away, our Manhattan furniture designer, Aidan Shaw. Without any of the complications that Big has, Aidan was honestly the best thing that happened to Carrie. Without the drama and bringing all the great things about stable traditional monogamy, it’s so disappointing that he got away. From their first relationship, to being cheated on, their second go, the engagement, the break off, and then their chance meeting in the city and later Abu Dabi, Aidan was always the good guy, the honest guy, and the one that totally got away! I mean come on !!
“ Maybe there are no right moments, right guys, right answers. Maybe you just have to say what’s in your heart.” —Carrie Bradshaw [Season 4, Episode 12 “Just Say Yes”]
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Who, What, Where, and When
Steve Similarly to Big, Steve is also featured in 41 episodes of SATC. While not as prominent of a character, his on again, off again relationship with Miranda is one our favorites to watch. His unconventional charm and his loving personality seal the deal.
Mr. Big Mr. Big, portrayed by Chris North, was featured in a total of 41 episodes of Sex and the City. As the only long standing male character in the show, asides from Stanford, Big is always seen as slightly out of reach of Carrie. While he may have his character flaws he was abso-fucking-lutely right for our main girl.
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The Legacy
Debuting in 1998, the year of Titanic, the founding year of Google, and Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Sex and the City made huge waves in media for women. While way too white, way too lavish, and way to man-crazy, it’s undeniable what impact this show gave women on television: a voice. With the cynicism of the gen-xers meeting the sexual awakening after the HIV/ AIDs crisis of the 80s, New York City during the 90s was quickly becoming a moneyed place to be, and the show is all about it. While many prepared to hate the show, it became an immediate success, filled with R-rate language, raunchy sex, and total feminists (yass power seeking professionals!), young women and gay men rejoiced for the Sundays that new SATC episodes premiered. These women were exactly that, they didn’t try to be men, they didn’t care about marriage in the same way women were used to being portrayed. They shared the values of their viewers. 50
And not only did SATC change women’s portrayal in media, but it also changed HBO from a channel that you maybe stayed on if you were really tired and too lazy to change to a smart, risky channel portraying provocative content that questioned the norms of television. The show has gone on to inspire many shows since then that centered on the women’s point of view like “Girlfriends”, “Entourage”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Gossip Girl”, “Girls”, “The Carrie Diaries” (a short-lived prequel to SATC), “Younger”, “Insecure”, “Divorce”, and the “Bold Type” to name a few.
Where they are today
Sarah Jessica Parker has gone on to act in movies like New Year’s Eve, Escape from Planet Earth, and Here and Now. She has also starred in the hit TV show, Divorce. She has gone on to work with fashion brands like Gap and created her own perfume and shoe brand called, SJP with Nordstrom.
Kim Cattrall has since gone on to act in TV shows like Sensitive Skin, Tell Me a Story, and Modus. She has been nominated for International Emmys and Canadian Screen Awards. In 2018, after her brother’s passing, Cattrall made it public that she was not friends with the SATC cast and rejected the third movie because she was simply done.
Kristen Davis, since SATC, has debuted in Broadway and the West End. In 2010, Davis won the Humane Society Wyler Award for her work with animals. She has also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, focussing on the plight of women victims of sexual violence in Congo.
“Maybe we can be each other’s soul mates and then we can let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with.”
Cynthia Nixon has starred in many TV shows, but is most famous for running for NY Governor in the 2018 election. She has won many acting awards and has been a long time political activist with an emphasis on women’s health and LGBTQ+ rights.
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Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you’re pretty sexy and you’re taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with.
” Carrie Bradshaw
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