Despite being a fictional character, Carrie Bradshaw is arguably one of the most widely-known names in fashion. Given her penchant for fabulous frocks and designer shoes, it may be surprising that the Sex and the City protagonist’s aesthetic eye doesn’t carry over into the realm of beauty.
Across the original SATC series and films, Carrie almost never sports nail polish. Aside from a handful of occasions, including a red mani in early Season \three (below), she generally opts to keep her nails buffed and bare.
The reason as to why perplexed fans for years. Then, in 2023 Sarah Jessica Parker revealed all—and the reason for Carrie’s signature naked nail was so simple it was surprising.
“Carrie’s a writer, so she would have been typing originally on a proper typewriter,” Parker told Glamour. “She would have learned typing in high school, and she was a practical writer and a necessary writer and a romantic writer.”
The actress added that regular manicures were not necessary for her character because they “seemed (a) futile because it would always be messed up and (b) an obstacle on the speedy road toward thoughts being written.”
“It just never seemed that it was where Carrie would spend her time expressing herself,” she said.
Parker added that because the cast and crew don’t film chronologically, nail varnish would just be another factor to consider throughout production.
“You’re moving from scene to scene, so practically speaking, it’s problematic to have a nail colour that’s got to match every single scene,” she explained. “It gets in the way of speed and economy.”
With that being said, Carrie did sport some polish during the recent season of And Just Like That… but it’s not a feature we should get used to, by the sounds of things!
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