100 Kick-Ass Female Characters: #65
65. Miranda Hobbes, as seen on Sex and the City and in the films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2, portrayed by Cynthia Nixon
So around 2004, right before I left for college, I went into Rue 21 and there were racks and racks of tank tops right when you went in, each emblazoned with a rhinestone declaration: "I'm a Carrie," "I'm a Charlotte," "I'm a Samantha," and "I'm a Miranda." There were nearly none left for Carrie and Samantha; there were slightly more of Charlotte. The Miranda rack was nearly full. That was the first moment I realized no one wants to be the Miranda of the group, and, the older I get, the less I understand it because Miranda is the best character on that show.
Miranda is a corporate attorney and later partner at a law firm; she works long hours and strives to be taken seriously in the male-dominated profession. Of all the characters, she is most unsure about her looks (and I've often heard her referred to as "the ugly one" by viewers) and is more cerebral about her relationships than the others. Whereas Samantha happily sleeps around, Carrie considers the implications afterward, and Charlotte has her rose colored glasses firmly in place, Miranda is the one who analyzes it from every angle throughout the entire relationship, usually to her detriment. We see Miranda struggle with the idea of slut shaming, such as when she has to compile a list of sexual partners to call after contracting an STD and worrying she has slept with too many people; we see her wrestle with her inability to become vulnerable with her partners and how that affects her. Miranda's unplanned pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Steve emphasizes how different her life is from her friends; Miranda's job is dependent upon her having enough billable hours to become partner. Unlike Samantha, who is her own boss, Carrie, who has a job with remarkable flexibility, and Charlotte, who, thanks to Trey's settlement, doesn't have to work at all, Miranda is held in place by more of the traditional rules which govern society. Even after she has Brady, we see Miranda contemplate whether or not she is a good mother, often leaving for work before Brady wakes up and coming home after he's asleep. Even marriage does not do much to lessen Miranda's constant worries about money, life, and love, and Miranda's marriage to Steve, flawed as it can be, is one of the more accurate depictions I've seen; sometimes couples get so wrapped up in the minutia of everyday life, they forget about the relationship between them. Miranda is always the practical one, the one who makes sure everything is taken care of and whom everyone calls upon in a crisis.
What I love about Miranda is, for all her insecurities, she is the only character living a non-idealized life. Whereas the other characters throw around money with ease, we see Miranda being more careful with it; she doesn't live in a Park Avenue spread like Charlotte or in a trendy neighborhood like Samantha. Her dates are rarely gorgeous (though Blair Underwood as Robert was fabulous) and she is never shown as the perfect mother balancing it all. Miranda can have her shit together, but she is not always put together, and sometimes she needs to be reminded that she is not the only person in the world whose feelings matter, especially in regards to her off-on relationship with Steve. Miranda is the one who learns Arabic phrases when they go to the United Arab Emirates and who follows you down the street when you're upset just in case you need to talk to someone. Miranda is a wonderful example of a woman who doesn't need someone to take care of her but wants someone to share her life with, who works hard for what she has but is also imperfect. Unlike Carrie, whom everyone idealizes for a shitty relationship with Big, and Samantha, who lives large, Miranda is just an average woman.
And I don't think enough people understand how kick-ass that is.
So around 2004, right before I left for college, I went into Rue 21 and there were racks and racks of tank tops right when you went in, each emblazoned with a rhinestone declaration: "I'm a Carrie," "I'm a Charlotte," "I'm a Samantha," and "I'm a Miranda." There were nearly none left for Carrie and Samantha; there were slightly more of Charlotte. The Miranda rack was nearly full. That was the first moment I realized no one wants to be the Miranda of the group, and, the older I get, the less I understand it because Miranda is the best character on that show.
Miranda is a corporate attorney and later partner at a law firm; she works long hours and strives to be taken seriously in the male-dominated profession. Of all the characters, she is most unsure about her looks (and I've often heard her referred to as "the ugly one" by viewers) and is more cerebral about her relationships than the others. Whereas Samantha happily sleeps around, Carrie considers the implications afterward, and Charlotte has her rose colored glasses firmly in place, Miranda is the one who analyzes it from every angle throughout the entire relationship, usually to her detriment. We see Miranda struggle with the idea of slut shaming, such as when she has to compile a list of sexual partners to call after contracting an STD and worrying she has slept with too many people; we see her wrestle with her inability to become vulnerable with her partners and how that affects her. Miranda's unplanned pregnancy with ex-boyfriend Steve emphasizes how different her life is from her friends; Miranda's job is dependent upon her having enough billable hours to become partner. Unlike Samantha, who is her own boss, Carrie, who has a job with remarkable flexibility, and Charlotte, who, thanks to Trey's settlement, doesn't have to work at all, Miranda is held in place by more of the traditional rules which govern society. Even after she has Brady, we see Miranda contemplate whether or not she is a good mother, often leaving for work before Brady wakes up and coming home after he's asleep. Even marriage does not do much to lessen Miranda's constant worries about money, life, and love, and Miranda's marriage to Steve, flawed as it can be, is one of the more accurate depictions I've seen; sometimes couples get so wrapped up in the minutia of everyday life, they forget about the relationship between them. Miranda is always the practical one, the one who makes sure everything is taken care of and whom everyone calls upon in a crisis.
What I love about Miranda is, for all her insecurities, she is the only character living a non-idealized life. Whereas the other characters throw around money with ease, we see Miranda being more careful with it; she doesn't live in a Park Avenue spread like Charlotte or in a trendy neighborhood like Samantha. Her dates are rarely gorgeous (though Blair Underwood as Robert was fabulous) and she is never shown as the perfect mother balancing it all. Miranda can have her shit together, but she is not always put together, and sometimes she needs to be reminded that she is not the only person in the world whose feelings matter, especially in regards to her off-on relationship with Steve. Miranda is the one who learns Arabic phrases when they go to the United Arab Emirates and who follows you down the street when you're upset just in case you need to talk to someone. Miranda is a wonderful example of a woman who doesn't need someone to take care of her but wants someone to share her life with, who works hard for what she has but is also imperfect. Unlike Carrie, whom everyone idealizes for a shitty relationship with Big, and Samantha, who lives large, Miranda is just an average woman.
And I don't think enough people understand how kick-ass that is.