Was Miranda Hobbes The Most Underrated ‘Sex and the City’ Character?
When Sex and the City first aired, most female viewers would have classified themselves as a “Carrie.” Carrie Bradshaw was fun, social, and incredibly well-dressed. She had a life that most young women could only dream of. While a select few ladies may have classified themselves as a “Charlotte,” Very few fans would have classified them as a “Miranda.” Miranda Hobbes was the most successful of her friends, but she was also portrayed as being rigid, serious, and a little bit frumpy. Years later, looking back, maybe we should all strive to be a bit more like Miranda. So, was Miranda the most underrated Sex and the City character? We think so.
Miranda was the only character willing to tell it like it was
Carrie, Charlotte York, and Samantha Jones all seemed to struggle, in some capacity, to share their feelings honestly. Carrie approached her disappointments by ranting. Charlotte was stoic and poised, and even Samantha, who was incredibly self-assured, relied on some pretty toxic behavior to deal with emotions that were difficult for her. Miranda was the only one who was willing to be honest about her feelings, both with her friends and with herself.
When Carrie showed up to complain about Aidan Shaw, Miranda had no problem calling her out on her behavior. Later, when Charlotte freaked out because she thought Miranda was “judging” her decision to quit her job, she quickly reminded her that Charlotte was the one struggling with her decision. When Steve wasn’t taking his cancer diagnosis seriously enough, she was right there to force him to approach it with the care it required. Sure, her approach could be a bit abrupt, but it got her point across.
Miranda never apologized for her success
While Sex and the City may have been a provocative show, it has been largely labeled as anti-feminist. The New Yorker once argued that Carrie and Miranda were “second-wave feminists” who focused intently on equal rights for everyone. The publication also suggested that Charlotte and Samantha were “third-wave feminists” who approached feminism as something to be exploited. Whether you think the show was anti-feminism or not, it’s safe to say Miranda was proud of her success, unlike some of her friends.
Miranda was a high-powered lawyer, and she was not ashamed to put work above all else to get ahead. She recognized that she had to work harder than the men in her office, and seemed happy to do it, most of the time. She embraced her success. Carrie was willing to step into the shadows if the man she was with wanted her to. Charlotte was ready to throw any notion of feminism out the window to fit into the mold of the perfect Upper East Side wife for Trey McDougal. Miranda may have griped about how her professional success hampered her dating life, but she never thought about giving it up just for a man.
Miranda struggled with serious issues In a relatable way
While all four of the girls faced serious issues, Miranda was the only one of the four characters who approached her problems in a completely relatable way. When Miranda had her first panic attack, she took herself directly to the emergency room. The attack came out of nowhere but was the result of repressed feelings. Her response to the incident was incredibly relatable, too, even though everyone’s experience with panic is unique.
Miranda also dealt with her weight gain and her mother’s sudden death in a completely natural way. When she put on weight, she didn’t buy shoes to make herself feel better; she joined Weight Watchers. When someone called her fat, she wilted, until her pals were right there to back her up. When her mother died, she pushed her friends away until she realized she needed to lean on them. Miranda might have been incredibly flawed, but she was the most “real” of all four of Sex and the City’s main characters.
