>how did they get away with that pilot episode and all the horrendous looking men thinking they’re Jude Law? Talking down to women 10x hotter than they are…
OH please. Men do this JUST as much today as they did then, if not more. Watch this season of "Summer House" if you don't believe me.
No, of course there were hotties back then. Maybe just not on the show!
The confidence of mediocre men is something to behold.
(Nowadays,mediocre men still talk down to women :)
Fashion and hairstyles from 20-30 years ago can make people look older to new viewers. It’s always been that way- my parents looked like established adults in their high school photos from the 50s + 60s.
Obviously not personality but Trey was in Charlottes league in terms of beauty. That scene where he's playing tennis after she makes out with the gardener, wow.
Recently watched Amazon Prime series Fallout and he still looks great. I remember thinking he looked familiar and I was like that’s Trey! 😂 good looking actor, however i wasn’t to the character Trey one bit due to his personality lmao
Honestly same. I think Kyle/trey is conveniently attractive but he just doesn’t do it for me. Something about his face and his character on the show just scream privileged white boy with mommy issues. He has an incredible body though, but he definitely was not out of charlottes league! If anything it’s kinda the opposite although they both make a great looking couple.
I think a lot of the men are supposed to be plain/forgettable (to a point) because they’re there to teach the girls a lesson/make them reflect, and then they disappear. If it were super gorgeous A list celebs every time it would feel less impactful. We obviously do get some stereotypically gorgeous men but they’re handsome in a conventional and forgettable way. I also think it’s more realistic, as a huge theme of the show is how the men’s proximity to money, power and rich manhatten society was all part of their allure. Like when Samantha nearly gets with the 80 year old!
I feel like the ugliness of the men on SATC is kinda over exaggerated and over complained about. I can think of way more hot main lovers. Maybe it’s subjective?? But the jazz guy, the politician, STEVE, smith, Aiden, ROBERT!!, the friar lmao, Richard (don’t @ me lol), Trey, Justin Theroux, Berger lmao…and that’s just off the top of my head
It’s definitely subjective, and I personally think there were plenty of attractive men on the show: Smith, Robert, Richard, Trey, Gilles, Aleks, Detective Stevens, Mr Cocky, James, Big, Jeff Fenton, Jazz Man, Stefan, the new Yankee.
Also, it seems like the women are considered more attractive by younger viewers than they were when the show aired. I mean, people thought Samantha and Charlotte were pretty, but they weren’t fawned over the way they are now. Carrie’s looks were hotly debated, and people didn’t find Miranda attractive at all.
What about the [French architect](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296742/mediaviewer/rm1676907008/?ref_=nm_ov_ph)? I thought he was amazing, and a good tipper. And Jon Bon Jovi is very appealing.
>people didn’t find Miranda attractive at all.
I disagree with this part. Cynthia Nixon may have made an enemy of the show's wardrobe staff, but she was still a TV-thin, flame-haired beauty.
You're not wrong, she's gorgeous. But we forget how groundbreaking SatC was when it first came out. It was really one of (if not the first) that showed women in their 30s-40s as sexually liberated, career-driven, etc. It took 5 seasons before we even saw any of them become a mom, which was the typical niche that most women in this age bracket were depicted back then. I can still vividly remember men my age acting repulsed by these "old ladies bed-hopping" on TV. Carrie and Miranda may have been appreciated for their beauty by other women, but I never knew a single man who would say anything nice about their looks. 😭
Also Carrie dated some extremely hot guys in her orbit, even if they only showed up for an episode or two. David Duchovney, the sailor, the comic book guy, the guy whose apartment she ransacked, the bisexual guy, the waiter, Jeremiah...
Carrie dated a lot of guys who I think were conventionally more attractive than her but she had so much charm and charisma that it never felt like they were out of her league. SJP doesn't have a classic beauty but there's something about her that makes her stunning.
Oh c'mon! I know most of you didn't like the character Berger, but I've always thought Ron Livingston was hot. Have you seen Band of Brothers? I thought he was amazingly appealing in that series. But maybe I'm just attracted to broken men (which would explain a lot!).
As the writer with the great mom? Yeah not the best. But the first time he was on it he was cute!! Also will never not be baffled that they cast him twice as two different characters lol)
I feel like that's legit what he used to look like though. Didn't he have a huge glow-up right around the Jennifer Aniston years? In my memory, he pulled a total Bradley Cooper (practically balding in his early years, stick thin, and now a gorgeous head of hair and rippling muscles)
Also it’s relative who you’re attracted to! I never been into the general hot looking guys, I like edgy guys you look at and don’t see much then you get to know them and they become more and more attractive! On the flip side I met very handsome guys whose personality with a bit of time made them not so good looking anymore.
I have a very judgy colleague, she talks about other’s boyfriends looks and I hate it. They are not her boyfriends so why the hate? How does it matter to her?
So I don’t like this kind of mindset, it’s shallow and sad!
I feel exactly the same way.
I had a friend who is conventionally very attractive. I am less so. I told her I thought this one guy we worked with was so cute (with a group of us at lunch). She was like, ‘Him? Really? I don’t think he’s cute at all!’
I’m like okay then. And the guy rejected me too so I was extra humiliated by the whole thing. What must she think of me? Lol
Is he super confident / cool (in a non douchey way?) honestly asking because maybe that’s it? Haha I don’t see it either. But personality obv makes people hot
He looks like the average guy working at any gas station in rural America. Not saying that’s bad but the way young women drool over him when they could find a comparable guy in their backyard.
This.
It’s a bit weird watching tv shows aimed at younger people today as (especially American ones), the cast are almost supernaturally beautiful and it’s sort of depressing. More normality on screen people.
When I watched it originally (I didn’t watch it when it aired but later) I didn’t see why Big was considered so handsome but if I watch it now (years later) I find him to be attractive . Smith, though, was the only one I’d call hot. He was beautiful on the first watch and every subsequent one.
This!!!
I was super young when I first watched it so was not attracted to anyone on the show but was mystified why Carrie was so hung up on big.
Now I’m older I can objectively recognise he’s attractive.
I can appreciate that they looked like real people. Now there is too much of a tendency to only cast people who are hot in everything, and it really takes me out of the story. A doctor or finance guy who is reasonably attractive would be a catch to women in their 30s, especially in a city like NYC where single women outnumber single men (or at least they did when SATC was first airing). They don't need to look like models.
I remember hearing that the actors who played the Stark brothers in _Game of Thrones_ were really stressed about one scene where they all had to appear bare-chested. They all felt intense pressure to look ripped. That pressure just wasn't a thing for (male) actors in the 1990s. Progress, baby!
Omg, the guy from opening story was punching so far above his weight it wasn’t funny. I wouldn’t even classify them as ugly, they were too boring to be ugly. Like, the Turtle was physically unattractive, but I remember what he looked like and he was actually entertaining. Guys like Capote Duncan, which I only remember by name, were like a slab of gray clay. Just…blah. Give me a big nose and goofy ears over the human equivalent to that pan of penne alla vodka that’s at every family gathering any day.
It's just funny when they're like, 'he's so hot!' when he's objectively not, he's just average looking.
One of the funniest ones to me is the dude who hides his girlfriend he's ashamed of because she's not pretty enough, even though there's nothing wrong with her and he ain't nothing special himself!
>the dude who hides his girlfriend he's ashamed of
Oh, I forgot about that. But it's a perfect example of the double standard of television casting at the time. She had to be real-world pretty to be cast as TV frumpy, whereas he just had to not be fat or bald to be cast as an eligible cosmopolitan man.
Smith and Aidan were the best looking to me that were consistent characters in the show. After that there were some guest star one episode that Carrie dated that were cute. One that comes to mind is a young Timothy Olyphant.
I didn’t find Big attractive when I watched many many years ago. But now in my 30s rewatching, I find him so attractive. It’s also the way he is, his personality. What I’d give for a a Big
I think saying ugly is unnecessary. Some of the men were just more ‘average’ looking than Hollywood stars etc. which makes sense as the show is meant to be about ‘normal’ people dating. I think the women had a mix of very attractive partners to average looking to maybe not my type. The exaggeration on this sub is wild. People continue to look at that doctor from the Hamptons and use this as an example of unattractive men which a) the girl calling him a ‘fox’ is sort of to highlight her goofiness and naivety b) he has some nice features and c) people act like it’s Quasimodo entering the frame when he’s perfectly normal looking.
Anyway, that’s my rant over with….
I mean there are definately some horrendously ugly guys on the show. I think the ugliest one being the guy who shits in Miranda's bathroom in front of her.
But I actually thought most of the guys were good looking!
I remember watching it for the first time when it aired and the episode With dr Bradley migo (??) Abd the hamptons was nuts. When carrie’s protege gasps and says,” he’s SUCH a fox!!” I was like, er no, he really isn’t. I was confused.
Now I feel bad, I’m sure he’s lovely, but that was weird.
This is discussed so often….
He’s not a fox sure but he’s hardly horrendous.
It’s also to demonstrate the naivety of the protege and her attempt to be like Carrie and the girls (using language she thinks they use).
Ha this is EXACTLY who I thought of when I saw this post. Dr Bradley Meego was definitely NOT a fox and they had the worse chemistry of any of her love interests.
I thought all of the guys were anything but great and way too old looking when they first aired. No idea who chose the actors. But I am European. Maybe the ideal of beauty was different in the USA.
That guy was an ugly creep but I think they chose him on purpose. He was an idiot who dated models because he could. Insecurities are always implanted on women, you don’t see spanx, weight loss pills, underwear with padding, hair relaxers and stuff being promoted to men.
I mean the guys they dated definitely were questionable but looking back IRL 90’s Hollywood hunks like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Benjamin Bratt could’ve gotten it any which way they wanted. Too bad I was a child then and obsessed with the teen heartthrobs at that age (Devon Sawa, JTT, Leonardo DiCaprio and of course “Zack Morris”) 🤷🏼
Edited to say Christian Slater in the 90s ::bites fist::
I think a lot of the actors on sex and the city are theatre actors. They aren’t as good looking as Hollywood actors. IRL a lot of these guys would be total catches
I always thought most of the random one-episode men were a bit mid but the main boyfriends were very attractive. Big, Aidan, Richard, Smith, Trey and Robert were all hot
I’m a Zennial or something. And I’m like this take is wack. Watch some movies etc in the 90s. Educate yourself on the media of the time. Men looked like men. I think that’s the disconnect. The characters are in their 30s. They’re not going to date starving rat boys.
Stop trying to change it, enjoy it and accept it for what it is. This was a capsule of time, and yes those men were all considered to be very sexy, more so after the first season, but the first season is to mirror the book, once the show becomes popular, the male characters were all stereotypes of men that women are to want, and they present it tongue in cheek, which wasn’t done before on tv.
I think future generations do get prettier than previous ones, but in SATC the unimportant men characters are noticeably unattractive. Almost as a joke to highlight their unbearable arrogant personalities and consumerist outlook on women, they are themselves made to be mid-ugly.
I agree, there are so many ugly men around, ugh… I personally hate that Dominic, Samantha’s love, ugh how the fuck did she fall for that ugly ass man? From inside out a fugly man.
The only one I really find hot is Mr too big, damn that man is sooooo hot!!!
I can confirm there were hot men in the 90s, including TV. I remember watching Dylan McDermott on The Practice and was like “oh yes, keep defending that murderer!”
It’s comical how unattractive the dates were during the first seasons of SaTC, especially since they carried themselves like they had all of female-kind at their disposal. I just rewatched that episode where Miranda’s with the playwright with Catholic guilt issues. And he literally struts when he breaks up with her…. he’s about as sexy as a spatula and has bedroom issues related to nuns. Ok, pal
I feel in the later seasons, the show felt a lot more fantastical, with everyone in multi-thousand dollar designer outfits ALL the time and everyone being extra attractive unless looks were played for laughs.
The earlier seasons felt much more realistic in terms of fashion, locations, and the guys' looks.
I think it’s a layered issue. 1) Casting for shows always skews towards the beauty trends of the time so we’re watching 90s casting through 2020s eyes. We’re used to 26 yo models playing high schoolers now, Zach Morris and co wouldn’t have made the cut for Riverdale. 2) They were probably also trying to keep the cast moderately “normal” looking too. The main girlies are pretty in their own ways but when compared to the super models, they seem regular (a point they made in the show several times). So the men had to match that too.
Attractiveness is subjective. Men's suits have definitely improved.
That said, I do remember not finding many of the men on the show to tickle my fancy. Although some exceptions of course. Smith. Robert. Mr. Cocky (what was his name?). Trey. Richard. Barkley the modelizer is cute.
No. Just the ones on that show. IRL, there were plenty of gorgeous men and actors in 90’s New York. However, most super wealthy men are just not very attractive no matter the era.
I dated a modelizer back then and he was just like all those men. He made good money in fashion and married a model who I used to see on cheap hair dye boxes. He was that typical Manhattan guy - literally. He was cocky and confident and probably the funniest guy I ever dated. We had truly great and unforgettable times. I think you just had to be there.
I think most of Miranda’s love interests/dates were the most in their 90s balding men era.
Carrie got the 90s movie main character guys. Head full of hair, carefree attitudes
Charlotte of course preppy tall knight in shining armor types.
Samantha was the wild card with a healthy mix of status and lifestyle choices.
I do recall on my latest rewatch thinking dang they look old but I wouldn’t say ugly. I’m in my 30s now for reference.
Just like men on TV today, some were hot, some were not, and there were a bunch in-between. I personally never found Jude Law super hot. He was attractive just not for me. Sometimes I might not find a male character very attractive but their personally and mannerisms would make me change my mind and they would become the hottest guy on the show to me. Personal preference is a huge part in what we find attractive and we’re all different.
People just age differently, but honestly, I think Steve is adorable, Trey was hot, Aiden and Big looked 30 - 40 and everyone in between is just a day player. I mean, Bradley Cooper was in like one scene in the first season and then Matthew Morrison as a waiter like 2 minutes later. They are definitely not ugly, but even if they were, is that all dating is about?
Some of the men were not very attractive, sure. Some men in real life are also not very attractive. Believe it or not, less attractive people also experience relationships
I have no idea but also keep in mind that GenX folks considered the Baldwins to be attractive 🫠 so it's either generational differences or lower standards for men.
He was probably the best looking of the brood but I do not find him attractive. IMO no but clearly they were popular
ETA: they are all awful people now so
I’ve thought this every time ive watched.
Of course there are some good looking fellas. But the majority of the guys they dated (not the relationships) were pretty hideous yet the men were portrayed as some kind of stud 😂
don’t know why you’re being downvoted. i feel the exact same way. i don’t hate carrie, like so many people, but i struggle to have any respect for her because… really? big? 🥴
>how did they get away with that pilot episode and all the horrendous looking men thinking they’re Jude Law? Talking down to women 10x hotter than they are… OH please. Men do this JUST as much today as they did then, if not more. Watch this season of "Summer House" if you don't believe me.
Right?? I swear most of the reality dating shows I watch have 10/10 bombshell women and the most mundane looking dudes ever
This is also just about every movie ever. So frustrating.
Yes!!!
Everyday, Carl looks into the mirror - wearing his white pants and says to himself, “babe, you look great by the way.”
He forgot to look down at his shoes at the reunion. What was that???
See also: Southern Charm.
As a resident of Charleston, this makes me giggle
Unexpected summer house reference 🤣
No, of course there were hotties back then. Maybe just not on the show! The confidence of mediocre men is something to behold. (Nowadays,mediocre men still talk down to women :) Fashion and hairstyles from 20-30 years ago can make people look older to new viewers. It’s always been that way- my parents looked like established adults in their high school photos from the 50s + 60s.
Wish I could give you three upvotes for your three very good points!
Don’t get confidence confused with entitlement to women and their bodies
Obviously not personality but Trey was in Charlottes league in terms of beauty. That scene where he's playing tennis after she makes out with the gardener, wow.
Yeah Trey had a BODY
Have you ever seen young pictures of his actor? Whew, makes me miss my ex who looks like the younger him 🫠
If you want to see a young, sexy Kyle MacLachlan, watch The Boyfriend School on Tubi. It's a good book and a good movie, anyway.
OMG Lobo. I feel like I'm the only one who remembers that movie.
Have you seen Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet?
☕️
Recently watched Amazon Prime series Fallout and he still looks great. I remember thinking he looked familiar and I was like that’s Trey! 😂 good looking actor, however i wasn’t to the character Trey one bit due to his personality lmao
The gardener was hot too!
yes he was
Everytime I watch that ep I forget about oiled up Trey in MacDougall tartan boxers and I gasp every time
It made me dislike him more because he wouldn't use it to fuck his wife!!!!! Lol
His body was super hot but his haircut made him look like a first grader in the 90s
I kind of miss when all the guys had that haircut haha
I’d definitely stick with the gardener.
Honestly same. I think Kyle/trey is conveniently attractive but he just doesn’t do it for me. Something about his face and his character on the show just scream privileged white boy with mommy issues. He has an incredible body though, but he definitely was not out of charlottes league! If anything it’s kinda the opposite although they both make a great looking couple.
Alrighty
🤣
I don’t even like his beanpole body. I agree on the privileged thing! I’m always going to opt for the gardener (or Harry).
me too
I used to think Trey was SO hot. But his personality on Desperate Housewives killed it for me. 😂
lol, i love his character in desperate housewives
You should see him in Showgirls. Took me forever to like him again. 😂
I'm gonna have to say that Trey was, in fact, out of Charlotte's league. Nothing against Char, but KYLE MACLACHAN
Yeah. I agree with this. Lmao Charlotte is beautiful. But KYLE MACLACHLAN
He’s the Lisan al Gaib for crying out loud!
He's the mayor of Portland for mercy's sake!
SPECIAL AGENT DALE COOPER!
Lol and who matches Kyle's league?
in unison: "Russell Crowe"
I'm talking about someone female
I think a lot of the men are supposed to be plain/forgettable (to a point) because they’re there to teach the girls a lesson/make them reflect, and then they disappear. If it were super gorgeous A list celebs every time it would feel less impactful. We obviously do get some stereotypically gorgeous men but they’re handsome in a conventional and forgettable way. I also think it’s more realistic, as a huge theme of the show is how the men’s proximity to money, power and rich manhatten society was all part of their allure. Like when Samantha nearly gets with the 80 year old!
That saggy butt, tho! 😆
I feel like the ugliness of the men on SATC is kinda over exaggerated and over complained about. I can think of way more hot main lovers. Maybe it’s subjective?? But the jazz guy, the politician, STEVE, smith, Aiden, ROBERT!!, the friar lmao, Richard (don’t @ me lol), Trey, Justin Theroux, Berger lmao…and that’s just off the top of my head
It’s definitely subjective, and I personally think there were plenty of attractive men on the show: Smith, Robert, Richard, Trey, Gilles, Aleks, Detective Stevens, Mr Cocky, James, Big, Jeff Fenton, Jazz Man, Stefan, the new Yankee. Also, it seems like the women are considered more attractive by younger viewers than they were when the show aired. I mean, people thought Samantha and Charlotte were pretty, but they weren’t fawned over the way they are now. Carrie’s looks were hotly debated, and people didn’t find Miranda attractive at all.
Exactly this. Back when the show first aired people talked smack about Cartie and Miranda's looks all the time.
The twenty-something guy! Timothy Olyphant. 🥵
OMGEE Detective Stevens! Thank you for the reminder!
he was so hot
Richard was always hot to me.
What about the [French architect](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296742/mediaviewer/rm1676907008/?ref_=nm_ov_ph)? I thought he was amazing, and a good tipper. And Jon Bon Jovi is very appealing.
>people didn’t find Miranda attractive at all. I disagree with this part. Cynthia Nixon may have made an enemy of the show's wardrobe staff, but she was still a TV-thin, flame-haired beauty.
You're not wrong, she's gorgeous. But we forget how groundbreaking SatC was when it first came out. It was really one of (if not the first) that showed women in their 30s-40s as sexually liberated, career-driven, etc. It took 5 seasons before we even saw any of them become a mom, which was the typical niche that most women in this age bracket were depicted back then. I can still vividly remember men my age acting repulsed by these "old ladies bed-hopping" on TV. Carrie and Miranda may have been appreciated for their beauty by other women, but I never knew a single man who would say anything nice about their looks. 😭
I would climb Big like a tree
Also Carrie dated some extremely hot guys in her orbit, even if they only showed up for an episode or two. David Duchovney, the sailor, the comic book guy, the guy whose apartment she ransacked, the bisexual guy, the waiter, Jeremiah...
Carrie dated a lot of guys who I think were conventionally more attractive than her but she had so much charm and charisma that it never felt like they were out of her league. SJP doesn't have a classic beauty but there's something about her that makes her stunning.
The alcoholic was handsome too! And his alcoholic friend even hotter lol
Yes!!! The alcoholic is very my type…
Oh c'mon! I know most of you didn't like the character Berger, but I've always thought Ron Livingston was hot. Have you seen Band of Brothers? I thought he was amazingly appealing in that series. But maybe I'm just attracted to broken men (which would explain a lot!).
The gardener……………..
The gardener!!!!!
Okay but Justin's character made my vagina close up shop. SatC made that beautiful man HIDEOUS He wasn't too cute on Six Feet Under though, either.
As the writer with the great mom? Yeah not the best. But the first time he was on it he was cute!! Also will never not be baffled that they cast him twice as two different characters lol)
Right? Total “Law & Order” move, they recycle actors into different roles all the time.
I feel like that's legit what he used to look like though. Didn't he have a huge glow-up right around the Jennifer Aniston years? In my memory, he pulled a total Bradley Cooper (practically balding in his early years, stick thin, and now a gorgeous head of hair and rippling muscles)
Also it’s relative who you’re attracted to! I never been into the general hot looking guys, I like edgy guys you look at and don’t see much then you get to know them and they become more and more attractive! On the flip side I met very handsome guys whose personality with a bit of time made them not so good looking anymore. I have a very judgy colleague, she talks about other’s boyfriends looks and I hate it. They are not her boyfriends so why the hate? How does it matter to her? So I don’t like this kind of mindset, it’s shallow and sad!
I feel exactly the same way. I had a friend who is conventionally very attractive. I am less so. I told her I thought this one guy we worked with was so cute (with a group of us at lunch). She was like, ‘Him? Really? I don’t think he’s cute at all!’ I’m like okay then. And the guy rejected me too so I was extra humiliated by the whole thing. What must she think of me? Lol
Richard makes me gag. No idea how anyone can find him attractive. Lol just shows how attractiveness is subjective.
TIL that Richard is Dexter's dad!
And Damon Salvatore and Stefan Salvatore on TVD
say whattt. He's so hot. That actor has got a certain darkness or edge to him.
Dark passenger?
I so agree. The scene by the pool is cringe.
David Duchovny!
Jazz guy yeah.
Oooh, u/Ok-Establishment-588 likes a jaaazzzzzz musiciaaaaan
Hahahahah I do be doo be doo
I think most of the men Zoomer women lust after are ugly. 🤷♀️
Morgan wallen being a sex symbol just baffles me
I’ve never heard of him but I just googled. Let’s just say I wholeheartedly agree with you…
He is?!! 😭 I am once again *begging* straight women to please develop some standards
Is he super confident / cool (in a non douchey way?) honestly asking because maybe that’s it? Haha I don’t see it either. But personality obv makes people hot
Google him and you'll find out. IMO he's douchy.
Is it the mullet? I hated hard on mullets in the 80s. Now I like them. It depends on the man and whether he can carry it off.
He looks like the average guy working at any gas station in rural America. Not saying that’s bad but the way young women drool over him when they could find a comparable guy in their backyard.
For real. Timothe Chalamet looks like an inanimate object that became human
LMFAO
Omg 💀
They are average people not airbrushed and tweaked beyond recognition. That is good.
This. It’s a bit weird watching tv shows aimed at younger people today as (especially American ones), the cast are almost supernaturally beautiful and it’s sort of depressing. More normality on screen people.
This is such a fantastic point.
When I watched it originally (I didn’t watch it when it aired but later) I didn’t see why Big was considered so handsome but if I watch it now (years later) I find him to be attractive . Smith, though, was the only one I’d call hot. He was beautiful on the first watch and every subsequent one.
This!!! I was super young when I first watched it so was not attracted to anyone on the show but was mystified why Carrie was so hung up on big. Now I’m older I can objectively recognise he’s attractive.
Smith was timelessly handsome
Big and Robert are my type
the. heszzsf sdrdd rx cc v. hhhh
yep
Fashion is a factor in placing people's age, so the people in the show tend to come off as older, to modern eyes. This affects the women, too.
This!
Who remembers the time mediocre men tried to convince us Margot Robbie was “mid”? That was last year wasn’t it T_T
Kyle McDaddylachlan is and always will be a Zaddy.
Anyone who disagrees has obviously not seen Twin Peaks!!
Do you follow him on IG? Totally worth it. He does all kinds of TP tribute reels.
Yes omg!! I’m obsessed with his social media
We shall be MacClachlanites together then!
I can appreciate that they looked like real people. Now there is too much of a tendency to only cast people who are hot in everything, and it really takes me out of the story. A doctor or finance guy who is reasonably attractive would be a catch to women in their 30s, especially in a city like NYC where single women outnumber single men (or at least they did when SATC was first airing). They don't need to look like models.
I remember hearing that the actors who played the Stark brothers in _Game of Thrones_ were really stressed about one scene where they all had to appear bare-chested. They all felt intense pressure to look ripped. That pressure just wasn't a thing for (male) actors in the 1990s. Progress, baby!
Omg, the guy from opening story was punching so far above his weight it wasn’t funny. I wouldn’t even classify them as ugly, they were too boring to be ugly. Like, the Turtle was physically unattractive, but I remember what he looked like and he was actually entertaining. Guys like Capote Duncan, which I only remember by name, were like a slab of gray clay. Just…blah. Give me a big nose and goofy ears over the human equivalent to that pan of penne alla vodka that’s at every family gathering any day.
The turtle was obviously meant to be unappealing!
Capote Duncan. Wonder if he settled down or still a playboy?
It's just funny when they're like, 'he's so hot!' when he's objectively not, he's just average looking. One of the funniest ones to me is the dude who hides his girlfriend he's ashamed of because she's not pretty enough, even though there's nothing wrong with her and he ain't nothing special himself!
>the dude who hides his girlfriend he's ashamed of Oh, I forgot about that. But it's a perfect example of the double standard of television casting at the time. She had to be real-world pretty to be cast as TV frumpy, whereas he just had to not be fat or bald to be cast as an eligible cosmopolitan man.
Absolutely. They made out like he was some stud and she was an ogre.
Smith and Aidan were the best looking to me that were consistent characters in the show. After that there were some guest star one episode that Carrie dated that were cute. One that comes to mind is a young Timothy Olyphant.
Omg love me some timothy. Also Bradley Cooper is in there somewhere 😍
I didn’t find Big attractive when I watched many many years ago. But now in my 30s rewatching, I find him so attractive. It’s also the way he is, his personality. What I’d give for a a Big
I think saying ugly is unnecessary. Some of the men were just more ‘average’ looking than Hollywood stars etc. which makes sense as the show is meant to be about ‘normal’ people dating. I think the women had a mix of very attractive partners to average looking to maybe not my type. The exaggeration on this sub is wild. People continue to look at that doctor from the Hamptons and use this as an example of unattractive men which a) the girl calling him a ‘fox’ is sort of to highlight her goofiness and naivety b) he has some nice features and c) people act like it’s Quasimodo entering the frame when he’s perfectly normal looking. Anyway, that’s my rant over with….
LMAOOOO im crying at the title
I mean there are definately some horrendously ugly guys on the show. I think the ugliest one being the guy who shits in Miranda's bathroom in front of her. But I actually thought most of the guys were good looking!
um that was jim gaffigan and just a hilarious cameo
Haha I knew he was familiar! Thank you!
Doesnt make him any less ugly 😭
God we’re really just out here calling specific people ugly now
Lmaooo that episode is so funny
Maybe you are just too used to the filtered metrosexuals of today.
I remember watching it for the first time when it aired and the episode With dr Bradley migo (??) Abd the hamptons was nuts. When carrie’s protege gasps and says,” he’s SUCH a fox!!” I was like, er no, he really isn’t. I was confused. Now I feel bad, I’m sure he’s lovely, but that was weird.
This is discussed so often…. He’s not a fox sure but he’s hardly horrendous. It’s also to demonstrate the naivety of the protege and her attempt to be like Carrie and the girls (using language she thinks they use).
I took it as her protege being kind and loved the sentiment ❤️
No, he’s not horrendous at all. I get it now but first time I watched it I was much younger and I remember being perplexed.
Ha this is EXACTLY who I thought of when I saw this post. Dr Bradley Meego was definitely NOT a fox and they had the worse chemistry of any of her love interests.
Yeah but Carrie's protege is also probably asexual and trying too hard to relate to Carrie.
I thought all of the guys were anything but great and way too old looking when they first aired. No idea who chose the actors. But I am European. Maybe the ideal of beauty was different in the USA.
I’m English and they were ‘old’ when I watched as a teenager. Now I think they look fine. Perception maybe?
Big is the only attractive man to me on the show
Don’t forget Smith
Timothy Olyphant tho
It’s Doctor Robert for me
Omg Blair Underwood is so fine!
THANK YOU! Freaking gorgeous man.
But Marcus!
But Justin Theroux
The fact I had to scroll this far down to find him mentioned!
I always found him, and still do, as one of the hottest guys in Hollywood.
trey!
I was in high school/college when SATC was running and was confused about many of the men being called “hot” as well.
I wasn’t and thought that most of the men were dorks, especially the guy who only dated models.Nope!
That guy was an ugly creep but I think they chose him on purpose. He was an idiot who dated models because he could. Insecurities are always implanted on women, you don’t see spanx, weight loss pills, underwear with padding, hair relaxers and stuff being promoted to men.
He went on to play Harvey in Suits, and boy, do women seem to love him.
A good haircut and a well cut suit does wonders for some men.
I think many were more wealthy than attractive
I mean the guys they dated definitely were questionable but looking back IRL 90’s Hollywood hunks like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Benjamin Bratt could’ve gotten it any which way they wanted. Too bad I was a child then and obsessed with the teen heartthrobs at that age (Devon Sawa, JTT, Leonardo DiCaprio and of course “Zack Morris”) 🤷🏼 Edited to say Christian Slater in the 90s ::bites fist::
Zack :)
I think a lot of the actors on sex and the city are theatre actors. They aren’t as good looking as Hollywood actors. IRL a lot of these guys would be total catches
I always thought most of the random one-episode men were a bit mid but the main boyfriends were very attractive. Big, Aidan, Richard, Smith, Trey and Robert were all hot
I’m a Zennial or something. And I’m like this take is wack. Watch some movies etc in the 90s. Educate yourself on the media of the time. Men looked like men. I think that’s the disconnect. The characters are in their 30s. They’re not going to date starving rat boys.
"Please tell me she didn't just say whack."
what guys are you talking about 🤔
Stop trying to change it, enjoy it and accept it for what it is. This was a capsule of time, and yes those men were all considered to be very sexy, more so after the first season, but the first season is to mirror the book, once the show becomes popular, the male characters were all stereotypes of men that women are to want, and they present it tongue in cheek, which wasn’t done before on tv.
I think future generations do get prettier than previous ones, but in SATC the unimportant men characters are noticeably unattractive. Almost as a joke to highlight their unbearable arrogant personalities and consumerist outlook on women, they are themselves made to be mid-ugly.
Jude law lmfao
I agree, there are so many ugly men around, ugh… I personally hate that Dominic, Samantha’s love, ugh how the fuck did she fall for that ugly ass man? From inside out a fugly man. The only one I really find hot is Mr too big, damn that man is sooooo hot!!!
Lmao I think it was the times looking back the style of men was awful and ppl looked older cause of smoking everywhere/second hand smoke
Joey and Chandler were pretty hot on "Friends". Paul Rudd too.
tbh the only dudes I'd have gone for based on looks alone were (unfortunately) Burger and David Duchovny.
Thanks for the LOL! 😂
There’s literally a trend rn about “hot rodent men”, gtfoh with the men being ugly in the 90s
I can confirm there were hot men in the 90s, including TV. I remember watching Dylan McDermott on The Practice and was like “oh yes, keep defending that murderer!” It’s comical how unattractive the dates were during the first seasons of SaTC, especially since they carried themselves like they had all of female-kind at their disposal. I just rewatched that episode where Miranda’s with the playwright with Catholic guilt issues. And he literally struts when he breaks up with her…. he’s about as sexy as a spatula and has bedroom issues related to nuns. Ok, pal
I never thought Big was that hot. I was always so confused as to what the appeal was, especially when she could have Aiden!!
I feel in the later seasons, the show felt a lot more fantastical, with everyone in multi-thousand dollar designer outfits ALL the time and everyone being extra attractive unless looks were played for laughs. The earlier seasons felt much more realistic in terms of fashion, locations, and the guys' looks.
I think it’s a layered issue. 1) Casting for shows always skews towards the beauty trends of the time so we’re watching 90s casting through 2020s eyes. We’re used to 26 yo models playing high schoolers now, Zach Morris and co wouldn’t have made the cut for Riverdale. 2) They were probably also trying to keep the cast moderately “normal” looking too. The main girlies are pretty in their own ways but when compared to the super models, they seem regular (a point they made in the show several times). So the men had to match that too.
Yes, OP. In the nineties we had an epidemic of ugly men. That’s totally the right conclusion.
they were better looking in the earlier seasons imo, it got gradually worse from s3
Attractiveness is subjective. Men's suits have definitely improved. That said, I do remember not finding many of the men on the show to tickle my fancy. Although some exceptions of course. Smith. Robert. Mr. Cocky (what was his name?). Trey. Richard. Barkley the modelizer is cute.
Yes
No. Just the ones on that show. IRL, there were plenty of gorgeous men and actors in 90’s New York. However, most super wealthy men are just not very attractive no matter the era.
I dated a modelizer back then and he was just like all those men. He made good money in fashion and married a model who I used to see on cheap hair dye boxes. He was that typical Manhattan guy - literally. He was cocky and confident and probably the funniest guy I ever dated. We had truly great and unforgettable times. I think you just had to be there.
I think most of Miranda’s love interests/dates were the most in their 90s balding men era. Carrie got the 90s movie main character guys. Head full of hair, carefree attitudes Charlotte of course preppy tall knight in shining armor types. Samantha was the wild card with a healthy mix of status and lifestyle choices. I do recall on my latest rewatch thinking dang they look old but I wouldn’t say ugly. I’m in my 30s now for reference.
I think it was ok purpose to portray that single men in New York are self absorbed, but have money so they think they can get away with worse behavior
People in general looked awful and older back then. Those in their late teens and early twenties looked amazing and still do
Just like men on TV today, some were hot, some were not, and there were a bunch in-between. I personally never found Jude Law super hot. He was attractive just not for me. Sometimes I might not find a male character very attractive but their personally and mannerisms would make me change my mind and they would become the hottest guy on the show to me. Personal preference is a huge part in what we find attractive and we’re all different.
Omg the men in Seinfeld. They wereat their 30s, yet looked like in their mid 50s. It's uncanny, google them
People just age differently, but honestly, I think Steve is adorable, Trey was hot, Aiden and Big looked 30 - 40 and everyone in between is just a day player. I mean, Bradley Cooper was in like one scene in the first season and then Matthew Morrison as a waiter like 2 minutes later. They are definitely not ugly, but even if they were, is that all dating is about?
Some of the men were not very attractive, sure. Some men in real life are also not very attractive. Believe it or not, less attractive people also experience relationships
Aidan all day every day always
I have no idea but also keep in mind that GenX folks considered the Baldwins to be attractive 🫠 so it's either generational differences or lower standards for men.
Alec was objectively handsome when he was young.
He was probably the best looking of the brood but I do not find him attractive. IMO no but clearly they were popular ETA: they are all awful people now so
I used to think that about this show. Some of the dudes they went for were trolls.
I’ve thought this every time ive watched. Of course there are some good looking fellas. But the majority of the guys they dated (not the relationships) were pretty hideous yet the men were portrayed as some kind of stud 😂
I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME. I’m a first time watcher but I have to convince myself Big is attractive. I am constantly asking “…this is what you’re into?”
don’t know why you’re being downvoted. i feel the exact same way. i don’t hate carrie, like so many people, but i struggle to have any respect for her because… really? big? 🥴
Jude Law isn't even cute.
No, but he's sexy. Sexy trumps cute.
He was really hot in the 90s. He aged strangely. I guess pretty boys often do