When Sex and the City originally aired, no one wanted to be considered the "Miranda" of the group. She was considered the shrew ruining all the fun. Judgmental, ambitious, and the worst fashion sense. But in hindsight, why did we dunk on Miranda when we all are Miranda on Sex and the City.
The not fun, but also true, answer is because misogyny seeped into the subconscious and pop culture zeitgeist and caused us all to marginalize the woman.
However, I think the hate also stemmed from her actively fighting against the show's bread and butter — sex. Sure, Miranda was having her fair share of sex on the show, and she dated some great (and not so great) guys, just like her friends. But she also wasn't afraid to step back from what caught the attention of so many watching the show for the first time, and basically labeled herself the "no fun friend." For example, in Season 2 Episode 1, Miranda passes the Bechdel test with flying colors when she asked her friends why they only talk about the latest guy they're dating. In 2021? An icon. In 1999, also an icon. But when her friends are all gossiping about their sex lives, also kind of a total bummer.
Instead of attributing Miranda with personality traits that make her a repeller, I have found that I gravitate towards her self-assuredness and relatable nature. Because in real life, and not in the fantastical, magical world of no waitlists for Saturday brunch and sleeping with a hot new guy every episode, Miranda is the most like any of our own friends. Grounded and aspirational all the same.
And don't forget this woman has a love of TiVo that rivals all of our addictions to Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and Apple TV+ combined.
Look, Miranda is by no means perfect. Who is? She is terrified when she runs into her ex, even if it was her choice to break up. She can be stubborn and headstrong to the point of pushing her friends too hard or not empathizing at first with where they're coming from.
But when she does, she owns her mistakes and accepts the consequences, like when she and Carrie don't talk for ages in the Sex and the City movie but she consistently calls to apologize. Or when she and Charlotte fight about fertility and Miranda gets pregnant, causing a rift in their friendship for a while. Miranda still shows up for her when she needs her, walking a few paces behind Charlotte after she got heartbreaking news from the OB-GYN all the way home just to make sure she's OK.
Have we been overly harsh of the most relatable woman on Sex and the City all these years? Has your opinion of Miranda changed while watching (and re-watching) the series? Let us know in the comments!
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Image: HBO