Miranda Hobbes was clearly the Khloe Kardashian of her squad on Sex And The City. She’s empowered, relatable, has a cracking wit, a great job, and is totally in charge of her own life. Miranda’s character was a crucial wake-up call to many women across the world, as she showed how they can totally live life on their own terms.
It was amazing how someone as tough and realistic as Miranda was challenged just for being a self-reliant, working woman who dared to be happy. And though Miranda is a huge favorite with the SATC fandom, there have been several moments on the show where she’s acted quite poorly. Here are 5 times we felt bad for Miranda and 5 times we hated her.
Felt Bad For Her: When She Had An Insufferable Boss
In Sex And The City 2, the movie, Miranda is a high-flying barrister, but her professional growth is halted by her sexist male superior who doesn’t take her ideas seriously. In fact, he even puts up a finger to make her stop talking!
This is obviously something that many working women have to deal with in real life as well, and the plot point actually made the SATC fandom sympathize with Miranda, who couldn’t figure out a way to deal with the situation and even opened up to her friends.
Hated Her: Dismissive Of Carrie’s Personal Hang-Ups
It’s obvious that Mr. Big was someone Carrie was sensitive about, and even after their break-up, Carrie had feelings for him. As a result, whenever Big would try to come back to her life, Carrie would ask her friends for advice, as she’d be all jumbled up emotionally.
Miranda has always been very pointed about her criticism of Carrie’s indulgent attitude to Big, and has often shamed her for the same. It’s a little weird that someone as wise as Miranda wouldn't be able to understand that Carrie has always been in love with Big, hence the soft spot.
Felt Bad For Her: She Needed Better Friends
Remember when Miranda lashed out at her friends for always ranting about men? This scene actually defines the treatment Miranda’s character received on SATC. It’s not that Carrie, Samantha or Charlotte never had any problems other than their relationships, but the show simply never gave sufficient screen time to explore the professional standing of the three.
Conversely, Miranda’s character was multi-dimensional because the writers actually gave her the space to talk about some of her other problems, unrelated to men.
Hated Her: She’s Not A Good Listener
The SATC fandom has pointed out that Miranda can often be quick to judge and can even be condescending to people or her friends. This is true because Miranda’s character exuded a certain world-wariness, which was very relatable but at the same time, it was a sharp contrast to Charlotte’s enthusiasm or Carrie’s funny take on life.
Miranda would often spill her own opinions on her friends’ lives before even listening to them or giving time to understand what their anxieties were. Fans have pointed out that, quite often, when her friends would need her to lend a sympathetic ear, she would just be disparaging.
Felt Bad: When She Was Made Bad About Being Single
Miranda is the quintessential single girl and instead of being sappy or anxious, she appreciated being single, which was so refreshing. In fact, her character was the single-most empowering single woman on television in the 2000s. She had a prolific career, great friends, and it was obvious that she’s doing just fine.
In spite of this, she was often been made to feel bad about her attitude to her love life, when people around her implied that she needed to settle down and find someone or was made to feel like she’s not good enough for someone.
Hated Her: She’s Condescending To Steve
Steve Brady is a huge favorite with the SATC fandom. The happy-go-lucky and charming bartender is a great boyfriend and also the father of Miranda’s child. And though Steve and Miranda have a great relationship by the end of the series, Miranda often subtly ridiculed some of Steve’s choices and made him feel like a child.
Steve has a really interesting approach to life, he lives in the moment, enjoys watching cartoons, and also makes some impulsive decisions. This is a direct contrast to Miranda, who can often be cynical. It might have been unwittingly, but Miranda was sometimes condescending about some of Steve’s lifestyle choices and ideas.
Felt Bad: When Carrie Blamed Her For Her And Big’s Breakup
At Carrie and Big’s rehearsal dinner, Miranda got a call from her estranged husband Steve, and in a fit of anger, advised Big not to go through with the wedding. The next day, Big stood Carrie up for their actual wedding! Obviously this is not Miranda’s fault, as Big later reveals that he had his own issues with marrying Carrie, but when Carrie found out, she was quite angry with Miranda.
It was a bit ridiculous on Carrie’s part to get mad at Miranda and stop talking to her, when the latter didn’t deliberately do anything and was going through a crisis of her own.
Hated Her: The Whole ‘He’s Not That Into You’ Debacle
Remember when the squad was discussing why one of Miranda’s dates refused to come up to her apartment and Carrie’s male friend suggested that maybe Miranda’s date just wasn’t that interested in her?
It’s odd that someone as intelligent and realistic as the 35-year-old Miranda never entertained this as a possibility. The fact that someone may not be into her after a date has never occurred to her. Even fans have pointed out that it’s a bit out-of-character for Miranda to obsess over a guy who may simply not be interested.
Felt Bad For Her: May Not Have Been Ready To Be A Mother
Though Miranda has had no qualms about being single, she always wanted a child. However, in season 4, when she finds out she’s pregnant with the child of her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Steve, she wasn’t entirely sure about it and even considered abortion. Though Miranda doesn’t regret motherhood, fans have often claimed that Miranda wasn’t entirely ready to be a mom.
She may have been influenced by several other factors, like societal pressure, or anxieties about her age, or even Charlotte’s reaction to her considering an abortion (since Charlotte couldn’t conceive and she was mad at Miranda for even thinking about it).
Hated Her: Can Be A Buzzkill
While Miranda’s sense of sarcasm and cracking sardonic wit made the show livelier, she could often be a downer. In fact, this got even more obvious as the show progressed. While fans enjoyed the fact that Miranda is not a day-dreamer and is very level-headed, they have often criticized her for sometimes raining on someone’s parade.
There are hundreds of instances when Miranda has had a shockingly dry response to someone sharing some good news. It’s not that she’s a bad friend, but her lack of filter has often hurt the feelings of others who may just be looking for words of encouragement or appreciation.