Carrie Bradshaw

File:Carriebradshaw.JPG

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw

Carrie Bradshaw (born October 10, 1966) is the fictional narrator of the HBO sitcom/drama Sex and the City played by actress Sarah Jessica Parker. She is a semi-autobiographical character, created by Candace Bushnell, who published the book, Sex and the City, based on her own columns in the New York Observer.

On the HBO series, Bradshaw is a New York newspaper columnist, party girl, fashionista and later, freelance writer for Vogue. Her weekly column, "Sex and the City," provides the story lines and narration for each show.

In 2005, Carrie Bradshaw was listed as number 11 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, beating out beloved characters like Buffy Summers, Eric Cartman, Hawkeye Pierce and J.R. Ewing.

Character history

Template:Spoiler Carrie writes a weekly column for the fictional newspaper, The New York Star, called "Sex and the City." The columns focus on Carrie's sexual escapades and those of her close friends. The column provides Carrie with a certain amount of notoriety in New York; she is frequently recognised by people who read the column and is occasionally described as an icon. In the fifth season, a collection of her columns are compiled in a book.

She begins to write freelance articles for Vogue at the end of season four. Although she initially has trouble dealing with Enid (Candice Bergen), her abrasive editor at Vogue, she does find her feet and ends up befriending Enid.

She is an on-off smoker and enjoys cocktails, particularly Cosmopolitans - so much so that her character helped to popularize them - but she is, at heart, an old-fashioned girl and is deeply romantic. She is on an endless search for true love, and refuses to settle for, as she puts it, "anything less than butterflies." Despite this, she repeatedly expresses doubts that she is the type to get married and raise a family.

Carrie is a resident of Manhattan, New York. She lives in a brownstone on the Upper East Side at the fictional address 245 East 73rd Street. She lives in this apartment throughout the series, and buys it in the fourth season.

Little is mentioned about Carrie's life before the series, although she has been living in New York for about thirteen years. It is hinted that she is Jewish and it is mentioned that her father left her and her mother when she was young; no siblings are ever mentioned. It is sometimes hinted that she is the only one of her friends never to go to, or graduate from, college (It is also implied that she left for New York right after graduating from high school or went away to attend college in New York City as its implied that she has been there since around the mid-1980s.), and she does not enjoy the same financial status as her wealthier friends. (Although this changes later in seasons 5 and 6 when her book becomes a success.) It is also revealed that Carrie had one abortion in the 1980s, when she was twenty-two years old. Though she had been dating for many years before meeting Mr. Big in the first episode of the series, he is her first, and apparently, main love.

Wardrobe

Carrie has been described as someone who "lives for fashion", and has confessed to buying Vogue instead of dinner. A known shoe fetishist with an affinity for expensive designer shoes (notably Manolo Blahnik, but also Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo), Carrie claims she has spent over $40,000 on shoes alone, though her pairs seem to average around $450-500, or the near-equivalent of her monthly rent.

She frequently mixes vintage finds with haute couture creating a quirky look that is both beautiful and eccentric. It is mentioned that Barneys and Saks Fifth Avenue are amoung her favorite places to shop. Carrie equates taking a boyfriend to meet her parents with taking a boyfriend to meet the sales assistants at Prada. Her friend Charlotte claims that Carrie dragged her to eight shows at New York Fashion Week. Carrie once agreed to model for a charity fasion show (featuring both "real people" and models) on the condition that she could keep the outfit. Carrie is also known to have worn Chanel, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Roberto Cavalli, Helmut Lang, Chloe, Marni, Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Versace, Miu Miu, Fendi, Missoni, Moschino, Betsey Johnson, Oscar de la Renta and Gucci, amongst others.

Carrie's incredible wardrobe appears to make little sense for a writer on a modest income. Indeed, many of the people around her comment that she cannot afford her shopping addiction. Carrie occasionally maxes out credit cards, could not secure a loan on her own due to a poor credit rating as a result of some of her maxed out credit cards, and has admitted her "shoe needs" have accounted for most of her spending.

Relationships

"Mr. Big"

"Mr. Big" (Chris Noth) appears in the first episode as a very wealthy and mysterious man that accidentally meets Carrie on the streets of Manhattan. In the first few episodes they constantly "bump into one other." In fact, after she and Samantha bump into Mr. Big at a night club, Samantha tries to "pick-up" Mr. Big, which he graciously rejects. Finally, Carrie suggests the two of them should bump into one another on purpose. Mr. Big agrees and thus begins their on-and-off-again relationship.

Carrie eventually falls in love with him, despite his frequent displays of commitment and intimacy phobias. She repeatedly returns to the relationship even though he is clearly emotionally unavailable to her and unable to meet her needs. They break-up twice, over the course of two years, for these reasons, before Mr. Big marries a twenty-something socialite, and former Ralph Lauren executive, named Natasha (Bridget Moynahan), after only dating her for five months; this is shown to have a profoundly negative effect on Carrie's self esteem.

Within seven months of his marriage he begins to pine for Carrie and initiates an affair with her. Carrie, herself is in a committed relationship (with Aidan) at the time, feels guilty but continues to see Big. The affair continues until Natasha discovers Carrie fleeing from the marital apartment. Natasha accidentally falls and breaks her tooth while chasing after Carrie and Carrie ends up taking her to the emergency room. In the wake of this humiliating and ridiculous event, Carrie ends the affair. Carrie later finds out that Mr. Big and Natasha divorce.

Mr. Big and Carrie eventually manage to become friends but their sexual chemistry always remains just below the surface and their friendship never remains strictly platonic. In the series finale, he rescues Carrie in Paris where he tells her she is "the one." His real name, John, is revealed on her cell phone caller ID after they both return to New York.

Aidan Shaw

Aidan Shaw, a Manhattan furniture designer (John Corbett), is her next serious boyfriend after Mr. Big. Their first relationship ends when Carrie confesses her affair with Mr. Big on Charlotte's first wedding day. Later in the series, they get back together again and become engaged. However, the engagement is broken when Carrie discovers she is not ready to marry him and despite his better wishes, he is not willing to wait for her. Aidan later marries another furniture designer and has a son named Tate.

Jack Berger

Carrie also dates Jack Berger (Ron Livingston), a writer with mixed degreee of sucess. She meets him while discussing her upcoming book at her publisher's (Amy Sedaris) office. He is a novelist and becomes insecure of Carrie's newfound success as a writer. Berger breaks up with Carrie on a Post-it note which reads, "I'm sorry, I can't. Don't hate me." Berger is never seen again.

Aleksandr Petrovsky

Carrie also dates Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov), a rich, successful and older Russian artist. He is her last boyfriend before Mr. Big and Carrie are reunited in the series finale. Carrie enjoys the relationship but problems arise when she finds out that he already has a daughter in her twenties and doesn't want to have any more children. Carrie feels forced to choose between a long-term relationship with Petrovsky, and the possibility of having children. She decides to stay in the relationship.

He asks Carrie to leave her job and life in New York and move with him to Paris. After some degree of convincing, she accepts but is disappointed and confused upon her arrival. She doesn't speak French and Petrovsky leaves her alone often tending to his own career. She leaves him and Paris in the series finale, thanking him for everything he had shown her in their relationship, even though it could not work out. Template:End spoiler

See also

• Sex and the City characters

External link

• Official Sex and the City homepage