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Caroline Marie " Carrie" Bradshaw (later Carrie Bradshaw Preston) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO media franchise Sex and the City, portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. In the television series and subsequent films, Carrie is a New York City-based newspaper columnist and fashion enthusiast (particularly shoes). Her weekly column, titled Sex and the City, serves as the narrative framework for each episode, offering commentary on modern relationships, dating, and friendship.
Parker reprised the role in the films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010), as well as in the HBO Max revival series And Just Like That.... The character was originally created by author Candace Bushnell and first appeared in her 1997 anthology Sex and the City, which was based on her newspaper column of the same name.
Bushnell later expanded on the character’s backstory through the young adult novels The Carrie Diaries and Summer and the City. These works were adapted into a CW prequel television series, The Carrie Diaries (2013–2014), in which a teenage version of Carrie was portrayed by AnnaSophia Robb.
Carrie is frequently shown smoking, often Marlboro, and attempts to quit during Seasons 3 and 4 to please her then-boyfriend, Aidan. Her interest in fashion—particularly footwear—is a recurring element in the series. Her frequent spending on designer shoes, notably Manolo Blahnik, is depicted as causing financial strain.
She is also associated with drinking cosmopolitans, a cocktail that gained popularity during the show's run.
Although she often expresses doubt about marriage and parenthood, Carrie remains idealistic about love and is determined to pursue romantic relationships that reflect her personal expectations.
In The Carrie Diaries, which contradicts various details in Sex and the City, Carrie is from the fictional town of Castlebury, Connecticut, and was raised by her father after the death of her mother with a sister who was never previously mentioned.
Author Candace Bushnell expanded the character's backstory through a young adult book series, including Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel. The novel portrays Carrie attending Brown University in the 1980s and taking summer writing classes at The New School. In coverage of the CW adaptation, TV Guide described the younger version of Carrie as navigating early adulthood while experimenting with fashion and exploring relationships.
Several plot points highlight her relationship with luxury fashion. In one episode, she is mugged and loses both her Fendi Baguette clutch and Manolo Blahnik sandals—an event often credited with popularizing the baguette bag in mainstream fashion. Another signature accessory associated with Carrie is the Dior Saddle bag, which she prominently wears in the season 3 episode "No Ifs, Ands, or Butts".
Carrie is depicted as having a strong interest in fashion, once stating that she would purchase Vogue instead of dinner. Her fondness for expensive footwear is a recurring theme; in one episode, Miranda estimates that Carrie owns at least 100 pairs of shoes, each averaging around $400, totaling over $40,000 in footwear alone. The series mentions Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue as some of her preferred places to shop.
In the first film, Sex and the City (2008), Carrie sells the apartment to contribute toward purchasing a Fifth Avenue penthouse with Mr. Big. After Big abandons her at the altar, she reacquires the apartment and undertakes a renovation before moving back in. In Sex and the City 2 (2010), although she lives with Big in the penthouse, she retains ownership of the apartment and occasionally uses it as a writing space.
In And Just Like That..., the apartment continues to play a role as a pied-à-terre. Following Big’s death, Carrie sells their shared residence on Fifth Avenue and moves back into her original apartment, which she again renovates. The series also features, for the first time, the building’s lobby and the downstairs apartment. In Season 2, when she rekindles her relationship with Aidan, he refuses to enter the apartment due to its emotional associations. Carrie eventually purchases a townhouse in Gramercy Park and sells the apartment to her former neighbor Lisette.
The apartment’s interior was a set constructed at Silvercup Studios in Queens and designed by production designer Jeremy Conway. It was characterized by mint green walls, mid-century modern furnishings, and vintage décor sourced from flea markets in New York City, chosen to contrast with Carrie’s designer wardrobe. In Sex and the City (2008), the apartment is renovated with blue walls, metallic and white furniture, and a more modern aesthetic; actor Sarah Jessica Parker later expressed disapproval of the redesign.
For the series And Just Like That..., a new set replicating the apartment’s updated look was built at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. Production designer Miguel López-Castillo collaborated with Parker on the design, which includes pastel blue walls, blue carnation wallpaper, and several original set pieces from the original series that had been preserved in storage.
Big later marries a younger woman, Natasha, which shocks Carrie given his prior aversion to marriage. Carrie and Big begin an affair during her relationship with Aidan Shaw, which ends after Natasha discovers them. Carrie and Big agree they are incompatible and attempt to remain friends. Big eventually moves to Napa, California, but continues to call Carrie throughout the series. In Season 6, following Cardiac surgery, he proposes they stop "playing games" and consider a future together. However, his continued emotional inconsistency prompts Carrie to distance herself.
In the series finale, Big follows Carrie to Paris, where they reconcile and he professes his love. Carrie returns to New York with him, and his real name—John—is revealed for the first time.
In Sex and the City (2008), the two plan a wedding after purchasing an apartment together. On the wedding day, Big experiences cold feet and fails to show up, prompting a temporary separation. They eventually reconcile and marry in a small civil ceremony. In Sex and the City 2 (2010), the couple faces challenges in married life, including differing lifestyle preferences. Carrie kisses her former fiancé Aidan while abroad but later confesses, and she and Big renew their vows. He gives her a black diamond ring as a symbol of commitment.
In And Just Like That..., Big dies of a heart attack in the series premiere. Carrie, devastated by his death, sells their apartment and later writes a book about grief.
The two later reconcile, but tensions remain due to Carrie's continued contact with Big. Aidan proposes marriage, which Carrie accepts despite reservations. Her reluctance eventually ends the engagement. Aidan later marries someone else and has a child.
In Sex and the City 2, Carrie meets Aidan in Abu Dhabi. They kiss despite both being married, but part ways afterward.
In And Just Like That..., now divorced and living in Virginia, Aidan rekindles his relationship with the widowed Carrie. He is unwilling to enter her old apartment due to painful memories, prompting her to buy a new one. Carrie and Aidan later carry on a long-distance relationship strained by Aidan's commitments to his teenage sons. After Carrie develops a friendship with her downstairs neighbor Duncan, Aidan admits he does not fully trust her because of her affair with Big during their first relationship, and they break up again.
Their frequent arguments culminate in a breakup, which Berger initiates by leaving Carrie a Post-it note reading, "I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me." Carrie reacts with anger and frustration, viewing the breakup as immature and disrespectful.
Aleksandr is portrayed as emotionally expressive and supportive, qualities that initially appeal to Carrie. However, he is also shown to be temperamental, withdrawing from Carrie and her friends during a period of creative pressure leading up to an art show. The relationship becomes more complicated when Aleksandr reveals that he has an adult daughter named Chloe and does not wish to become a parent again. Although Carrie remains uncertain about motherhood herself, she chooses to continue the relationship, and the two become more serious. Eventually, Aleksandr invites her to move with him to Paris for his upcoming show.
Carrie is conflicted about leaving New York, particularly after Miranda voices concerns about Aleksandr. Nevertheless, she decides to accompany him. Once in Paris, Carrie finds herself isolated and unfulfilled—she speaks little French and Aleksandr is frequently absent due to his professional commitments. Tensions escalate when he asks her to cancel a social engagement to support him at an early showing of his work, only to leave her alone upon arrival. Following an argument about their mismatched expectations, the two end their relationship. Carrie is later reunited with Mr. Big in Paris and returns with him to New York.
In retrospective analyses of the show, critics have generally reassessed Carrie Bradshaw as an unsympathetic protagonist, despite the show's portrayal of her as a positive figure. In 2013, Glamour called Carrie "the worst" character on the show, saying that "her brattiness and self-absorption eclipsed her redeeming qualities and even her awesome shoes." In a 2010 retrospective about the previous two decades in pop culture, ABC News named Carrie one of the ten worst characters of the past twenty years, calling her a "snippy, self-righteous Manhattan snob" and citing the character's actions in Sex and the City 2 (2010) as evidence that she was beyond personal growth or redemption. The New Yorker, looking back on the show a decade after it went off the air, felt that while the character began as a "happy, curious explorer, out companionably smoking with modellizers," from the second season on she "spun out, becoming anxious, obsessive, and, despite her charm, wildly self-centered." A 2021 article in Vox Media cited Carrie as an example of "main character syndrome", saying, "two Carries Bradshaw exist: The flirty, quirky one we're supposed to follow through her ups and downs and the sociopathic psychic vampire who leaves her boyfriends as husks of their former selves and bullies her girlfriends for unconditional (financial!) support, all while refusing to let them have even one moment in the sun."
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