We live in a world of double standards, but luckily, we have Sarah Jessica Parker to call them out like the true screen legend she is.
Parker and Sex And The City creator Michael Patrick King have slammed comments around the original cast members’ appearance as they film for the upcoming sequel series, And Just Like That, where the actor reprises her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw.
When the first paparazzi pictures from the set surfaced of Parker, 56, and her co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis strutting the streets of New York in full, fashion-forward character, fans were unsurprisingly ecstatic to see their favourite show’s return to production.
But amongst the excitement was a minority group of commenters who criticised the way the women had aged in the 11 years since the last time we saw them in the film Sex And The City 2.
Creator Michael Patrick King detailed one scathing comment in response to the series, telling Vogue in a new interview: “There was a lot of positive feedback, but one scathing response online was that people were sharing pictures of the Golden Girls. And I was like, ‘Wow, so it’s either you’re 35, or you’re retired and living in Florida. There’s a missing chapter here.'”
Parker herself also weighed in on the negative commentary by pointing out the disappointing double standard: “There’s so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man.”
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes—louder for those in the back, SJP!
Parker was also snapped earlier this year on a lunch with Bravo host Andy Cohen while rocking her natural grey hair colour and a bare face. Again, she was met with critical comments about her appearance.
“I’m sitting with Andy Cohen and he has a full head of gray hair, and he’s exquisite,” she said in the interview.
“Why is it okay for him? I don’t know what to tell you people! Especially on social media. Everyone has something to say. ‘She has too many wrinkles, she doesn’t have enough wrinkles.'”
She continued: “It almost feels as if people don’t want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.
“I know what I look like. I have no choice,” Parker said before delivering a final, stirring one-liner that summed it all up: “What am I going to do about it? Stop aging? Disappear?”
Parkers empowering response comes just weeks before the Sex And The City reboot is set to premiere in December.
The reboot will see Carrie reunited with her best friends Miranda Hobbes (Nixon) and Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Davis), along with several other original characters including Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Stanford Blatch (the late Willie Garson).
The narrative will take off with Carrie now in her 50s. Per a leaked script obtained by Page Six, Carrie and Mr. Big’s love story has now come to an unfortunate end, with the pair navigating a bitter divorce.
The sex column writer hosts her own podcast as she deals with the fallout from the relationship breakdown.
Of course, many will miss the presence of Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) who will not be returning for the series. According to the Daily Mail, the absence of the character will be addressed “very quickly”.
“Viewers will learn that Samantha and Carrie have fallen out over Carrie firing Samantha as her publicist and that they no longer talk. This effectively ends their personal relationship,” the source explained.
Whether we buy it or not, there’s no doubt the revived narrative about the iconic characters will grip us just as much as it did decades ago.
