“Suddenly, there he was, wearing Armani on Sunday.”

“Sex and the City” premiered on June 6, 1998, and its finale aired on Feb. 22, 2004. During that time, the six seasons demonstrated many archetypes of men applicable and recognizable in real life, especially during college. From Mr. Big to Berger to Steve, let’s begin to analyze these characters relating to situations experienced here at Kent State. 

Mr. Big 

Any viewer can easily see Mr. Big, or John James Preston, as emotionally unavailable with many issues of committing to his long-term girlfriend Carrie Bradshaw. Many infamously embarrassing scenes portrayed events that could have been avoided if Carrie saw those signs.

KSU Equivalent: You just met a friend of a friend. You get his Instagram and see he’s following 37 people with 9,285 followers. The next two days are filled with excessive flattery, affection and attention, until it comes to a dead text of “wyd” at 3:28 a.m. If you choose to go further with this person or that relationship, do not pull a Carrie and magically wish for them to change overnight after no evidence of emotional connectivity, change or work. Boundaries, communication honesty are how this framework resets itself, however, it has to be something the “friend of a friend” wants as well.

According to writer Mark Manson, “You can’t make somebody change. You can inspire them to change. You can educate them towards change. You can support them in their change, but you can’t make them change.” Stop wasting your energy and start opening up a textbook.

Berger  

This Post-It note bandit was petrified by the thought of being perceived, in the public eye, private eye or Carrie’s eye. The deep insecurities and jealousy exhibited by Berger extended to daily life in manners of being a lesser known writer, lover and even sleeper! All this accumulated into Carrie receiving a Post–It breakup note slapped on a fridge because he could not face her in real life, even after dating for months.

KSU Equivalent: You meet a guy with a similar major to you and you have tons in common, just for him to attempt to always make it a point to “one-up” you, thus equating to an embarrassing academic rivalry. He feels intimidated and embarrassed because you’re flourishing. With these situations it’s best for you to realize this.

“When insecurity in our relationships run rampant, jealousy can rapidly grow into paranoia and obsession and threaten to destroy the very relationship we’re most afraid to lose,” said Carrie Manner for One Love.

Best to stay away from this type of jealousy. It’s not worth it, and maybe seek companionship outside of your major. Bye, Berger!

Steve 

Next is the infamous baby daddy, man-child and “nice guy,” Steve. Miranda and Steve dated off and on for many years, culminating in having a baby together. However, this father seemingly cannot grow up enough to support his own life goals with expectations of raising a baby, until Miranda and Steve split, forcing him to excel outside of Miranda.

KSU Equivalent: You go to Cleveland Bagel and meet a chai-drinking, tote bag-wearing, baggy pant warrior and hit it off! He seems emotionally intelligent, kind and well adjusted, until you realize he stole all these traits from women he has dated in the past. Yikes.

Them writer James Factora said in an article, “Supposedly, these are all things that might trick a woman into believing that this man is not like other men. Not so violent. Not so chauvinist. Not so scary to be a subject of desire.”

Appearing perfect can only go so far when beneath that facade is a guy who’s just not any of those unsuspecting traits! Unless you like having a double of you, it’s best to find someone unique that can stand on their own without you.

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Hi! I’m Hannah Planey, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.