Sarah Jessica Parker calls out ‘misogynist’ criticism of women’s ageing process
Watch: Sarah Jessica Parker slams 'misogynistic chatter' about Sex and the City revival
Sarah Jessica Parker has shot back at critics who have made "ageist" comments about her and the other cast members of the Sex and The City reboot.
The 56-year-old actor is reprising the iconic role of Carrie Bradshaw in And Just Like That…, 23 years after the original SATC show first started.
Of course, this also means that Parker, Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte York) are more than two decades older than when they first hit our screens, and when the reboot was first announced, there were some comments of the actresses’ ages and looks.
Read more: You can now get married in a Carrie Bradshaw wedding dress
But the actor has now expressed her irritation that the ageing of the characters is even a conversation, describing talk about her appearance as "misogynist" and pointing out that men are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny.
"There’s so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would never. Happen. About. A. Man," she told Vogue. "Grey hair, grey hair, grey hair. Does she have grey hair?' I’m sitting with Andy Cohen,” Parker continues, “and he has a full head of grey hair, and he’s exquisite. Why is it okay for him?
"I don’t know what to tell you people!," she added.
The actor went on to admit she sometimes has a hard time dealing with social media because "everyone has something to say."
Speaking to the December 2021 issue of Vogue magazine - of which she is the cover star - she said: “It almost feels as if people don't want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.
“I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop ageing? Disappear?”
It seems the cast and crew agree with Parker's response to the criticism.
“I like that we’re not trying to youthify the show. We’re not including, like, a 21-year-old niece,” Nixon told Vogue, while Samantha Irby, a new staff writer on the show added: “I think it’s revolutionary to do a show about middle-aged women, with their ageing lady bodies".
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The actor also opened up about the absence of Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones through the franchise including the two movies based on the TV show.
“We have some new people, and we have some people who aren’t back anymore,” she said.
And Just Like That… follows the women of Sex and The City who are now in their 50s, but still navigating love, sex, friendship and their careers.
Watch: Kate Beckinsale tapped as face of anti-ageing skincare line
As well as seeing how the characters are enjoying life two decades on, fans will no doubt be keen to see how Bradshaw's wardrobe has moved on, particularly as Parker revealed she has held onto "every single solitary thing" used or won by her character in the hit series and two spin-off movies.
"I had all of the original stuff in my own storage. Furniture, clothes, everything, packed according to season and episode and scene," she says.
"I kept every single solitary thing."
Read more: Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz celebrated for 'ageing gracefully' in selfie
Parker also paid tribute to her Sex And The City co-star Willie Garson, saying she feels like “a scoop has been taken out of her” following his death.
The actor was a fan favourite on the series for his portrayal of flamboyant talent agent Stanford Blatch, a close friend of Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw.
He died aged 57 in September, following a battle with cancer, with Parker previously saying she was “not ready” to address the loss of Garson.
“In time, my body will grow accustomed to this new architecture, but now I feel truly blue,” she told the publication.
"I think about Willie and the show and how much we laughed. And I guess despite everything, that’s the headline: There’s so much good in the world, and we were all so lucky to be together, doing something we loved," she adds.
Watch: Sarah Jessica Parker still has Carrie Bradshaw's clothes
