With the return of iconic HBO character Carrie Bradshaw, actress Sarah Jessica Parker thinks the role gets unfair criticism compared to the worst male characters.
To promote Season 3 of Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That..., Parker spoke to HuffPost U.K. and reacted to harsh opinions she's seen about the new version of Carrie.
While Parker admitted that the fictional character has "made mistakes" or may have "not been in mature in love," she said Carrie doesn't deserve to be scolded.
"It’s always interesting to me that [this is] so condemned, but a male lead on a show can be a murderer, and people love him," Parker said. "And if a woman has an affair, or behaves poorly, or spends money foolishly […] there’s a kind of punitive response to it."
But Parker added that the social media dialogue about Bradshaw is "pretty fantastic," with "strong feelings," whether "positive or negative," being worthwhile to the actress.
"People are kind of captive in those moments to something, and I think that’s perfectly fine," she said. "I just think, it’s just interesting, the ways in which we judge women, and not men."
In one example of a male lead getting positive attention despite horrific behavior, the 2022 Netflix miniseries Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story renewed interest in the serial killer of the same name.
Dahmer murdered a reported 17 boys and men from 1978 to 1991, but the Netflix series inspired Halloween costumes, while celebrities like Ariana Grande also shared their fascination with Dahmer.