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Sex at any age should be totally OK, according to SPJ, aka Sarah Jessica Parker. The 56-year-old actress will once again roam New York City’s streets in a pair of Manolo Blahniks reprising her fictional role as the legendary sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw in the upcoming “Sex and the City” reboot: “And Just Like That.”
Naturally, the return of the iconic TV series about a group of female companions navigating love, friendship and their careers stirred an influx of positive excitement among fans online. But since HBO Max announced the show’s revival, SPJ revealed that she and other female cast members have experienced negative reactions toward playing older versions of their once 30-year-old-something characters.
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“There’s so much misogynist chatter in response to us that would Never. Happen. About. A. Man,” SPJ told Vogue while punctuating each word with a clap. “‘Gray hair gray hair gray hair. Does she have gray hair?’ I’m sitting with Andy Cohen, and he has a full head of gray hair, and he’s exquisite,” she said of her longtime friend and Bravo’s “Real Housewives” host. “Why is it okay for him? I don’t know what to tell you people!”
Of course, the modern TV landscape doesn’t exactly place women engaging in sex during their 50s at the forefront, so the reboot in itself seems quite radical as of now. “When we announced And Just Like That…, there were a lot of positive reactions, but one bitchy response online was people sharing pictures of the Golden Girls,” SATC writer and producer Michael Patrick King told Vogue. “And I was like, ‘Wow, so it’s either you’re 35, or you’re retired and living in Florida. There’s a missing chapter here.’”
And that’s exactly what the reboot will provide this generation’s TV viewers: a show about middle-aged women who are still trying to navigate the ups and downs of life, even with their aging lady bodies. “I like that we’re not trying to youthify the show. We’re not including, like, a 21-year-old niece,” Cynthia Nixon—who plays Miranda Hobbes in the original series—told Vogue.
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Despite the criticism thrown at her, SPJ stays shutting down haters and uplifting the generation of women who will be celebrated in the anticipated show. “Especially on social media. Everyone has something to say. ‘She has too many wrinkles, she doesn’t have enough wrinkles.’ 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,” she said. “I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop aging? Disappear?” But don’t worry—SPJ will not go away anytime soon.
Also, make sure your pantry is stocked with popcorn and wine in December because the 10-episode sequel series will begin streaming then on HBO Max!
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