THIS IS WHY CARRIE BRADSHAW NEVER HAS A MANICURE
Source: Grazia
Sarah Jessica Parker has never been one for a manicure—at home or the salon. 2011 she said, "I never do my nails…and I've probably had nail polish on my nails twice in 10 years." In 2016 she told People that her nails are usually just buffed and clean because "I use my hands a lot. I cook. I clean. I do laundry. Nail polish is not practical in my life, given what my hands need to do every day." However, there has been at least one exception to her no-polish rule: She was recently spotted with a black mani to match her polka-dot dress at the Sex and the City 25th-anniversary party earlier this month.
During a recent Zoom interview with Parker about the second season of And Just Like That…, Glamour asked why Carrie is often seen with bare nails, given that her hair, makeup, and clothes are always impeccably styled. Parker lights up when she is asked about this. She says, "Carrie's a writer so she would have been typing originally on a good typewriter. She would have learned typing in high school, and she was a practical writer, a necessary writer, and a romance writer. Manicures for Carrie seemed (a) futile because it would always be messed up and (b) an obstacle on the speedy road toward thoughts being written. This doesn't mean that other writers don't or can't type beautifully or easily with nails; it just never seemed that it was where Carrie would spend her time expressing herself."
Source: Grazia
Another reason for Carrie's bare-nail look is time management and episode continuity. Aside from being the star of SATC and AJLT, Parker is busy serving as an Executive Producer. She's also heavily involved in Carrie's looks and, therefore, in constant fittings with Costume Designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, leaving little time to spend in a manicure chair.
"We also don't shoot in order. You're moving from scene to scene, so practically speaking, it's problematic to have a nail color that's got to match every single scene. It gets in the way of speed and economy, "Parker explains. However, Parker revealed that there are a few upcoming scenes in later episodes in which Carrie does wear bold nail polish. "I thought it would be interesting to do, given the outfits and the environment in which those scenes take place," she says.
During the filming of said scenes, Executive Producer Michael Patrick King immediately noticed: "I thought, Wow, she's wearing nail polish! And it's a dark nail polish, which is interesting and surprising." When asked for more details, King says the initial scene takes place in Brooklyn, and you notice the nail change right away because Carrie is "holding the tiniest purse she's ever held. It's almost a doll's purse. She just decided, 'I'm going to Brooklyn, I'm wearing this glittery thing, I feel like I want a little fun.' But once again, it's always spontaneous. Carrie Bradshaw is spontaneous. She decides, 'I'm going to wear this or that. I'm going to wear this long slip tutu to get coffee. And, oh, maybe I'll put on nail polish tonight.' What's great about the character is rules do not guard her. Even rules she makes up."
Plus, it's a new season of And Just Like That…. While Carrie will always be a bare-nail girl, she's also coming out of deep grief since Big passed away—evident in her look. "Carrie went through that loss when it was winter. In this next season of And Just Like That…, Carrie's returning to herself with a new thought: Life's too short, so live. So one night, she decided to let her fingernails live," King says.
A different Carrie who polishes her nails can be discovered in the just-released new season. Do you already know that Carrie didn't paint her nails in previous seasons, or are you only now noticing it? We could have clarified to you the reasons why he doesn't use it! Whether you did or did not before, you will now pay more attention to her nails going forward and see whether they convey anything about her emotions.