In the late 90s, following the sex lives of four 30-something women on TV was downright subversive. Every episode of Sex and the City was the chance to be the proverbial fly on the wall of the bedroom of four distinct interpretations of the modern woman exploring her sexuality, but as progressive as it was, the HBO series premiered at a time that wasn't a particularly sensitive period for television.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Sex and the City Has Aged Poorly (& 5 It’s Timeless)

As much as Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha talked candidly about sex around their scrambled eggs, the concept of body positivity wasn't something that existed the way it does now. Besides, for six seasons the series was about glamorous New Yorkers who became increasingly interested in fashion and appearances, and they both participated in body shaming and were caught on the receiving end of it, in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Samantha - For Taking Pride In Her Appearance

Miranda Samantha Sex and the City

If Samantha Jones' confidence could be bottled and sold, most people would buy a year's supply. Her effortless bravado comes from an effective mixture of self-encouragement and a cultivated self-care routine, one that involves a lot of physical activity from both sex and the gym. In season 1, when the girls ask what Samantha Jones would change about herself if she could, she responds that she happens to love the way she looks.

Miranda's response of "You should. You paid enough for it" assumes that the body Samantha has worked so hard for couldn't possibly be the result of her own efforts, and therefore is ripe for ridicule. Samantha doesn't rule out plastic surgery in the future, however, acknowledging that it can be seen as just another body modification towards self-expression.

Harry - For His Hairy Back

Harry Sex and the City

In season 5, after they'd been dating for a while, Charlotte was still contending with the fact that she hated her boyfriend's name - Harry, who was "hairy everywhere but on his head." The repulsion she felt towards his back hair intensified by the time he invited her as his date to Bitsy Von Muffling's wedding in the Hamptons.

RELATED: Sex And the City: 5 Times We Felt Bad For Harry (& 5 Times We Hated Him)

Charlotte pretended she didn't want to go because she wasn't "bikini ready," but later admitted it was because she was too embarrassed to be seen with Harry and his back hair. He had to promise to get it waxed so that she would attend the wedding. He did and spent the entire time uncomfortable due to the inflamed state of his skin under his suit.

Richard's House Guests - For Crashing Samantha's Party

Samantha Jones at Richard's beach house in Sex and the City

Samantha didn't appreciate it when Miranda shamed her body in season 1, insinuating she'd had plastic surgery to maintain her looks, yet Samantha turned right around and shamed two young women for the same thing in season 5 while staying at her ex's house in the Hamptons.

While it's true the women weren't invited to Samantha's party, Samantha decided to act completely immature and insensitive out of pure jealousy. It was completely against type for Samantha to berate them for their breast augmentation when she herself nearly got the same procedure done.

Models - For Causing Insecurity

Sex and the City fashion show

As Carrie points out in the episode "Models and Mortals," "there's nothing like raising the subject of models among four single women to spice up an otherwise dull Tuesday night," which results in her friends spending an evening insulting every thin woman in their immediate orbit.

They refer to models as "giraffes with big breasts" for promoting a culture that perpetuates strict standards of beauty, despite the fact that they are often the pawns of a more insidious fashion industry. Miranda, in a rude mood, mentions she wants to force-feed them lard, and Charlotte just feels bad about herself.

Natasha - For Being "Fat" In College

Natasha talking to Carrie at lunch

Early in season 3, Carrie decided to attend NYC's Women of the Arts luncheon specifically so she could show Natasha, Big's new wife, how fabulous she looked. Natasha ended up being too sick to attend the event herself, leaving Carrie crushed at missing the chance to upstage her.

RELATED: Sex And The City: 10 Ways Carrie Got Worse & Worse

Hoping to cheer her up, Samantha brought over an alumna from Natasha's alma mater, who explained to Carrie that Natasha used to be "fat" in college. Carrie was just petty enough to consider it a small victory.

Miranda - For Eating Her Feelings

Miranda and Tom Sex and the City

After Miranda had Brady, she decided to sign up for Weight Watchers in an attempt to get back to her pre-baby weight, and ultimately feel better about herself. When she stepped on the scale for her weigh-in at the Weight Watchers facility, the number read "152," which almost reduced her to tears.

Rather than understand that not only was the weight gain a normal part of pregnancy, but that the number on the scale didn't dictate her self-worth, her response made "152" seem like a completely unhealthy weight. To make matters worse, she avoided a relationship with a fellow Weight Watcher named Tom, who accepted her at whatever size.

Charlotte's Date - For Being Uncircumcised

mike and charlotte sex and the city

The most traditional and conventional of all her friends, Charlotte had exacting standards when it came to her romantic partners, but this didn't stop her from looking for Mr. Right in every bustling street in New York City.

In Season 2 she dated a restaurant critic named Mike, who happened to be uncircumcised, which led to her shaming his genitalia so much (both with him and her friends, comparing it to a wrinkly "Shar Pei" over brunch) that he got himself circumcised just to be with her. To make matters worse, she celebrated the change, indicating that there was something "wrong" with the way he was born.

Samantha's Date - For Being Considered "Small"

James Sex and the City (Samantha's boyfriend)

When Samantha started dating James, a charming jazz enthusiast who seemed every bit as charismatic and sexually voracious as she was, it seemed like she'd met her perfect partner. That was until she learned that he wasn't well-endowed, which seemed to put her off of him and their relationship entirely.

RELATED: SATC: The 5 Worst Things Samantha Did (& The 5 Worst Things People Did To Her)

While she tried to go to couple's counseling with him, the therapy wasn't successful because Samantha wasn't able to get past the fact that he wasn't bigger, and didn't know how to communicate this to him in a way that wasn't offensive.

Miranda - For Her Post-Baby Body At The Casino

Carrie, Samantha, and Miranda at an Atlantic City casino in Sex and the City

In "Luck Be An Old Lady," the girls decided to do something special to celebrate Charlotte's birthday, hoping to leave some of their big-city cares behind for the glitz and glamour of a few days in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, Miranda, who already felt conflicted about being a mother, was body-shamed at the hotel-casino by a group of obstreperous men.

One of the men at a blackjack table told Miranda to move her "fat a**," and Carrie righteously defended her, while Miranda informed them she'd just had a baby. The girls proceeded to body shame the men themselves, asking if one of them was "expecting triplets."

Samantha - For Gaining Weight During Her Relationship With Smith

Samantha and Smith looking at each other in Sex and The City

There were many reasons for fans to be unhappy about Sex and the City: The Movie, chief among them how dirty the creative team did Samantha Jones. Plunged into a depression about having to be monogamous with her charming boyfriend Smith, she filled her emotional void with food.

When she visited her friends unexpectedly, they were shocked at how much weight she'd gained (a whole five pounds). The only reason they could tell at all was because the first time viewers saw her in the movie, she was wearing a crop top. Had she been wearing literally anything else, no one would have been able to tell, but to drive the point home, she's shown shoveling food into her mouth at every opportunity, and the girls weigh in on her weight gain likes it's the worst thing ever.

NEXT: Sex And The City: 10 Times The Female Characters (Other Than Samantha) Were Slut-Shamed