Prepare to see a lot of “We Should All Be Mirandas” T-shirts this summer. Earlier today, after months of rumors, Cynthia Nixon announced on Twitter her candidacy for governor of New York. She’s opposing the current governor, Andrew Cuomo, whom she has passionately spoken out against on multiple occasions. Last August, during a Today show interview about Nixon’s film The Only Living Boy in New York, hosts Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, and John Cena lightheartedly nudged her into confirming whether she would run for office. “I’ve heard those rumors!” she responded with a laugh and quickly got down to business. “I think there are a lot of people who would like me to run, for a variety of reasons, but I think the number one [reason] is education. . . . We’ve got a real problem on our hands in New York state. We are 49th in terms of equitable funding—that means there’s one state that’s worse than us, and that’s Illinois. And Governor Cuomo likes to say we spend more per pupil than any other state, and that is actually true, but the only reason that’s true is because we spend so much on the kids in our wealthiest districts. . . . Between our 100 richest schools and our 100 poorest schools, there’s a $10,000 gap on what we spend per pupil . . . . [When Eliot Spitzer was governor, he] started to narrow that gap, and now the gap between our richest schools and our poorest schools is wider under Governor Cuomo than it has ever been before. So that’s gotta stop.”
Who could argue with her? Nixon isn’t new to politics, either: She campaigned for Bill de Blasio back in 2013 and has spoken out against President Trump. At an LGBTQ rally outside the Stonewall Inn last year, she encouraged the crowd to fight the president every step of the way, and she participated in the Women’s March in New York City—and both are things her best-known character, Sex and the City’s Miranda Hobbes, totally would have done, too. For SATC fans, Nixon and her on-screen persona will always be linked, and while Nixon has said she doesn’t have much in common with Miranda, one thing they certainly share is a bold feminist spirit. There’s a common joke about how no girl wants to be “the Miranda” of her group—the cynical and practical one, as opposed to the fashion plate (Carrie) or the sexy man-eater (Samantha)—but then you reach a certain age, gain some life experience, and realize with blinding clarity that you are Miranda. And that’s a good thing.
We’ve all been a little too hard on her over the years, mostly because we want Miranda to be something she’s not: more sympathetic, less sarcastic. But Miranda is the best role model you’ll find on the show: She’s hard-working, unapologetically independent, and totally dismissive of conventional norms. She excels in her career, rolls her eyes at The New York Times wedding section, and refuses to sugarcoat things for her irresponsible friends. As for her on-screen style, Miranda was never exactly praised for her good taste—but let’s take a closer look. At the office, where she clocks 80-hour-plus work weeks and is surrounded by men, she wears simple, neutral suits that look sharp and assert her confidence and work ethic. (Sound familiar?) Off-duty, she sticks to the minimal, androgynous staples of the ’90s. Miranda doesn’t have the time or desire to justify $485 heels that are just going to get lost at a baby’s birthday party—she’s got her 401(k) and a college fund for Brady to worry about.
Nearly 20 years after SATC premiered, we’d like to think we’ve all become a little more like Miranda. Above, we’re highlighting six of her best on-screen looks, which might offer a few clues about what Nixon’s real-life governor’s wardrobe might look like. Whatever she wears, she’s got our vote.