Gen Z Hates Carrie Bradshaw, But I Still Love Her—Here’s Why

There’s a particular kind of woman Gen Z struggles with, and her name is Carrie Bradshaw.

Spend five minutes on TikTok, and you’ll find the Sex and the City character’s trial laid out in full: financially irresponsible, emotionally chaotic, not a “girl’s girl,” and chronically drawn to men who should have been blocked by episode three. The verdict, it seems, is unanimous. And yet, you can’t convince me.

Because, while the charges are not entirely inaccurate, they miss the most endearing part about Carrie: she refused to be categorized. And in a culture increasingly obsessed with neat identities—clean girl, quiet luxury, coastal grandmother, balletcore—this may be her greatest offense. Carrie was never one thing, but I think that was the point.

One day, she was in a razor-sharp three-piece suit, and the next, a tulle skirt that had no business being worn after the age of five (but she did, and then we all wanted to wear tutus too!). She paired vintage fur with bare legs, sequins with sweatshirts, and wore sky-high stilettos to casually pick up milk. Nothing “matched” and yet everything worked.

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in a tiny vest and oversize tie

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Larissa Mills wears a Carrie Bradshaw-inspired outfit

(Image credit: Larissa Mills)

In the end, it wasn’t even really about the style. It was about permission. Carrie gave us permission to wear a slip dress at noon. To treat a sequin skirt like knitwear. To carry a tiny, impractical bag simply because it delighted her.

In Carrie’s world, which became all of ours, nothing belonged to just one category. She dismantled the idea that clothes had rules—and replaced it with something far more interesting: instinct.

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw styles denim pedal pushers with floaty layers

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw styles clashing patterns

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Gaining entry into Carrie-esque dressing requires not falling into the obvious trap of treating her like an aesthetic to replicate. No, Carrie is an attitude to adopt. You don’t dress like Carrie. You dress like yourself…just braver. That said, if you’re looking for entry points, here are some cheat notes.