When we first met Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte, they were all single and successful. The Sex and the City crew had a lot going for them, but they were still preoccupied with men - each in their own way, of course. Above else, they wanted to meet men, date, and in Charlotte's case, get married as soon as possible.
Life threw many challenges at them throughout the series. Miranda's life took the most dramatic turns: she became a mother, even though she never explicitly said she wanted children. Samantha battled cancer, Charlotte got divorced, and Carrie ... well, Carrie suffered because she never changed her unhealthy ways of relating to men. All is good that ends well, though. The ladies generally got what they wished for in season 1.
They All Remained Friends Until The End
Even though the ladies were incredibly preoccupied with their love lives, Sex and the City was predominantly a show that celebrated female friendship above else. Even though they had quite a few major fall-outs throughout the seasons, they powered through all the conflicts and came out stronger than before. Even though they tend to be toxic to one another every once in a while, they are generally considered true friend goals.
Let's not forget about all the amazing friendship quotes that Sex and the City gave us. The most memorable is one of Charlotte's quotes: "Maybe we can be each other’s soul mates. And then we can let men be just these great, nice guys to have fun with." The sentiment was echoed countless of times by Carrie, Samantha, and Miranda.
Samantha Stayed True To Herself
When we met Samantha in season 1, she was living her best life. She was single, but unlike Charlotte, she had no problem with it whatsoever. She much preferred the thrills of one night stands and sexual freedom over committing herself to just any man who showed interest in her.
By the end of the series, she was in a committed relationship with Smith, but that didn't affect her personality at all. The movies ended up with them separating - becuase Samantha felt that she was losing herself in their relationship. If there is anything that Samantha taught us is that we should live our lives for ourselves and put our needs first. Even when the story of Sex and the City was all done, Samantha was still winning at life just like she did in the beginning.
Carrie Owns Her Apartment
Carrie wasn't the type of a woman who would have financial plans and goals - that's Miranda's territory. She didn't explicitly say that she wants to buy the iconic apartment she was renting in season 1, but she definitely adored it and wouldn't agree to live anywhere else. Carrie was lucky: it just so happened that life pushed her in a direction where she ultimately had to buy her beloved home.
She wouldn't get there without the help of her friends. In one of their most memorable fights, Charlotte and Carrie butted heads over Charlotte refusing to lend money to Carrie. Some think that this is one of the signs that Charlotte and Carrie aren't real friends, but every relationship worth having with inevitably stir up conflict.
Charlotte Got Her Happily Ever After
Of all the ladies in the group, Charlotte was the most vocal about what she wants when we first met her and she was on a clearly defined trajectory to attain her goals ever since. Above else, Charlotte wanted to find her prince charming and get married. She got what she wanted in the end. Technically speaking, she got it twice: first she married Trey, followed by her divorce attorney Harry Goldenblatt.
In order to get what she wanted, Charlotte went through a major transformation. Her values and beliefs were challenged on many occasions and she learned quite a lot on her way to happily ever after.
Samantha Didn't Age A Day
If it was up to Samantha, she'd stay young forever. She was preoccupied with the way she looked, which was revisited in several episodes. In season 3, she spoke to her friends about it for the first time: "Ladies... what I’m about to tell you may come as a shock... I’m a little older than you."
In season 4's episode "The Agony and the Ex'tacy", Carrie was complaining about turning one year older. Samantha was quick to shut her up: "Oh shut up, I'm a hundred and f*cking 40." By the end of the series and the two movies, Samantha came to with her age. In reality, she didn't age a single day.
Miranda Made Partner
Because she was realistic and ambitious, Miranda is considered the best character by countless fans. She was willing to work hard to climb the corporate ladder; she even dressed more masculine in order to fit in her workplace. Somewhere along the way, she became financially secure enough to buy her own real estate and she was eventually made partner in her law firm.
Miranda worked more than 40 hours a week, so she definitely deserved her professional success.
Charlotte Got A Fabulous Manhattan Apartment
Charlotte didn't just want any man: she said herself that she wants a WASPy type, while insinuating that he needs to be rich. She couldn't understand why Miranda was willing to date a bartender, even though Steve was the single most decent man on the show.
Charlotte expected a certain level of luxury, and she got it in the form of a fabulous Manhattan apartment. This is where Sex and the City gets a little unrealistic by today's standards: hardly any art dealer in their 30s owns a place like Charlotte.
Carrie Made It Big As A Writer
As mentioned before, Carrie was winging it when it came to much of her life, her career included. When we first met her, she was a successful and popular columnist for a New York magazine. Her work spoke for itself since she eventually got an offer to publish the collection of the best columns as a book.
In season 1, Carrie didn't explicitly express she wanted to publish a book, but it was clear that she thoroughly enjoyed her job and wanted to dedicate her life to writing.
Charlotte Became A Mom
Charlotte thought that after her fairy tale wedding with Trey, the rest of her life would unfold seamlessly. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She has always wanted children and she was very clear about that, but she had problems with conceiving.
Her fertility struggles were hard to watch, but she got what she wanted in the end. Not only did she and Harry adopt a lovely girl from China, they eventually got a baby of their own.
Carrie Got Mr Big To Commit
Carrie only wanted one thing and if she were as ionate at pursuing any other goals in life, there would be nothing she couldn't achieve. Above else, this woman was hell-bent on getting the most emotionally unavailable man ever to commit. It was a real challenge, but somehow, Mr Big eventually realized that Carrie was what he wanted and even flew all the way to Paris to get her.
The happiness didn't last long, though. He ditched her at the alter in Sex and the City: The Movie, yet they still ended up together in the end.