14 Times "And Just Like That" Forced Specific Moments Just To Erase "Sex And The City's" Problematic Past

BuzzFeed
·5 min read
6
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

If you're unfamiliar with the world of Sex and the City, then I'm here to tell you that even though it was a fabulous show full of iconic outfits, hilarious one-liners, and moments we'll never forget, a lot of it doesn't hold up today.

Miranda: "You were gold jewelry." Carrie: "Yeah, like, ghetto gold. For fun. But this is my engagement ring"
HBO

There were many problematic moments sprinkled throughout all six seasons (and both movies, if we're gonna go there), and it had a very white and anti-LGBTQ approach to storytelling.

Miranda, Carrie, and Samantha making gay jokes at the wedding; Liza Minnelli officiating: "And now, the brooms have written their own v—'brooms'?"
HBO Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

Sex and the City's "white" problem has been a huge topic of conversation for many years now, and in light of the And Just Like That... reboot, they attempted to make up for lost time.

HBO Max

The revival didn't feel like a natural progression of Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte's true personalities — but rather, a series that tried way too hard to incorporate certain dialogue and storylines to fix the show's problematic past.

Carrie to Miranda: "I'm not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it's just a layover on the way to Gay Town;" Che and Miranda having sex in "And Just Like That..."
HBO / HBO Max

So, here are some moments from And Just Like That... that felt very forced, and tried to make up for Sex and the City's problematic past:

Warning: Spoilers ahead! 🚨

1.When the show introduced Carrie's boss, Che Diaz, by using an oversaturated amount of LGBTQ phrases and identities that would've never appeared in the Sex and the City universe (at least in a positive light)...

Che Diaz hosting her podcast in "And Just Like That...," saying: "I'm Che Diaz, your host, and queer, nonbinary, Mexican, Irish diva representing everyone else outside these two boring genders"
HBO Max

...like when Samantha called the Black trans sex workers outside her apartment a derogatory term.

Samantha: "I am paying a fortune to live in a neighborhood that's trendy by day and tranny by night"
HBO

2.When Charlotte and Harry had an open conversation about how they didn't have any Black friends outside of Lisa and Herbert, and purposefully went out of their way to invite another BIPOC couple to their dinner party...

Harry and Charlotte in bed talking about how they don't have any Black friends, then Charlotte asking her neighbor, Shelley, to the dinner party the next day
HBO Max

...which never seemed to be of any importance when Charlotte threw dinner parties back in her thirties.

Charlotte and Trey hosting their married friends and kids at a dinner party; Charlotte hosting Carrie, Miranda, and Samantha at a dinner party
HBO

Not to mention the title of the AJLT episode, which references a phrase many white people use to "prove" they aren't racist: "But some of my best friends are Black."

Episode 4 title: "Some of My Best Friends"
HBO Max

3.When Seema reassured Carrie it wasn't considered cultural appropriation for her to wear a lehenga to her family's Diwali celebration...

Seema: "You're wearing it to a traditional celebration at my family home. That's not cultural appropriation, that's cultural appreciation" Carrie: "Wow, that is really great"
HBO Max

...which was odd, considering SATC *never* acknowledged Carrie's cultural appropriation fashion style in the 24 years we've known her.

Carrie wearing her classic gold nameplate necklace in "Sex and the City;" a Vice article explaining the real history behind the gold nameplate necklace, and how Carrie's character white-washed its history
HBO / Vice / Via vice.com

4.When Charlotte had a conversation about cultural appropriation with Lily and Rock, a dialogue that was very forced and felt like it was making up for Charlotte's ignorant past.

Rock asking Charlotte if he could take down the Madame Alexander International Doll Collection, and Lily chiming in: "I don't want them, either. The little traditional outfits? Are you from Spain? Are you from Thailand?"
HBO Max
Samantha: "You're going to eat this pudding crap on the entire trip?" Charlotte: "It's the only thing in the pantry that's safe." Miranda: "It's a five-star resort..." Charlotte: "It's Mexico"
HBO Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

5.Whenever AJLT showed Nya's personal life outside of her connection with Miranda (or any of the core SATC women), which is something the show historically never did with BIPOC characters.

Andre: "We come here all the time — you're gonna love this place" Andre's friend: "As long as it's not dinosaur-shaped nuggets and mac 'n' cheese, I'm good"
HBO Max
Samantha telling the girls: "I don't see color. I see conquests"
HBO

6.When Miranda was randomly very mindful of her fellow student's pronouns on her first day of class at Columbia University, when in the past, she could care less about respecting the LGBTQ community.

Miranda whispering to Nya: "That's where the professor sits. Sorry, he just told me" Student: "Someone's quick with the pronouns!"
HBO Max
Samantha telling Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte she's dating Maria; Miranda, Carrie, and Charlotte reacting negatively on their walk home afterwards
HBO

7.And when Miranda embarrassingly rambled on about Nya's hair, and explained the main reason why she signed up for her class was because "she was Black." It felt very out of character for Miranda, considering how she approached culture in the past.

Miranda babbling: "I knew that you were Black when I signed up for this class. That was important to me" Nya: "You signed up for this class because I'm Black?"
HBO Max
Miranda explaining to Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha that Arabic coffee is made of rose water and cumin in "Sex and the City 2"
HBO Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

8.When we got a glance at Che's stand-up show, and they called out the media's portrayal of nonbinary people in a very "soapbox" way...

Che at her stand up show: "A lot of people don't know how to process gender individuality, and that is because every time we are represented in mainstream media, we have to be from some other galaxy"
HBO Max

...which felt forced in the SATC world because the show actually played a major role in perpetuating false LGBTQ stereotypes.

Samantha: "I don't want talk -- I want passion. I want fireworks!" Maria: You want fireworks?! Here are fireworks!" Maria breaks Samantha's plates
HBO

9.When Miranda went out of her way to "call the security guard out" at Columbia University for "questioning" Nya's identity.

Miranda: "One of the important takeaways I got from 'How to Be an Antiracist' is if you see something, you have to speak on it" Nya: "Well, that's very noble of you, but the reality is you just inflamed a situation that was perfectly fine"
HBO Max

10.When the writing around the choice to make Rock's character genderfluid felt forced...

Rock telling Charlotte he doesn't feel like a girl
HBO Max

11....and the writing around the decision for Rock's name change was beyond cringeworthy...

Charlotte upset that Rock changed his name, and Rock showing her his coming out TikTok
HBO Max

...which wasn't SATC's writing style at all because they're known for portraying the LGBTQ community in a negative light without a second thought.

Charlotte in "Sex and the City:" "I'm very into labels — gay, straight. Pick a side, and stay there"
HBO

12.When Miranda "called out" Carrie and told her she couldn't "just be the white lady" who wrote a check for the women's shelter...

Miranda telling Carrie she can't be "the white lady who just writes a check" during lunch
HBO Max

...which was weird, because Miranda historically used whiteness to her advantage and didn't think anything of it.

Miranda walking in Brooklyn, telling Brady: "Look. White guy with a baby! Wherever he's going, that's where we need to be"
HBO Films / Warner Bros. Pictures

13.When Miranda attended an LGBTQ rally Che performed at, and we saw a bunch of mindful phrases on poster boards, like "Black trans lives matter" and "LGBTQ youth power..."

Che speaking at an LGBTQ rally: "If you're living your truth, then you're a part of the revolution"
HBO Max

...which contradicted the way SATC approached LGBTQ pride (aka never showing them at a pride celebration). This lead the show to perpetuate false, over-the-top narratives about queer characters.

Stanford saying: "Personally, I don't like anything in my ass;" "I haven't had good sex since Cats was on Broadway;" "How can they just assume I'm gay?"
HBO

14.And when Charlotte suddenly knew all about the Black art world at Lisa and Herbert's dinner party, which was strange, because it was rarely a focal point during her days at the gallery.

Charlotte showing off her knowledge of Black art at Lisa's dinner party
HBO Max
Charlotte going out to an artist's barn in the country in S1; Charlotte introducing Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte to Baird in S3; Charlotte praising Alexander Petrovsky when they first meet in S6
HBO

In conclusion: The dialogue, characters, and storylines all felt very forced, and I'm glad it's over.

HBO